Notre Dame of Lyon – aka How to Take Clandestine Cathedral Pictures in 10 Steps
I arrived in Lyon today for an upcoming game conference and went to the old medieval section of the city to grab some shots before dinner. This is the interior of the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvre. It is probably the most lavish and beautiful cathedral I have ever been inside. It beats the other Notre Dame in Paris by a mile. I’ve never been in the Sistine Chapel, which is probably more lavish. I was going to visit it on my last trip to Rome but the Pope died the day I was there… so that one was… busy.
My method for getting tripods into cathedrals and shooting is this:
1. Go in the exit and act like you are lost if someone asks
2. Wear a long matrix-coat and stuff your tripod up inside like a shotgun. Try not to walk with a limp.
3. Stride confidently through the crowds like you are in a hurry on a photo assignment.
4. Work your way into the pews and have a seat. You can even pretend to be Catholic and say a few Latin words as you sit down. I suggest "Pater Noster (My Father) or Quid Pro Quo (Rub Beads and go to Heaven)"
5. Slide out the tripod and assemble along the ground, When other parishioners look at you suspiciously, give them the sign of the cross.
6. Watch for old people in the main aisle, because they have trouble getting around tripods. Jump out, take your long exposures at 100 ISO, then sit back down.
7. If securty comes to get you, blame Stuck In Customs and that will confuse them long enough so you can make a getaway.
8. Don’t worry about getting caught. The church is much more leniant than they were during the Inquisition. Most big cathedrals do have crypts, but they are full of dead saints and they have never put a photographer in there.
9. If you see a tourist with a tiny camera taking a picture with the flash on, please tell them to stop. The flash does nothing in that situation. It’s just embarrassing for them, really.
10. See #9. It’s your duty to stop tourists from using flashes… next thing you know, they’ll have their flash on when shooting the Eiffel Tower at night.
Don’t know about your advice on using the tripod but this is truly magnifico I like the balance.
this is amazing!!!!
I’ve seen the Sistine Chapel and this is nicer. If you ever get a chance to see the Cathedral in Albis, France, it’s a nice one too, althout the exterior is not that imprssive, the inside is very very nice.
Beautiful shot! And wonderfully humorous advise. Thanks for the tutorial!
Advice, that is (wherever is that edit button).
A little more guidance needed oh almighty guru
what is a good dslr to go for
Beautiful shot Trey – wow it’s impressive! Funny advice too!
not sure if i need to try since your photos are more beautiful than i can imagine.
I enjoyed tip #9 as I am learning how not to use my flash whenever possible – I am a reformed flash user and this made me laugh! Stunning pic.
o m g! absolutely gorgeous
looks as if one might step right thru the screen & be on site.
Thanks all – ! It was a pretty place for sure!
my suggestion is to carry around a fake photo pass in your bag at all times. Ive been in europe for the semester and a really confusing pass in complicated english does the trick nicely…..and yeah, the sistine isnt as impressive as you would think……
Hello. This comment does not pertain specifically to the post to which it attached. I just followed a link to your website and I wanted to tell you that I find your photos truly inspirational. Thank you for sharing them.
haha thanks for the comments… that is a good idea Shaun!
I have never been accosted when trying to take a photo in a European cathedral. But then, my photos have never turned out so fabulously magnificent! Congrats on a photo that beautifully communicates the feeling of really being there. You MUST go to the Pantheon and see it. Stunning. Thanks for sharing.
Your pictures are wonderful. If you’d like to take pictures of beautiful cathedrals, visit some of the Russian Orthodox cathedrals. If you live in the USA, there’s one in San Francisco that will give you just an idea of what a simple one looks like.
http://tinyurl.com/2uedf3
Most beautiful picture!
You should see the St. Louis Cathedral in St. Louis, Mo. Incredible scenes created from mosaics on every wall, stained glass, etc. Seriously, go see it!
Keep up the good work
)
I will say up front that I’m anti-HDR, in general (so we’re on opposite sides of the fence). The images I saw on your link are amazingly beautiful, but they strike me as artificial. That doesn’t mean they aren’t art, or I’d be condemning every artist outside of photography (and many photographers even before HDR was even possible). I really like them, as much as I don’t want to, and despite the fact that my own work will never move in that direction. So you’re convincing a skeptic.
