SHOTLIST
Use this as a guide of the photos we are looking for, but don’t let this become a routine and reduce shooting photos down to a number. Stay fresh and capture the breadth of the event. In taking photos, be intentional to capture diversity in age, gender, and ethnicity.
EVERY WEEKEND/EVENT CAPTURE
+ 10 shots of worship (full band, individual team members, close up & wide)
+ 6 shots of people worshipping (hands in the air, genuine moments of people encountering Jesus, etc)
+ 4 wide shots of the room (Use wide lens – Canon 15-35mm)
+ 10 shots of preaching (3 close ups / 3 wide / 4 horizontal for Youtube thumbnail)
+ 4 shots of Host (2 close / 2 wide)
+ 10 shots of New Life Kids (kids worshipping, engaging during lesson time)
+ 10 shots of authentic moments (connect/greeting team serving & welcoming guests, engaging conversations, smiles, hugs, high-fives, etc)
+ 6 shots of behind the scenes (studio & live production team)
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TO DOS
Wear dark clothing all & close-toed shoes at all times
Store personal items out of site at backhall
Always shoot in RAW
When storing, always make sure to keep each side of the lens covered with its designated cap
Remember to not be distracting when shooting in service, especially during worship.
Pray for salvations & HAVE FUN
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EDITING STYLE
It’s important for our culture that the photos taken at New Life Community Church have the same look and feel. New Life Community Church’s style of editing is a natural saturated look, that focuses more on boosting exposure and contrast while cutting highlights where necessary. This would be more of a “rule of thumb” for edits depending on the photo. Do not over-stylize or un-saturate photos as your only submission.
Begin photo edits with New Life Community Church’s “Sunday Preset” under the “SUNDAY” group in Lightroom, main adjustments should be in lighting (exposure, highlights, low lights, whites, and blacks).
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WHAT SERVICES LOOK LIKE
SUNDAY
***Scheduled for 8:30am service
7:50am - Photographer call time (grab volunteer badge, grab a snack/drink, check backstage, grab camera from Pelican case, prep for volunteer rally)
8:00am - Grab shots of volunteer rally
8:05am - Grab shots of guests arriving & hanging out pre-service
8:30am - Capture service (worship, host, preacher – first 3-5 minutes of sermon & horizontal Youtube thumbnail shot, Children’s Ministry Rooms 1-6)
9:45am - Grab shots of lobby interactions and moments as guests leave or arrive for service
9:55am - Grab SD card for editing and place camera backstage in Pelican case, switch battery if needed for next team member
10:00am - Start editing pictures with iPad (passcode 1251) at backhall (Remember: Use Lightroom and use our Sunday presets)
***Scheduled for 10:15am service
9:50am - Photographer call time (grab volunteer badge, grab a snack/drink, check backstage, grab camera from Pelican case)
10:00am - Grab shots of guests arriving & hanging out (interactions, group shots)
10:15am - Capture service (worship, host, preacher – first 3-5 minutes of sermon & horizontal Youtube thumbnail shot, Children’s Ministry Rooms 1-6)
11:45am - Grab shots of lobby interactions and moments as guests leave or arrive for service
12:00pm - Start editing pictures with iPad (passcode 1251) at backhall (Remember: Use Lightroom and use our Sunday presets)
CAMERA SETTINGS
+ Set Proper White Balance
Sanctuary color temp: 3600k
+ Manual Setting
Inside (lobby, sanctuary, Children’s Ministry area) - high iso, low shutter speed 1/125, lowest aperture (either f/1.2, 1.4, or 2.8 depending on lens)
Outside (parking lot, entrance area, patio) - low iso, low aperture, higher shutter speed
+ Edit Photos in Lightroom on church or personal system
+ Export Photos (.jpg)
Export photos (jpg) from Lightroom
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PHOTOS WE LIKE
WORSHIP EXPERIENCES
SPEAKING SHOTS
AUTHENTIC MOMENTS
TIPS
ATTRIBUTES TO CONSIDER
+ Shooting Angles
+ Artistic Perspective
+ Dynamic Shots
+ Natural Lighting
+ Composition
+ Telling Story
+ Open Space
PHOTOGRAPHY DO’S
+ Capture the best in people and the venue
+ Get creative, but not abstract
+ Capture the unique personality of our pastors
+ Be aware of production and camera crew
+ Respect other teams
ETIQUETTE
+ Get the shot, but don't distract
+ Be mindful of first time guests
+ Respect the individual worship experience
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WHAT TO SHOOT
How do I decide my next shot and where do I need to be to get it?
