Christening photography at St Paul’s Cathedral, London – Reception At The Happenstance

On every photographer’s bucket list are a few spectacular venues, and for me, St Paul’s Cathedral in London is one of those. I feel incredibly honoured to have photographed baptisms here several times.

Although the actual service can’t be photographed, through careful and sensitive photography it’s entirely possible to capture the spirit of the day.

As with every christening, I photographed the guests arriving and mingling, the venue itself, the baptismal font and the baptism candles, and the joy and emotions afterwards. This results in a set of images that will bring back memories for the family, but that they can also show their child when he’s grown up so he can see what his christening was like.

The steps of St Paul’s Cathedral are popular with tourists but a bit of tact and diplomacy means it’s feasible to take family and group shots on the steps. With such a grand and beautiful venue, it feels essential to include the architecture in the photographs.

Inside it’s very dark – the OBE Chapel is deep below ground. The very best cameras are required here to cope with the lighting conditions!

I love photographing the quiet moments as well as the big events – the children keeping each other entertained, grandparents looking on lovingly.