Orthodox photographer. Orthodox photographer is the best in Eurasia! Correspondent of "Neskuchny Sad" won the international competition

Camera selection

I made my choice of camera based on the following parameters:

1. To be mirrored.
   SLR cameras have a much better lens and in addition the viewfinder is aligned with the lens. Those. Through the peephole, you see what enters the lens. Thus, it turns out to make sure that everything that needs to be in the frame, and what is not needed, is not. And all the shadows and highlights are still visible, which can sometimes be eliminated by changing the tilt of the camera.
2. To be light and small.
   Some people buy a cool professional camera with a set of lenses and tripods. After reading various literature on the photo, they justify their choice with reason. And then - take pictures with a soap box !!! I consider this the height of stupidity and pride. They justify their behavior by saying that:
   - afraid to break or lose expensive equipment,
   - hard to carry.
   - I want to click quickly and there is no time to fiddle with the settings.
   WELL, THEN WHY A COOL CAMERA!!! Well, rich people would buy, for whom 30,000 - 60,000 rubles. - it's small money. And then after all, people save up money for several years, and then do not use it. They will take a few nasty pictures of their drunken face, their beloved cat or child, and that's it. And that the pictures are nasty - because skill comes with experience.
   Obviously a manifestation of pride: I HAVE A COOL CAMERA ... But pride is usually quickly put to shame: the first normal amateur photographer will call such a fool or sharper.
3. To have one universal lens: ZOOM / landscape / portrait
   On a pilgrimage trip, it’s hard for me, apart from all other things, to drag a bag with equipment. And after all, it is necessary never to part with it - they will steal it. And in the temple with her, and take communion, and approach the relics in a crush ... So interchangeable lenses are very burdensome. In addition, there is often no time to change them.
4. To have a more or less powerful flash
   Some novice amateur photographers believe that the flash of their soap dish illuminates everything around like lightning and try to photograph landscapes with it at night :). To photograph an icon in a dimly lit church, you need a powerful flash. It seems that she is very close - on the ceiling. But to the ceiling - 5-20 meters. Soap is not enough.
5. To withstand rain, snow and other bad weather .
   The camera should work in the snow and in the rain. As a rule, all cameras are more or less designed for this. True, it's a matter of luck. I somehow fell into a snow-covered gutter with my OLYMPUS and fell forward with the lens extended. Wiped dirt and snow, dried. Working.

Additional details

Bought additional items for it:

Tripod GIOTOS RT-8000.
Small: 30 cm long when folded, a little more than a meter when extended. Those. apparatus at chest level is obtained. The store said that it was for a soap dish, but it calmly holds both my OLYMPUS and ZENITH with a large and heavy flash. The main thing is to extend and fix the legs to the end, and that the surface is even and there are no strong gusts of wind.

I always have a set of spare CR123 lithium batteries.
Two pot-bellied barrels.

Why is this needed? None of the charging indicators can be accurate in principle and sometimes they lie very much. Do you think that you have enough battery charge for 2 films? Maybe that's enough, but suddenly the flash doesn't flash... Once I got into such a situation. There were no such batteries at the station, much less in the kiosks, which it was possible to enter. These are rarely sold anywhere, especially far from Moscow /

Bought a zero filter for the lens
- just a piece of glass to protect against dirt and dust. I wipe it with a regular handkerchief. To avoid scratching the lens. The attenuation of aperture ratio is minimal, but how useful!

The bag is modest and does not hint at the presence of a camera in it.
at first he used it from a gas mask, and in order to make the apparatus softer, he put it in a hat made of soft wool. Then I bought a more waterproof one of the same style and size.

Why not a branded case?

1. Cameras are stolen...
   There are a lot of thieves in Orthodox churches. Why don't they fight them? Because it's very difficult. Here, in our monastery, a gypsy started up, who forced the child to beg and periodically beat him in the toilet. Here I go into the toilet - I see how he beats him. I call the watchman. He calls more men and we chase her. Well, you've been kicked out, what's next? Will come again. You need money for drinks. Hand over to the police - they will let you out anyway, there is no article for vagrancy. But this is where we have a seminary - 60-80 young guys - and with great difficulty we manage to disperse ordinary beggars. And largely due to the fact that the priest did not bless to give them MONEY. Candy and food, please. If you catch a thief in a temple red-handed, he will scream wildly that his Christians are killing him, he will curse everyone and everything, and he will find many intercessors among grandmothers (I saw it myself in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra). The matter will not reach the police. And all thieves know this and therefore often steal in front of everyone. In many parishes, everyone knows the thieves by sight and warns regular parishioners. SO THE LESS YOUR CAMERA SHOULD TALK ABOUT A CAMERA IN IT - THE LONGER YOUR CAMERA WILL BE YOURS.
2. Sometimes you can't take pictures
   Some people are jealous that you take pictures. Therefore, when you see a bag with a camera right at the entrance, you may be asked to hand it over to the storage room - you will lose a lot of time, and most importantly, you won’t take a picture of anything. And if they don’t notice, then it will be possible to say that they didn’t know and hide the device in a bag. Everyone will be happy: you took a picture, the guard made a remark to you :))).
   Sometimes zealous grandmothers who are out of their minds begin to take the initiative and ask:

   Have you been blessed to take pictures?
   This can be answered:
   - Have you been blessed to make comments to those who take pictures?
   And she shuts up or it turns out that she was sent to keep order, then calmly remove the fotik - all power is from God, even this ...

