Another first

One of the things I love most about my job is the variety of work. It’s not the same every day. Even after a career spanning 35 or so years I still get to experience “firsts”.

Last weekend was a case in point. I was commissioned to cover a Catholic ordination. I was familiar with christenings, weddings, funerals, communion and confirmation. But this was new. This is where training and experience comes to the fore…you need to be prepared to shoot any eventuality.

My briefing set out a couple of key moments in the ceremony that needed to be covered and requested a couple of specific shots for predetermined placement in the Archdiocese magazine. The rest of the coverage was up to me. Apart from satisfying the client’s wishes I wanted to convey the emotion of the ceremony and capture some of the atmosphere.

The service was conducted in the Star of the Sea church in Burnie. A lovely old brick building with plenty of character…and plenty of challenges. Light was always going to be an issue. Flash was not an option…1. It would be disruptive and 2. It would destroy the ambience of the church.

When I cover an event like this I run with two identical camera bodies (in this case, Canon 5D mkIIIs) on a Carry Speed harness. (I prefer the harness to straps as there is no chance of it coming off your shoulder). One body is fitted with a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 zoom and the other a Sigma Art 24mm f1.4. Around my waist is a Think Tank Pro Speed belt fitted with 3 Lens Changer pouches. In two of the pouches are my Canon 14mm f2.8 wide angle and the Sigma Art 50mm f1.4…the third is empty to give me somewhere to “drop” the lens that comes off the camera during a change. I also had my Think Tank Retrospective close by with spare batteries, memory cards, speedlights etc…just in case.

After a couple of test shots, I determined I would need an ISO of 3200 to give me the shutter speed required to prevent movement blur (any higher and there would be too much noise for my liking). I would be shooting with fairly open apertures…up to a maximum of about f4.5…focus and depth-of-field would be critical.

Lighting conditions within the church varied from dark little alcoves to sections in bright sunlight shafting through tall, stained glass windows…a metering nightmare. But, it can also provide opportunity…it just depends how you use it.

Situations like these challenge your ability, your technique and your expertise. You need to know the hows and whys of exposure to wring the best out it.

I had fun. I hope you enjoy the pics.