photographing in churches

Lesco

Lesco

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Tony
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If you come across a church that is open, and nothing is going on in there, I.E. no service or anything going on, can you just set up and start taking photos or is it good manners to find the priest/vicar/rector and get permission first??

I really want to start getting into HDR photography, and with the time of year and the weather I want to be inside, and take my time setting everything up.
 
I would ask always. Offer a copy of the photos for the parish mag! You never know, you might be able to sell some to the parishioners.
 
Shoot first then ask that way if they say no youve already got your shots

Dave:thumbs:
 
Cameraman said:
Shoot first then ask that way if they say no youve already got your shots

Dave:thumbs:
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Not being funny, but this a religious building and you should show some respect.

What would you do if you someone stood outside you house, set up their tripod and lights and started snapping away? You would go outside and have a word, probbaly four letter ones.

If everyone asked nicely these days instead of just doing, the world would be a better place.
 
I don't think it's to do with being a religious building it's simply good manners. If you have any ask, if not................
 
Most churches don't mind normal photos, but prohibit HDR :D
 
CaptainPenguin said:
Anybody teach you the meaning of the word manners when you were growing up,the next Tog to follow you into that church will have no chance of getting any shots
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Yes but my dad always taught me to get the shot first then if someone stops you atleast you have the shots. No point in knocking the vicar out of bed just to ask if he says no anyway. Did your parents not teach you to respect others opinions :razz:



lawrie29 said:
Not being funny, but this a religious building and you should show some respect.

What would you do if you someone stood outside you house, set up their tripod and lights and started snapping away? You would go outside and have a word, probbaly four letter ones.

If everyone asked nicely these days instead of just doing, the world would be a better place.
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As above

Dave:thumbs:

this place is getting worse with do gooders:thumbsdown:
 
Good manners say ask first!

It's like on that channel 5 program a few weeks back (With Suzi Perry) where the advisor said to get in between people that are sat at a table (around coffee shops) and take pictures of them. Sorry but that is highly rude and ignorant and they would be treated as such.

This 'get the pics first then at least you have them' is very rude and out of order if you ask me (and I'm sure others agree)

If the church is open then the vicar will be around so you wouldn't need to knock him out of bed. How would you like it if I was to walk into your house and start taking pics? Although it's not his house strictly speaking it is still his responsibilty.
 
Hejikibob said:
Good manners say ask first!
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Common sense says if you enter and no ones around grab some shots as long as your not swinging from the rooftops and making a noise and behaving in an appropiate manner then there shouldnt be a problem.

Dave:thumbs:
 
"Did your parents not teach you to respect others opinions"

Yes Cameraman they did and other people's property and beliefs you seem very selective in what you respect,and there is a big difference between someone with manners and a "Do Gooder"
 
Some churches are used to 'tourists' and readily expect photos to be taken whereas other 'off the beaten track' sites may not be so familiar with photos being taken. If the church is open it's not always the case that someone will be inside and it's not always the case that the vicarage is close by either.
If the church is open and there is someone inside be courteous and say that you would love to take some photos of the beautiful surroundings. It is highly unlikley that you will get a refusal unless you start bringing in the BBC outside broadcast kit or there is something already going on inside.
 
Common sense as well as good manners says to ask, you don't know what events may be planned for the day, there could be a funeral, christening or wedding taking place in the next hour.

Churches are left open for one reason only, to allow those seeking sanctuary and prayer to enter, not as an open invite to tourists or togs
 
CaptainPenguin said:
"Did your parents not teach you to respect others opinions"

Yes Cameraman they did and other people's property and beliefs you seem very selective in what you respect,and there is a big difference between someone with manners and a "Do Gooder"
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im not about to get involved in an argument just because you dont repect my opinion :razz::razz::razz: and your the one who seems very selective in what you respect judging by some of your past posts

Dave:thumbsdown:
 
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Lesco said:
If you come across a church that is open, and nothing is going on in there, I.E. no service or anything going on, can you just set up and start taking photos or is it good manners to find the priest/vicar/rector and get permission first??

I really want to start getting into HDR photography, and with the time of year and the weather I want to be inside, and take my time setting everything up.
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I do this quite a bit. There are a lot of churches that put an "open church" sign out the front.. and there's almost never anyone about to ask. If there is someone it's always polite to ask. Always leave a donation for the upkeep fund and always respect the building and anyone else that's using it.

There may not always be a vicar or rector though.. often small churches are either no longer used for regular services or are part of a shared parish. Usually the keyholder will be a nearby resident.