3. Easier to getfrom a soft and wide bag than from a hard case, especially with cold hands.
4. Warm your hands in winter , waiting for a shot, it is better in a warm soft hat from the camera than in a cold plastic case. The optics do not fog up, as if you keep the device under a coat.

How should an Orthodox photographer dress?

The most modest and not catchy.
Nothing should betray his presence of expensive (or not very expensive) photographic equipment. No straps and bags with emblems and advertising of photo manufacturers. The presence of such things is the first tip for a thief. Remember! Shooting time - a few seconds or minutes. And your things can be considered hours.

In winter, the jacket must have a hood.
During prayer in the open air (for example, in a cemetery), it is customary to take off your hat. But now the prayer service is over, and you have a few seconds for a good shot, and at this time you put on a hat. Or indoors, you need to take off your hat, it is possible to take a picture, and in your hand - a hat. While shifting from hand to hand - you can lose time - a crowd of pilgrims will stand near the icon you are interested in ... The frame floated away. Or if, holding a hat in your hand, you will take a picture - it can block the lens. Let a little bit - but the frame will spoil greatly.

Mittens, gloves, fingerless gloves.

Hands get cold when wearing gloves. Mittens are uncomfortable to take off. There is a compromise - gloves with cut off fingers and a mitten cap. It seems to be convenient, but this cap often gets into the frame when shooting, especially when you need to quickly take a picture of something. So, in my opinion, ordinary mittens are better, but not woolen ones - the hair climbs into the lens.

Bag for photographic equipment
We've already talked about the bag.

Only for women.
Speaking about clothing, it should be recalled that impious clothing for men - shorts and T-shirts with bare shoulders, for women - uncovered heads, short skirts, trousers, bare belly, bare shoulders and cosmetics - are ESPECIALLY UNACCEPTABLE for an Orthodox photographer. If you, being in impious clothes, modestly get lost in the crowd, no one will notice you. But if you take pictures, there will definitely be many, many who want to make a remark to you. It won't seem like much. Remember this, especially, dear ladies!

What is possible and what is not

It is not possible to walk everywhere in the temple. Therefore, even if you were allowed to take pictures in the temple, this does not mean that you can go wherever you like in search of a shot.

It is forbidden:

1. Pass between the iconostasis and the candlestick or between the priest (reader, deacon) and the iconostasis. You have to go around the back. The number of people does not matter.
2. Walk on carpets - they are for priests.
3. Go to the dais in front of the iconostasis - pulpit and salt.
4. Stand with feet on shrines with relics, candlesticks and other church furniture, as well as sit on it (in order to catch a frame)
5. Make loud exclamations such as "get away", "stop", "take off".
6. Use squeakers and buzzers on digital cameras and photographic phones.
7. Interfere with the movement of people and especially the clergy.
8. Talk during worship.
9. Photograph the moments of the service when the sacrament is performed:
   Baptism,
   Confirmation (not to be confused with anointing with oil)
   Eucharist (communion)

Not desirable:

1. Stand unnecessarily with your back to the altar.
2. Distribute bad shots depicting a shrine (more on this later).

Desirable

1. Before taking pictures - take a blessing from the priest: come up and say: "Father, bless me to take a picture!" They usually allow. Usually not the priests are allowed to take pictures, but the MUSEUM. And that's why priests sometimes don't bless. For example, in Solovki, when the museum was strong - they were not even allowed to photograph temples from the outside - they were forced to buy a special ticket for this. The museum gave up its positions - the monastery allowed it. And inside temples, photography is often not allowed so as not to spread bad photos.
2. Do not take pictures in the temple with a flash, but rather with a slow shutter speed and with a tripod. Thus the natural sanctification will be transmitted.

How to frame well

The ability to build a frame well, i.e. choosing what you want to photograph is the most important thing in the art of photography. Without this, the best technique will not help. How to learn this art - there is a lot of different literature, incl. and on the Internet. I will talk about the features in relation to church photography.

Procession.

How not to take pictures.

A woman in a headscarf is very beautiful. But a frame consisting entirely of handkerchiefs is not very cool. Namely, this is what happens if you try to photograph the procession while in its ranks. Or, raising your favorite soap dish, you try to photograph the face of the priest facing you. Be bold, or better yet, take a blessing from any priest (of course, before shooting) and take pictures as you need.

