Taking place in the St. Dumitru Parish on the Upper West Side, I had the privilege of documenting a Romanian Orthodox baptism ceremony.

The ceremony, rooted in centuries-old traditions, commenced with the Sacrament of Baptism. The infants (yes, they were twins!), swathed in pristine white garments, were anointed with holy chrism oil, signifying their initiation into the Christian faith. The priest, bearing a triple-immersion baptismal font, immersed the twins in the water three times, symbolizing the Holy Trinity.

The event, steeped in symbolism and spiritual significance, transcended the confines of the church as the family gathered for an intimate brunch at the nearby Bella Luna.

Here are some of my favorite images from this shoot (click/tap to view full-size and un-cropped):

To see more examples of this style of photography, visit my religious ceremonies gallery >>

All images in this blog post were shot on a Nikon D850, using a Nikkor 70-200mm zoom lens, all individually post-processed in Adobe Lightroom.

Jinnifer Douglass is a full-time freelance photographer based in NYC, shooting both digital and film for individuals and brands such as Google, Door Dash, Make Up For Ever, Squarespace, and more! Specializing in portraits, food, and special events, she works to make every piece of your social and website content ‘Insta-worthy’ with high resolution, full-frame DSLR photography and expert Lightroom editing. Interested in chatting? Leave a comment below, or send an email to hello@jinyc-photo.com!