But do check the noticeboard for irregular services.. yes, I have made an exit via the side door as the mourners made an appearance through the main door. The church warden had been very interested in my photography, but hadn't thought to mention the funeral..
 
Yep that seems the normal Alastair, open churches, behave respectfully, leave a donation, all the things i normally do but apparently a few here think thats rude of us :shake: maybe we should be hung for daring to enter a church without permision just to take a few pictures :cuckoo:

Dave:thumbs:
 
I believe most churches are private property and as a result you need permission to take photos, just like shopping centres and supermarkets.

I know the local church here even the grave yard is private property and even though it has a path through it that is used daily by a lot of people they have to prevent access for 24 hours periodically to maintain its private status. They usually lock all the gates for 24 hours on Christmas day.
 
Some quite extraordinary comments here...

If the church is open then you should be free to wander in and take photos as long as you're not disrupting a service or anything.

If there's someone obviously working there: verger; churchwarden etc. then I might tip my hat and ask if it's OK, but I certainly wouldn't go looking for them before I got my camera out.

As to it being a building of religious significance (see, that's me being all PC about it), so what? This is England, not the bloody Gulf states (and yeah I know I live in Germany, but it applies equally here as well - wars were fought, we won, the Pope doesn't rule my life etc etc etc...).
 
Richard King said:
Just shoot
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Would you give the same advice to someone who walked into your house or work place.

Not only should you ask.....
But a donation is also in order. It costs many thousands of pound to keep a church in good condition..... If it was unkempt you would not even want to shoot it.

Churches are Places of worship... treat them with respect.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
If it was unkempt you would not even want to shoot it.
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Oh I'm not sure about that :lol:

IMG_1998.jpg
 
Alastair said:
I do this quite a bit. There are a lot of churches that put an "open church" sign out the front.. and there's almost never anyone about to ask. If there is someone it's always polite to ask. Always leave a donation for the upkeep fund and always respect the building and anyone else that's using it.

There may not always be a vicar or rector though.. often small churches are either no longer used for regular services or are part of a shared parish. Usually the keyholder will be a nearby resident.

But do check the noticeboard for irregular services.. yes, I have made an exit via the side door as the mourners made an appearance through the main door. The church warden had been very interested in my photography, but hadn't thought to mention the funeral..
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I agree with you Alastair. Many churches in rural wales (for example) are open and unattended, and it would be difficult to find someone to ask, even if you wanted to. It is perfectly possible to behave respectfully in a church even with a camera on a tripod. Cameras don't steal your spirits, you know!

I would always leave a donation.

At St Davids Cathedral a permit to use a tripod is £10....ouch!
 
jerry12953 said:
At St Davids Cathedral a permit to use a tripod is £10....ouch!
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Only £2 at Ely.. but that's on top of the regular entry price.

I believe Peterborough makes no additional charge, but I haven't visited there yet with the camera.
 
What bugs me in some of these churches/cathedrals is the "Donations in excess of £xx are appreciated" signs that I've seen in a few places ... have they never read the story of the widow's mite?
 
Alastair said:
Only £2 at Ely.. but that's on top of the regular entry price.

I believe Peterborough makes no additional charge, but I haven't visited there yet with the camera.
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Entry is free at Peterborough - £2 permit for taking photographs. Nobody batted an eyelid over my tripod!
 
I revisited St Juliots church near where i used to live and it was open, it's always open ! a lot of rural churches are with nobody around, i can see why a lot are locked due to the underclass rats that want to deface, vandalise these lovely buildings.
As long as nobody is there and you are quiet/respectful there's no reason to not take photo's, i remember as kids we cycled to this church and wanted to climb the bell tower, unfortunately the door to the tower was locked but it didn't stop us from being quite excited about being there :)

here's a quick photo of the magical little place(well i think so)

DSC_4167_edited-1.jpg


DSC_4171_edited-2.jpg
 
jerry12953 said:
Off topic a bit but just to go into Ely Cathedral is £6 isn't it? It's such a shame. I know churches are expensive buildings to upkeep but at least its a donation only at St. Davids.
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Yes.. but if you tick the Gift Aid box instead if a day ticket you get an annual pass for no extra cost. So if you're reasonably local (like me) I pay once and then use the ticket for two or three trips. It's a big place, and I appreciate the work that goes into keeping the fabric maintained.
 
I quite often go into churches to take pictures and it's more common sense than anything else. If the church is deserted apart from just the vicar I will usually ask him if photos are OK. Usually they just say OK or OK apart from using them commercially. I tend to rely on plastic 99.9% of the time so don't always have loose change on me but sometimes donate.
 
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