I also like the advice you give here. It’s often in photography that confidence and the appearance of legitimacy are more important than your actual right to be there. For official work (we do event photography) if we don’t take charge and make sure that we act like we have the right to boss people around things will fall apart. And every few weeks I think I really need to print up some sort of personal business card to explain myself when I can’t find an owner and…uhh…stray onto other people’s property because there’s an amazing decaying structure or I see a good opportunity.
Haha thanks – yes good points!
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OMFG! Sorry for the profanity – but this is simply surreal.
Great photo. I lived in Lyon for a year and that is still my favorite by far. Just got back from Rome and i think Fourviere beats the sistine chapel for sheer beauty. WOnderful shot and fuuny advice
I got a great one in st peters basilica too.
#9 and #10 are to the point! i’d take away their cameras.
the problem is they’ve moved to #10 long time ago.
as to everything else, i’ll agree with Matt.
Hey, Trey, I will remember your advices!
Fantastic photo you made here!
[...] I had a few questions about how to get a tripod into a church, of all things! I wrote up a 10-step guide for this sort of activity a while ago that you can view at your [...]
In regards to #4:
Probably the easiest way to get a tripod into a Church is to become Catholic. Once one joins the Church, we get a Vatican issued card that lets us to a whole bunch of cool stuff, like carry tripods in Church, miss school for Holy Days (great back in 7th grade), etc, etc.
Just a suggestion!
(and just in case it wasn’t blatantly obvious, in the words of one Homer Simpson speaking about a “gumbdrop house on Lollipop Lane”: “By the way, I was being sarcastic.”
Well, duh.
If it is absolutely impossible to use tripod or object to steady the camera. I have seen a trick with a string. Tie a length of the string from your camera and drop it on the floor than step on it so tight – take a look how steady it is – surprise ! I know it will not replace a tripod but it may help and nobody can say that they can’t afford it.
A little off topic Trey, but I would Love to see what you could do with the Winchester Cathedral. (It is the largest Norman Church in England, and really is HUGE, despite being 1000 years old or so.)
Funny thing is, you can carry a tripod in there anytime! The place sometimes literally TEEMS with tripods
Funny thing is, the best day is Sunday, no one even watches or cares who goes in, or out.
Photographing is frowned upon during services though, I think it scares the spirits or something…
Sorry for the second post, but here is proof that photographers with tripods end up in the crypt! (LOL!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilsingapore/3324173482/in/set-72157601821460792/
So it’s more important to satisfy your selfish desire for a photograph by lying and cheating than to respect the rules. That’s so mature.
Some rules need to be broken.
It’s tough to get a good shot in most of those cathedrals let alone fantastic shots like the ones shown here. Often the big cathedrals are anti-flash and anti-tripod but they don’t really enforce it but Trey, be forewarned, I’ve been to the Sistine Chapel and it’s a strict “no photo!” zone. I saw an Asian man trying to nonchalantly sneak a few photos from the hip and security spotted him as well. They literally grabbed him by the collar and shoulder and dragged him backward, feet flailing to the exit and they shoved him forcefully out the door. In some places, no means no. Just an FYI.
The photo is undeniably great, but the way it was obtained is dubious. It displays the sort of contemptuous attitude that gives Americans in particular (and photographers in general) a bad reputation in Europe. If it is clear that taking photographs, or the use of tripods are not permitted, then why can this not be respected, rather then going to all this deception and subtefuge. The fact you feel it does not matter if you get caught, shows an arrogance that ignores the fact that you are a guest and should respect the sensitivities of other cultures, not take advantage of them because you can. Next time you are in a place of worhsip, you might use it for it’s original purpose and put your camera away and sit quietly for a few minutes. I hope along with Daniel and some of the respondents, that this would encourage to be a little less selfish.
The rules imposed on photographers is not because they don’t want you to photograph their property. The main reason historical places ban photographers is for reasons #9 and #10 above. Camera flashes can cause irreversible damage to paintings, tapestries and other art work. The way Trey captures his images requires no flash and therefore does no harm. Since most places have a hard time policing “No flash photography” rules, it is much easier for them to just ban it all together.
Tripods are another story all together. Most of those rules are the result of perceived liability since someone might trip over it. Or, they think that tripods might be banged against furniture, walls, or scratch floors.
I think Trey that you have enough support, credibility and clout that you would be granted private photo shoots anywhere you go…once they reviewed this site. (i.e. Coke Museum)
Keep up the great images!
[...] no more! I found the answer while browsing Flickr. A non-Catholic photographer is kind enough to share the secrets. My method for getting tripods into cathedrals and shooting is [...]