I spent 15 days photographing a cemetery and here is what I learned
I’ve been trying to elevate my photography by taking on longer term projects. When I’m not on a shoot for a client I try to take photography daily, but most of the photography I’ve shot is just me wandering out into the city or down a country road. While this has produced some great memories and photos I’ll never forget, it doesn’t always yield noteworthy photographs and I wanted something more. To add a little extra, I broke down my days in the cemetery by time of day shooting. So for 1-5 I shot around midday, days 6-10 I shot in the evening, and 11-15 . Here is what I learned.
Days 1-5: Shooting in a cemetery quickly took on a different dimension than photographing in my usual manner. As I looked for harsh light and spots of color, I couldn’t help but read some of the tombstones I was photographing. I was hit with sadness looking at lives cut short too soon, and reflected on those I’ve lost. Stepping between graves I felt warmth seeing ornate displays that people left to remember their loved ones. The exercise took on a contemplative life all its own that really pushed me to isolate my subjects and bring out the beauty that I saw as best I could. I wanted to represent the final marker’s of these people’s lives well and somehow encapsulate some of my feelings in these photographs.
Days 6-10: Evening light brought a lot of beautiful shadow across grave stones. It was through this dappled lighting I found a real connection to my subjects and the whole process became very relaxing. The light directed me to the spots I should be shooting by cutting into narrow beams highlighting a particular location. It was as if to say “shoot here.” Rim light became a fascination of mine because some of the tombstones were polished and they had a reflectiveness that made them shimmer in the light. Shooting with the sun behind my subject was a great exercise in balancing exposure that taught me how far I can stretch rim lighting without using a flash or bounce of any kind.
Days 11-15: Morning light was the light I looked forward to the most, but also dreaded because of the act of getting up early enough to maintain my gym routine and then get to the cemetery right as dawn approached. It turns out that I didn’t regret getting up even once, because every morning was spectacular. The soft light had different qualities than midday or evening and would sometimes be a warm pink and other times a cool blue, and sometimes it was a neutral almost pure light. Morning brought with it sunrise that served as a backdrop to some of my best shots. These shots were ones that really put the principle of balance and simplicity in my photos. I was lucky enough to catch a foggy day over the cemetery which fit thematically, and helped add drama to my photos. Working on my composition is what this exercise really came to be about in terms of photographic technique. Finding the shots that were isolated, but not boring, balanced, but not cluttered.
The time I spent photographing Rose Hill Cemetery brought me a lot of personal satisfaction and is something I’d love to do at other cemeteries. There is a lot of calm and peace to be gained in quite scenic locations and honoring the memories of our loved one’s gave purpose outside of the exercise to my photography. Whenever I’m able to marry purpose with practice I really like the results.
Thank you, kindly
-Tarver Petersen