How to photograph

It is good to photograph the procession either from the front or from above, and it is desirable if it is photographed against the background of temples - the beginning and end of the path.

Temples and people, people at temples.

Do not be like the communists - do not "cut off" crosses and baths from churches!

If you want to take a picture of a person against the backdrop of the temple - let him come CLOSER. Otherwise, few people will believe that this little figure is far away... This is especially true for group photos. Pilgrims who want to be photographed at the temple usually immediately stand at the wall of the temple, as if they were not going to be photographed, but shot. Therefore, you have to move to the right distance so that the whole temple hits, and then chick-chick-chick....

A little more about people.

It's not easy to take a good photo. Let me tell you a few basic things:

If the photo is light, then the person on it will be dark. Therefore, set your camera to "flash always" and preferably "anti-red-eye" (blinking). Otherwise, the brains of the camera will tune in to a light background or an average one - in short, it will be bad.

By the way, it is on the principle of the "black silhouette" that Orthodox iconography is based. The saint is depicted against a bright background: a halo is a glow. However, the features of the saint's face are bright, as if he does not block the light, but the light passes through him, fills him. We are not saints, so you don’t need to take pictures against a bright background :)))

Usually the defect occurs when photographing a couple. Wanting people to be in the center - autofocus on the center is on a distant point behind and focuses into the distance. Because of what people turn out to be out of focus - not sharp. Therefore, if you are photographing with an unfamiliar device, it is better to focus on the face of one. Let the picture be not quite symmetrical, but in focus. A similar misfortune does not occur if people are standing near a wall or other object - even if it is focused between the heads - then the distance to the wall is almost the same as to people.!

Glare. An attempt at a scientific explanation, where do angels and demons come from in photographs?

It is better not to shoot against the sun. And if necessary? Then you have to experiment - shoot at different angles, cover the lens. If the device is a mirror, then, having some experience, you can see where the flare is formed and fight it. Users of soapboxes almost never see the glare, and for them various amazing spots in the photo are creatures from another world.

Photographing icons.

Many priests do not allow photographing icons in churches. They do it right! Because in the conditions of the temple it is almost impossible to do this well for a number of reasons:

1. The icon is blocked by candles, lamps, pendants, someone's handkerchiefs and the backs of their heads.

2. In the dark, when photographing with a flash, a glare is formed on the icon

3. Putting a tripod for shooting is almost impossible: there is no where.

4. Due to the inability to stand in front of the icon, they take pictures from the side, distorting the proportions

5. Illumination due to nearby candles and lamps creates additional glare

If the icon is famous, then, as a rule, with the blessing of the rector, a good photographer takes pictures of it, having previously positioned it in the right way, and these photographs are sold in the church shop. Moreover, the price is comparable to the price for an ordinary photograph, if it is not printed somewhere cheaper, but in a good studio. Those photographs of icons that pilgrims make are often not copies of icons, but disgusting caricatures of these icons, because a caricature is a distorted image. Therefore, I very rarely photograph icons. And even then, only when there is some chance to do it well, because the icons are placed accordingly. Otherwise, I say: "shoot yourself, I can't."

Our today's author is not just a "priest, passionate about photography." Father Igor Palkin is a professional photographer. And if the image of the father, who took the camera in his hands to express love and admiration for the world, is already familiar to the readers of "Thomas", the path of Father Igor, from photography to the Church, is unusual and therefore especially interesting.

Igor Palkin made his first steps in photography in the newspaper "Tatyanin's Day" - one of the first Orthodox media in Russia, which was published by the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University. In the 1990s, work in such a publication was akin to pioneering: journalists-enthusiasts of Tatyana's Day broke down numerous stereotypes that had developed outside the Church - about the Church. Including pictorial stereotypes, due to which the Russian Orthodox Church acquired a lubok image in the eyes of modern people: “a candle, domes, gold icons”. The youth edition tried to show the beauty of Orthodoxy not only with the usual, but with all possible colors.
Really carried away by work in the newspaper, photojournalist Igor Palkin remained in the Tatiana Church, becoming at first a simple parishioner, then an altar boy, a deacon and, finally, a priest.
But the circumstances of life developed in such a way that the priest did not abandon his profession; and now thank God for it! Now Father Igor Palkin is a staff photographer of the Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia". Business trips give him a unique opportunity to see and photograph the Russian Church as it is: in huge cities and abandoned villages, on great holidays and church days, and not only in Russia, but in Belarus, Ukraine ...
And wherever the priest comes, he takes live, animated photographs. Alive, because at the center of them is always a person. Even if there is no face or shadow outline in the frame, there is an amazing sense of presence in it, the warmth left by someone. Here is a priest at the Liturgy, bowing to the floor - a symbol of bright sorrow ... Here are two people: a bewitched visitor who stopped in front of a painting and his interlocutor, looking from the depths of the picture.
Father Igor is a principled opponent of "spying" on the lives of other people. And the point is not even that he denies any possibility of reporter shooting (for a professional photographer, this would be strange), but that people, according to his sad experience, react negatively to a photographer who “steals” minutes of their life, taking them without asking, secretly, treacherously.
“I'm interested in finding soulful contact with the one I shoot, so that he opens up, and not sullenly or embarrassedly closed in front of the lens. Each photo session for me is a meeting with a capital letter, an opportunity to touch the secret of someone's soul. Whether it works for me - I don’t know ... let those who see my work judge!”

