Taking Photos in a Church

[Denny]

Hi,

I will be at an event in a Church that features very large stained-glass windows. I will have to shoot some directly into them because of the positioning of the subjects. If it's sunny I'll get an orange-ish tint and alot of noise due to low light. When I shoot away from them I get even more noise due to low light. What settings can I explore on my digital camera to lessen these effects?

I also plan to use my digital camcorder so I'll have the same issues for it?:confused:

[Not4wood]

You don't mention what camera your using. If your using a DSLR you might want to kick in your Noise Reduction in camera. I have a Nikon D80, and in my Menu I have two options. One for longer exposures and then another for the higher ISO. It isn't perfect but it also helps.

Also, there are a couple of Noise Reduction Programs that you can purchase on the Net, like Noise Ninja, Nik makes one as well and I am drawing a blank on the other. Haha, just Google Noise Reduction and they will come up.

As for color it also depends on what your shooting. Considering this event is known to be under this Stained Glass the subjects might want this fantastic color. If you can ask the person who is in charge of this "Event", you might want to be able to shoot with a Flash. If your told you can't, then just shoot natural and make the best of the situation.

You also dont mention if this Event is for a paying customer. If it is a real important event I would shoot this in either Raw, or Raw plus JPG so you can get the best images to work from.

I am including a shot I had taken this past summer in Edinbourgh Church, Scotland. If you look
closely, there are Stained Windows everywhere. Originally shot in Raw, Natural Light ISO 1000.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/TIA2077/Architectural/th_framed_EdinbourghChurch.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v497/TIA2077/Architectural/?action=view&current=framed_EdinbourghChurch.jpg)

[msbrad]

If your camera is a DSLR, I recommend the 50mm lens, and open the aperture.
m

[Not4wood]

From the Exif Info on my shot above:

Camera Model: NIKON D80
Lens: 18-135 mm
Focal Length: 18.0mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm...)
Exposure Time: 0.033 s (1/30)
Aperture: f/5.0
ISO Equiv.: 1000
Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual

Because I had uped my ISO I was able to use a slow shutter speed I was still able to hand hold at 30th of a second. Shot at f:/5 with my Zoom at its widest at 18mm on my Kit Lens 18-135mm f:/3.5. I also used f:/5 to keep my lens at least 2 stops away from the widest. This will allow me to try and keep everything in the sweatest zone so I will have less distortion and be the sharpest my lens is capable of.

[Daviskw]

I am not a photographer so take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

For the orange tint perhaps it would help to set a custom white balance.

Of course to balance the backlighting of the windows and low light, a flash with perhaps a diffuser would do wonders.

If your subjects were posed a tripod would also help. If there is not a need to stop action you could then use a lower ISO, lower shutter speed, along with a lower to medium aperture…The above may keep noise manageable.

If it is not practical to use a tripod you could use a monopod shoot wide open with an 800 or so ISO.


Butch

[Denny]

Thank you for your thoughts on this. Here's a little more info. My camer is not a DSLR. It it a Fuji FinePix A210. This is a dinosaur by today's standards. I will see if my camera offers any of the settings that you've mentioned to see what options if any I have here.

The subjects will be standing directly in front of a ground to ceiling stained glass window for a baptism. The backlighting can range depending on the amount of sunlight.

[Not4wood]

Then in that case, double check and make sure you can use a Flash.

Using the Technique of "Dragging the Shutter" would be very appropriate at this Event.

In Dragging the Shutter, you use a Slower Shutter Speed which in return will make the background a bit brighter so you can see whats going on but at the same time your subject is Illuminated by your Flash.

Its your shutter speed that controls how bright or dark your background is when using your Flash.

Only difficulty is making sure your shutter speed is fast enough so you can Hand Hold. A Tripod is Highly Recommmended for this kind of situation. I have tried this Technique and I ended up getting what looked like Double Images when the Shutter only went off Once and my Flash Only Went off once. So you do have to be very careful.

For a More In Depth explaination just Google "Dragging the Shutter".