Know the program & venue. The first two songs of worship are usually fast and energetic songs. Making educated guesses based on your knowledge of the program and the venue can mean the difference between mediocre photos and a fantastic ones. Check the Planning Center app to see service order to plan accordingly.
Check out past photos. Looking at past photos on New Life Oxnard sites and social media platforms, will give you an idea of the shooting conditions, lighting design and even the behaviour of your subject. Once armed with this information, you can go in with an idea of what photographs to take and where you need to be to take them.
Stay open-minded. Even if you go in with a well-informed plan, it is extremely important to remain open-minded and creative while shooting. Reducing the art of photography to a checklist of techniques and shots (like the ones listed here) will quickly leave you jaded and your work mediocre.
Ask yourself questions. A lot of the best photos in live event photography are made of the combination of luck and skill. Some photographers visualize the next photo and choose the right settings and lens to create it. What we usually see is a series of photos with one image that illustrates a personal artistic vision better than the others. When you look at a series of photographs, which would you choose? Why is it better than the others? Asking and answering these questions of your own work will define your photographic style.
A FEW MORE TIPS
Make a mental shoot list. Make a list of WHAT to shoot, not HOW to shoot it. This means nothing gets missed and you will have more time to keep an eye out for great photo opportunities and moments. The more prepared you are, the more you can deviate from your list.
Anticipate the moment. Often there are only a few seconds to capture what is happening, so look at all possibilities. Not only for light and composition, but for things to photograph as well. Details can also be important to tell the story of the moment or send the right message.
Be prepared. You don’t want to be changing batteries and memory cards when a spontaneous moment is unfolding. If you’re not prepared, the moment will pass you by.
Look ahead. Looking ahead for a great shot about to unfold can ensure a better image. For example: During transitions, move to your next position for shooting what is coming up next on stage.
Know the conditions. Knowing location and lighting conditions will help you to pre-visualise the event.
FOCUSING
Getting in-focus photographs during worship time can be difficult. To be successful, you need to master the autofocus characteristics of your camera and lenses.
The lighting during services can be simultaneously elaborate and low light, wreaking havoc on your camera’s ability to correctly judge focus. Autofocusing errors can lead to completely out-of-focus photos, as well as instances when the camera focuses on something other than you intend (like the LED screen). Both kinds of focusing issues can be minimized with basic knowledge regarding how your camera decides what to focus on.
In general, cameras focus on the area of highest contrast under the active autofocus point. What they don’t tell you in the manual is that the actual area covered by each of autofocus sensors is much larger than it appears in your viewfinder. Even if you have autofocus pointed directly over the eye of your subject, the camera may still focus on the LED screen if your subject is low in contrast.
TIPS
Focus on a high contrast feature of your subject’s face such as the eyes, eyebrows or hairline.
Use the center autofocus point of your camera (it’s the most accurate).
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO SERVE
SCHEDULING
Sundays: 1-2 Photographers; 1-2 Videographers
First Wednesdays: Usually 1 Photographer and 1 Videographer
Special Events (i.e. Kids Conf & YTH camp, mens/women’s events, etc): At least 1-2 photographers for these type events.
At the end of each month we send out scheduling for the following month. The schedule will be placed on Planning Center Online (PCO). This will give team members access to view run sheets for the weekend.
WHERE DO I PARK?
Weekends: For weekend services you are welcome to park at Goodwill, in order to leave the church parking lot open for church members and first time guests.
Events: For any other events, parking will be in the main lot.
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CHEAT SHEET FOR NEW PHOTOGRAPHERS
Aperture, the more open the aperture, the more light the lens lets in, and the shallower the depth of field.
Shutter speed refers to how long the shutter is held open. The lower the slower the shutter speed the sensor can capture light, but also introduces motion blur. A good shutter speed at New Life Oxnard is anything over 1/125.
ISO is the light sensitivity of the shutter, the higher the ISO the more grainy noise gets introduced into the image. The lowest ISO you can go without noise, the better.
