Church interior--color film?

[bgh]

Me and color, we just don't get along well.

However, I've volunteered to provide some documentation photographs of a fantastic church here in Syracuse that was built between 1905 and 1912. It is one of the great Gothic Revival buildings in the city, but it has been closed by the Diocese and it fate is uncertain. The interior is lovely, but the key architectural features are the German stained-glass windows. They really need to be recorded in color. Yikes.

So, I'm appealing for help. Would any of you kind souls have a recommendation for a readily available film to use? I have no preconceptions regarding negative vs. transparency, I'll look into any suggestions.

For those who have done such photographs, I would also be obliged for any recommendations for an approach to recording the details of the windows. I don't anticipate having much of second chance to document this building.

Many thanks in advance!

Bruce

[bdkphoto]

Me and color, we just don't get along well.

However, I've volunteered to provide some documentation photographs of a fantastic church here in Syracuse that was built between 1905 and 1912. It is one of the great Gothic Revival buildings in the city, but it has been closed by the Diocese and it fate is uncertain. The interior is lovely, but the key architectural features are the German stained-glass windows. They really need to be recorded in color. Yikes.

So, I'm appealing for help. Would any of you kind souls have a recommendation for a readily available film to use? I have no preconceptions regarding negative vs. transparency, I'll look into any suggestions.

For those who have done such photographs, I would also be obliged for any recommendations for an approach to recording the details of the windows. I don't anticipate having much of second chance to document this building.

Many thanks in advance!

Bruce

Color Neg- fuji 160nc, Interior lights on, low-light/cloudy day or dusk outside.

Truthfully, digital capture is your best option.

[Robert Hughes]

And bracket a stop or two either way, in case you decide to attempt some HDR - one of the few places I've seen it used successfully and tastefully has been church interiors.

[Rick Russell]

I've shot a few church interiors in the past, and have used Fuji Provia, in large part due to its reciprocity characteristics. I recommend it for the task you have described.

Rick Russell
richardrussell-1@ca.rr.com

[bvstaples]

I like Fuji Provia myself for it color richness.

I would also suggest scaffolding so you can square the camera to the window you are shooting.

Brian

[tgtaylor]

I'd second Fuji Pro160C and Provia. I've shot church interiors with both.

[Henry Ambrose]

Fuji Pro 160S.
Bring lots of lights and think about doing multi-pops in different parts of the scene. You might also do exposure brackets on multiple sheets of film and composite them in Photoshop. Don't be afraid of long exposures.

For the windows its easy if you are interested in only the window - meter a mid-tone with your spot meter and shoot away. If you need some of the surrounding woodwork included, bring light and Polaroid. Oh wait they don't make that anymore. Dang! Trust your meter.

I'm pretty sure you're headed straight to hell if you use digital for a church.
Just say no.

[Ed Richards]

If you are only going to get one shot at it, and you have digital available, shoot digital back up for everything. That way you get something if some of your film exposures do not work. Color neg has huge exposure latitude so do not be afraid to expose enough for the shadows. The highlights will probably be fine, with flare being the main problem.

[bgh]

Many, many thanks to all for the advice! I'm still making my way through them.

By way of update in the meantime, here's a blog post by a colleague here in Syracuse with some additional information on the church and some preliminary digital photos, should anyone be interested:
http://mycentralnewyork.blogspot.com...or-gothic.html

Thanks again!
Bruce

[Heroique]

Bruce,

It’s a beautiful church – inside and out. And I’m happy you’ll preserve as much of it as possible in advance of any demolition crews.

After viewing your link of church images, I wanted to share just a couple of quick observations:

First, remember to give careful consideration to all the low-hanging lamps. They’re so many, and they hang so low, that even if they don’t actually appear in some of your shots, it’s likely that a degree of their light output will. Not quite sure what kind of lighting that is (tungsten? fluorescent?), but carefully coordinating this light output w/ natural light (and your own lighting) will, I can only suspect, be a critical part of your strategy, especially if you decide to shoot film for direct viewing. In advance of your visit, I’d inquire about how to operate these hanging lamps – and all the other lighting, too. (Plus what kind of lighting it is.) Depending on your subject, film, filtration, & time of day, it might prove useful to turn them up or down, or switch them on or off. If you adopt a multiple-exposure plan already mentioned, the ability to operate interior lighting at your discretion will be useful indeed.

Second, all the exterior shots of the church I see “suffer” from considerable convergence. No surprises here for architecture that reaches heaven-ward. This goes not only for the front façade, but many of the exterior doors & windows framed by their pointed-arch designs. (Three cheers for LF cameras + front rise!) Of course, depending on your aims, some measure of convergence may be what you’re after. But having the option to eliminate this type of distortion will add a refreshing & striking variety to your shots, if you venture outside to take them. This is, of course, just as important inside the church w/ all the soaring verticals of Gothic architecture…

(Oh yeah, Fuji Pro 160s ... an excellent choice.)

Good luck! – and I hope you’ll eventually share your results with us…