A Greek Orthodox Baptism

I've had the honor to photograph several baptisms in the Greek Orthodox Church, and one of the things that I love most about this ceremony is how the priest talks about the importance of community in raising a child, how it really takes a village. The ceremony includes not only the parents and godparents, but also the grandparents and other children. Even the reception afterwards has traditions that include everyone, my favorite being the dancing! The whole thing is really a group effort that symbolizes the child being welcomed into the church and greater community. After each baptism that I've photographed, when I'm sorting through the images, I'm struck with how joyful everyone is. And these are not small gatherings--each one I've photographed was bigger than my wedding! It makes me smile every time! In the Greek church, babies are baptized when they are a little bit older, sometimes at a year old. Aleksi was baptized the same week as his first birthday, so it was cause for some extra celebration! Zoe and Arthur, thank you so much for allowing me to document this important milestone!