It is the uniqueness and radiant beauty of stained glass windows that makes them so captivating. Thus, it should not be a surprise that they have been a popular subject for photographers since the invention of photography. Thanks to advances in camera technology, amateur photographers can now take high-quality pictures of stained glass windows with less expensive cameras.
It is easy for tourists to take beautiful pictures of stained glass windows; all they need is a few minutes of preparation. Here are some tips for capturing the elegance of stained glass.
Use the right equipment
Modern digital cameras and even smartphones take pretty decent pictures of stained glass windows. When it comes to producing something more professional-grade, having the right accessories is crucial.
A long lens or other zoom lens is going to be your most useful tool.
A wide-angle lens will be helpful as well when photographing larger windows.
A tripod is also a good piece of equipment to have especially when longer shutter speeds are necessary. Note that tripods may not be allowed in certain areas.
A remote release to help reduce shake.
Support
The interior of a church is always dark, and since flash is forbidden in most historical buildings, you’ll need long exposures to take your photos. Consequently, a tripod and remote release are essential pieces of equipment.
However, if you’re out for the day with your family and don’t plan on running into some stained glass windows you just have to photograph, you’ll need to find a wall or pillar to rest your camera on while you take your shot. To minimize shaking, keep your arms tucked in and hold your breath while you shoot.
Line up with the window
Professional photographers often use ladders or scaffolding to get directly in line with windows to minimize parallax distortion. The majority of us aren’t lucky enough to have that option. Therefore, as an amateur, you’ll need to position yourself further away from the window and use a longer lens to zoom in on the stained glass.
Place your camera directly across from the window and align it with the center to capture a square shot. In this way, you can capture the maximum amount of the window in your frame and minimize distortion. To maintain the most accurate perspective possible when using a zoom lens, stand as far away as possible while maintaining a sharp focus.
Go ahead and take the shot even if you are not able to line yourself up with the center of the window – you will be able to fix any convergence problems when you get home.
Size of the Window
You may not be able to fit some stained glass windows in your frame, even if you use a wide-angle lens. You can choose to take a variety of shots and stitch the images together afterward or you can ignore the big picture and focus on the color and details.
In addition, you should take close-up photos to capture the many unique details.
Shoot in RAW
When captured in RAW format, all the image data is stored unprocessed and uncompressed. Most traditional cameras save images in JPEG format. This means the image is already processed at the time the picture is taken. This makes it easier to share and view pictures using other devices. Some of the newest smartphones come with a RAW setting option.
The most impressive results can be achieved by shooting stained glass in RAW because you’ll have more control over exposure and saturation. Unlike JPEGs, RAW images capture more details and have a higher level of brightness.
Default in-camera JPEG processing can greatly distort and degrade the quality of photos due to the natural characteristics of stained glass, such as transparency, translucency, and reflectivity.
Exposure
Light shining through a window surrounded by shadows can confuse the camera’s exposure system resulting in either an overexposed window or a perfectly exposed window surrounded by shadows.
A camera’s metering system optimizes exposure by controlling shutter speed and aperture. When photographing stained glass, use spot metering or center-weighted metering to get the most accurate exposure.
Check the color of the middle tone of the glass to make sure you’ve set it properly so it’s optimal for the conditions you’re shooting in. When set correctly, the mid-tone should have the correct exposure and be the sharpest. The ideal metering method is matrix metering for detailed shots.
A second approach would be to take two shots, one exposed for the window and the other for the surrounding area, then, in post-production, combine them to create one perfectly exposed image. This technique requires the use of a tripod and a steady camera since even the tiniest shake will result in incorrectly aligned shots.
In the event that you only want a picture of the window and are not particularly concerned about the structure of the building, you can probably rely on the camera to meter properly. Nevertheless, if it’s a very sunny day, you’ll need to use exposure compensation.