The baptism of a child is one of the most important moments in a person's life. Such a magical event, a great Sacrament, captured in photographs, will become an invaluable contribution to your family chronicle.

In this type of shooting, it is important to carefully approach the choice of a photographer. Shooting in a church is considered one of the most difficult types of reportage photography. The lack of light in the Temple, a large crowd of people around the baby, the need to be inconspicuous and delicate regarding the ongoing action - all this poses difficult tasks for the photographer. In such conditions, only an experienced professional, well prepared from a technical point of view and, of course, having enlisted the blessing of the priest, will be able to catch the most important moments, the most successful angles, the most vivid emotions.

Making your choice in favor of the Orthodox photographer Ekaterina Efremova, you can be sure that she will cope with shooting of any level of complexity. Ekaterina Efremova has been engaged in children's and family photography since 2009, but another of her favorite areas is Orthodox photography. Ekaterina Efremova's works are exhibited at Orthodox exhibitions in Russia and abroad.

Andrei Radkevich at work. Photo by Ekaterina Stepanova

Today, on World Press Freedom Day, the results of the II International Journalism Competition were summed up at the Central House of Journalists "Eurasia. social portrait " .
The competition was attended by 135 professional photojournalists representing the media in 17 countries of Eurasia and 44 regions of Russia. The competition is held by the International Confederation of Journalists' Unions, "Eurasia Media Center" and the International Academy of Television and Radio under the auspices of UNESCO.
The 1012 photographs sent to the competition reflect the social problems of our day: wealth and poverty, the problems of difficult teenagers, homeless children, drug addiction, the terrible consequences of military conflicts and other acute social topics.
The selection committee selected 205 photographs from the submitted works and submitted them to the jury. The chairman of the photo contest jury, Novaya Gazeta columnist Yuri Rost, summing up the results, noted that it is not for nothing that in Russian the word “lens” denotes not only the main tool of the photographer, but also a truthful approach to covering facts. The idea that the truth about a person, conveyed by photojournalists, can change the world for the better, sounded more than once during the ceremony.
Andrey Radkevich, a photojournalist of our magazine, won the first place (a prize-winning photo titled “Poverty is not a hindrance to childhood”).

Andrei is a regular participant in missionary campaigns carried out by the brotherhood of the All-Merciful Savior. The photo was taken on one of these trips in the village of Stupinskoye, Arkhangelsk region

The second place went to Andrei Kravchuk (Russia, Moscow), the third - to Said-Khussein Tsarnaev (Russia, Grozny).
Among the works selected by the organizers of the contest for the exhibition are photographs of photo correspondents of our editorial staff by Ekaterina Stepanova and Evgeny Globenko. It should be noted that the vision of social problems demonstrated by our correspondents, as well as by many other participants in the competition, is not limited to exposing the ulcers of society - the work is distinguished by the search for humanity and light even where it would seem difficult to find it - in prison, on social day, in a nursing home, in deep poverty. The truth without love is not the full truth, the materials of the exhibition testify.
The competition included not only photographs, but also documentaries and TV spots. Of the 26 videos and tapes sent, 7 video materials were submitted for consideration by the jury. Chairman of the jury of the TV competition - President of the International Academy of Television and Radio Anatoly Lysenko. The first place was awarded to Arman Yeritsyan's (Armenia, Yerevan) film "Under the open sky" - a story of life, love and death of two homeless people. Irina Akulovich, a documentary filmmaker from Belarus, won the second place for the film “I Can Speak”, and the third went to Irina Pivovarov (Moldova, Chisinau) for a series of stories about HIV-infected people. After the announcement of the names of the winners, a viewing of the laureate tapes was arranged.

See the photo report from the award ceremony:

The winner of the photo contest came to the celebration with his family

After a short briefing...






...the opening ceremony of the event...


...and speeches...


...the prizes were awarded -...


...- diploma and desk clock

Maria, Seraphim and Andrei Radkevichi

Ours at the exhibition: above - Ekaterina Stepanova in front of her exposition, on the left - Evgeny Globenko


Photo by Vyacheslav LAGUTKIN, Irina SECHINA and Ekaterina STEPANOVA