STRANGE DAYS by THE SINTRA BAPTISM PHOTOGRAPHER
When I photographed the baptism of Leonor we were in the heart of the Covid 19 pandemic. It was very strange for the baptism photographer when I was him and, for me, when I was …myself. Having families, godfathers, godmothers, and guests with faces covered by a mask, when assisting the ceremony of the baptism with the emotions that come with it, is a very difficult thing to observe.
However, as a photographer, I think it is a historical moment that must be documented in all the activities that gather and make us people. I know that other colleagues of mine are doing this in other activities and, one day when this is over, it will be interesting to see how these days will be interpreted, with all these cares, but that can not stop us from doing what we must do.
Photography will be a serious document for such interpretation.
When I am covering a baptism I know that I must give the main character the most important attention, but I will not let behind those who complete the composition of the space, because if they are in there it is because they are, also, important.
When I directed my attention to them it was a strange thing to my cameras and lens used to love faces full of emotions, as it must be in a ceremony like this and not covered by masks. On the other hand, for the baptism photographer, it felt strange to see an almost empty church against the full until the door as was usual.
However, I was very happy to be with the family and verify that they did not stop and had done what was important to be done.
So, the baptism photographer found the same way, the photos that were destined to be. I already told here, in many ways, that the photos are fleeting moments that already happened.
We do not take photos of things that never happened and we need that special attention to know how to remove them from the moment, as the photographers like to call them and tell the story of the event always very important for the family that decided to happen on that day. That was not a problem for the photographer during the baptism.
Leonor was a giver of moments and those with her knew how to wrap her and give me the best compositions, in the end, everything was told as it should be told in an album with the story of the day that they took with them home and Leonor, one day, will understand that she was born and was baptized in very special times, but where everything was done as mandatory by the love for her.
All that gives a very special taste to the baptism photographer for having been the chosen chronicler of a tale to be told forever.
I do not doubt it.
