Pictures in churches

L

Lexx

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lex
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Hello,

I am a new togger and went out on my first session yesturday walking around Barrow I found a beautiful catholic church that I wanted to get some images of, it was fine when I was out side but as soon as I walked inside I felt very uncomfortable, there was no one praying the only person there was the priest/vicker, I ended up leaving with no inside shots. Is there an etiqute around this issue? How do others go about it?
 
why not ask? I find a bit of politeness goes a long way!
 
Hi Lex,

As Andy said "Ask". I have been invited into lovely rural churches by warden / verger (excuse my ignorance) just by engaging in conversation whilst standing outside / graveyard with my camera and then turning the conversation to the inside of the building. Out comes the key (many are locked) and a warm invite to come in...

They can only say No - I doubt many will.

Good Luck

Alistair
 
Make a donation, worked for me.
Some cathedrals insist you buy a permit.:shrug:
 
I'm not a religious person by any means (in fact, I detest organised religion in any form) but that doesn't stop me appreciating the marvellous work that's gone into the construction of these places...

I've never felt the need (or been asked) to make a donation but I always make a point of finding someone to ask if it's ok to take pictures. I also offer to let the church have copies of anything I shoot. There are some incredibly knowledgeable people out there who look after these places and who have great information about the history. They're also generally more than willing to give you a bit of a guided tour and point out features that you may not have seen but that are just crying out to be photographed.

"Manners maketh the man"... Or so the saying goes! :)

Si
 
If there was no God, would there be any atheists?
 
Trixster said:
why not ask? I find a bit of politeness goes a long way!
Click to expand...

go straight up the priest and say

father this is a beautiful church and i would ask if i can take some photographs

its not hard...god will assist
 
I have photographed inside loads of churches, never been knocked back yet, even been given the keys sometimes and left to get on with it. All thats needed is good old fashioned politeness, try to be quiet, and dont get in anyones way. Always pay my dues in the box, and a friendly chat with whoever is in charge sometimes gets you in where your not supposed to be.

At the end of the day, its a large (public ???) building, the religeous side of things is down to your own feelings ......... use your head and its all straight forward.


Dave ....
 
Tell the priest that your Dark Master has instructed that you burn the place down and eradicate all traces of Christian worship from the area, so would he mind if you just got a few shots for recon before you start planning?
 
i'm not sure if Churches count as public building in the eyes of the law, but as a Christian I've always said that they should be at least regarded and stewarded by the Elders/ Minister as such. It really frustrates me that some Churches (many cathedrals) charge for a permit to take photos - Theologically the building itself isn't important to the faith, so why do they insist on being so precious about who records what the interior looks like!?

Like folks before have said, if there is someone around then ask permission. If there are people inside praying don't use the flash. If they are rude or stand-offish about it, then don't take it personally, it's their issue, not yours.

Even if you aren't a Christian, Churches are often beautiful buildings to look at and many have helped shape the communities and towns around them. It only makes sense that photographers want to make them the subject of photographs.

Another thing to note, is that some people will get offended if you were a hat or have your shoulders/ knees uncovered whilst in the building.
 
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