Documentary-style Christening Photography
Christening photography captures the special moments during a baby's baptism or christening ceremony, a significant event in many religious traditions.
By focusing on real interactions, emotions, and a narrative approach, my documentary-style christening photography creates a deeply personal and emotional collection of images that my families cherish.
I first met Monika & Simon photographing their wedding at the same venue, the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Prince Lazar, in Birmingham. They contacted me again to book me to capture their daughter, Mila's christening.
I started with some staged group photographs and then let the party mingle - before the ceremony the family shared a toast to Mila with some Champagne.
Once the group photographs were taken, I started to take candid shots of the family whilst we waited for the ceremony to begin.
The church, the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Prince Lazar, really is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever had the pleasure to photograph!
Documentary-style photography is about capturing real, unscripted moments. It tells a story by observing and recording events without directing or interfering.
In the context of a christening, I try to blend into the background and capture the emotions, interactions, and details as they happen, creating an authentic narrative of the day.
As proud parents, Simon and Monika looked on, Mila and her God-Parents took centre stage during the ceremony.
Many religious venues have rules about where you can stand or when you can take photos. I always ask the officiant about restrictions, and make sure I can work around them without affecting the ceremony.
Documentary-style christening photography offers a more candid, natural, and unobtrusive approach to capturing the special moments of a baptism or christening ceremony. This style focuses on storytelling and capturing the day as it unfolds, without the need for staged or posed shots.
I focus on the important rituals, such as the anointing, the pouring of holy water, prayers, and the signing of the cross. I'm ready for close-ups of the baby, godparents, and parents during the key moments.
Families often find more emotional depth in candid images—expressions of joy, anticipation, and even chaos can create a more meaningful memory than posed shots.
The church is extremely important to this family so I captured as much of the gorgeous decor as possible in my shots.
I shot the christening using my prime 35mm lens and 24-70mm zoom .
Most churches have poor lighting. I use lenses with wide apertures (e.g., f/1.8 or f/2.0) and increase ISO to compensate for low light.
Documentary photography requires you to anticipate moments before they happen. I stay alert, constantly observe the environment, to be ready to capture subtle interactions. The goal is to document reality, so I embrace the natural flow of the event.
Once the ceremony was over we had time for one last posed group shot...
By focusing on the intimacy of the event, capturing meaningful moments, and being mindful of the sacredness of the occasion, christening photography can deliver beautiful, timeless images for the family to cherish.