You are standing in the church for the first time with a baby in your arms, and you do not know the simplest things: when photos are allowed, where the photographer should stand, whether he will be in the priest's way. And the immersion in the font lasts a few seconds and is not repeated — if the photographer is on the wrong side at that moment, the picture simply does not exist.
I know the order of the sacrament and agree with the priest in advance where I may stand and what may be photographed. I work without flash — by candlelight and daylight — never enter the altar, and choose my spot by the font before it starts. You do not have to arrange anything on the day.
I have been shooting for 15 years, more than 3,000 shoots. Gothenburg has several Orthodox parishes of different traditions, and each has its own rules for photography. Below is the sacrament step by step and what parents and godparents should prepare in advance.
Rules for photo and video differ from church to church. Where the photographer may stand, whether they may come close to the font, whether certain moments may be photographed — better to find out before the day.
The photographer does not enter the altar and does not disturb the service. I work without flash and position myself so that the priest never has to adapt to the camera.
You will need a new christening gown, a cross and a towel. Godparents usually buy them, and the gown is kept afterwards with the baby’s keepsakes.
A godparent must be Orthodox. A married couple cannot be godparents to the same child, and one godparent of the same sex as the child is enough. Find out in advance which name the child will be baptised with: if the name is not in the church calendar, choose one that sounds similar.
The sacrament does not start at the font but with prayers. The godparents hold the baby, renounce evil on the child’s behalf and read the Creed — often from a prayer book, and that is perfectly fine.
The most alive shots here are of the baby studying the pages or reaching for the book while the adults pray. I shoot quietly, from the side, without flash.
The central moment of the sacrament is the threefold immersion in the font. It takes a few seconds, so I choose my spot in advance: where both the baby’s face and the priest’s hands are visible.
Candles and the dim church give warm, living light. A flash would ruin it, so I shoot in available light only.
After the font the godparents receive the baby in a towel and put on the cross and the white gown. Then the priest performs the chrismation.
These are the most touching shots: wet hair, a puzzled look, the hands of the godmother drying the baby.
The priest, the godparents and the baby walk around the font three times while relatives hold lit candles. Then comes the tonsure: a few locks of hair are cut, and many families keep them in an envelope as a keepsake.
These moments are easy to miss if you do not know the order, so I stay close in advance.
At the end of the sacrament the priest reads prayers over the baby, then boys are carried into the altar and girls are brought to the icons. The photographer does not enter the altar, so I capture this moment from the side.
It is a short and very quiet moment — the mother’s focused face, the priest’s hand, the baby’s attentive look.
The group portrait of the family and godparents is best taken before or right after the sacrament. Before — everyone is fresh and dressed up and the baby is not tired yet. After — by the iconostasis if the priest allows, with the newly baptised baby in the white gown.
Tell me in advance who should be in the group photo: grandparents, godparents, brothers and sisters. It takes a couple of minutes and then stands framed in every relative’s home.
Send me the date, the church and whether you want the celebration photographed afterwards. Christenings usually fall on weekends, so it is best to book early.