Baptism and baby dedication are both Christian ceremonies that mark the beginning of a child's life within the faith community, but they are theologically different.
Baptism
Baptism uses water as a sacrament and is practised by Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, and many other Christian denominations. It is considered a sacrament that formally admits the child into the church.
Baby dedication
Baby dedication is practised by Baptist and many evangelical churches. It is a ceremony in which parents publicly commit to raising their child in the Christian faith, but does not involve water or sacramental theology.
For photography purposes
Both ceremonies are equally meaningful and equally worth documenting. Tinyfoot photographs both baptisms and baby dedications across Sydney, and the documentary approach works beautifully for either ceremony.