Hi everyone, and happy Monday!
I know Mondays don't tend to be the happiest day of the week, but I once had a Theatre professor who could get our entire 150 person lecture to shout "HAPPY MONDAY" back at her, every week, and you know, I think that moment really helped making Mondays a day that really was happy. So, HAPPY MONDAY everyone!!
I have some (older) pics to share today. I mentioned here that I took a detour through a cemetery by my house (where I like to take outfit photos, actually!) back at the end of December, and took some photos of interesting gravestones. Something I like about this cemetery, is that it has some extremely old stones (the one from 1836 is amazing) practically right next to modern headstones. I didn't take photos of the more recent ones, as they tend to be much less ornate (or interesting period, if we're being honest).
Headstones seem to have gotten really... boring. As a monument to someone's life, I wish that the engraving could really add something to the stone, and perhaps say something about the person. I tend to be in Jewish cemeteries most frequently, and the majority of headstones have a Star of David, or perhaps a Menorah, and that's all. In London Ontario, I found a stone with a T-Rex on it, and I hope to visit it every time I am there, even though I don't know the person to whom it belongs. I want my headstone some day to be really wild. If it isn't going to be a work of art, my family really ought not to bother with it. But if you want a place to visit "me", make it something cool to look at, you know? Morbid enough for ya? Get used to it!
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| You really appreciate how far medicine has come when you see a headstone like this. I thought the inscription was lovely. |
I tend not to edit my photos much, but I tried doing a bit more to these to get a bit of a "moody" feeling going. I'm not sure how I feel about it, however. Any thoughts? I suppose that's why I stay away from editing besides a bit of colour correction, I can't seem to look at that side objectively yet! So I'd appreciate a bit of feedback if you feel one way or another about it :)
--Erin
I love taking pictures in graveyards too! It's not weird, right? haha. I like your blog! I found you on the Blog Hop, come check me out sometime :)
ReplyDeletehttp://thepersephonecomplex.blogspot.co.uk/
Totally not weird! If this is weird, I am afraid that I am very strange indeed.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!!
--Erin
An old stone with a Trex on it?? Just my kind of cemetery! I totally love these shots, and I'm with you, the older the stone, the better. Reminds me of the old cemeteries in Europe!
ReplyDeleteHehehe the stone with the T-Rex isn't old, but it is incredibly unusual!! The man it is for was in his 60's or so as well, I initially thought it was a child's, but no! I should get a better photo of it next time I visit.
DeleteThere are some reaaaally old cemeteries in town, I plan on hitting them up once it warms up a bit and it isn't so wet out; they're really just sort of pretty looking mud pits this time of year!
--Erin
I love photographing graveyards, too.
ReplyDeleteI used to hesitate about editing photos. I still don't do it *often* but I don't really see a difference now between the filters and dodging and burning which enhanced film photography and the various techniques for enhancing digital. I'm now all for a bit of moody Photoshopping. I always keep the original image, though, and generally wait a couple of days before going back to compare them - I almost always like the edited version better.
Thank you for the tip about sitting on the photos for a couple days! I've been a bad blogger and have been putting my posts together the night before lately, but I'm looking forward to playing a bit of catch up over the next few days. I think for the majority of my shots I'm still going to go "au natural", but when the mood strikes, I won't dismiss the thought to use a heavier hand. It's all a learning process, after all, and hey, it's not like I shy away from instagram filters :P
Delete--Erin
I've seen some amazing gravestones in Switzerland when my mum and dad lived there, they seemed to live forever up on them Alps high on the mountain air or something, but they had the most beautiful designs.
ReplyDeleteI have a bit of a love/hate thing with cemeteries though, I love the design work on them but they just really creep me out.
Rhiannon x
thesparklypanda.blogspot.co.uk
ohhh, I wish I had thought to explore any cemeteries when I was in Europe (in...2007... haha!). I'll bet there are some gorgeous tombstones!!
DeleteHehe well, I hope the line of creepiness gets drawn somewhere beyond photography!! I'd like to photograph all the old cemeteries in town over the next year; there are a lot of graves here from the war of 1812!
--Erin
I loooooove graveyards so much! I always have. When I was a kid (like, 8 or 9), when my grandparents were in church, I'd just wander around the church yard and read all the headstones.
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely be up for a T-rex on mine!
Becky
xx
I love that you found a headstone with a T Rex on it- ha! I can imagine your family having a lot of fun with yours because they would know you wouldn't want it any other way. It's pretty interesting to walk through graveyards- there was one on campus when I went to college in Oregon that I would walk through a lot. What's weird is I don't even know where one is in Phoenix... hmmmm... conspiracy theory time?
ReplyDeleteI love graveyards and old gravestones. One summer I lived next to a graveyard and I would go jogging there. It was quite nice to be able to jog in peace without getting the sometimes judging looks from people.
ReplyDeleteI also love the poetry written on old gravestones. It is so eerie. I memorized this especially creepy piece I saw on a gravestone in a cemetery near my old college: Remember friend as you pass by / As you are now so once was I / As I am now you soon shall be / So prepare for death and follow me.
And check out this amusing gravestone in a cemetery in London: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_E-JPY3d9VZQ/SZMD8LkrXJI/AAAAAAAAAm0/REaasxBA2dc/s400/photo%20%283%29.jpg
You could say I have a weird fascination with graveyards :)
Ari
http://vicenarianstew.blogspot.com
T-Rex headstone? Badass! I do love going to graveyards. They are so peaceful.
ReplyDeleteAlexandria xx
these photos are beautiful & def have that moody feeling. what did you do for the edits? it really is a shame people's homes will say more about them than a gravestone but i suppose it's people's families who make the headstone and they dont want to seem to cheery about it. if i wanted to be buried i'd design a crazy cool one though. that's interesting about the modern next to really old ones. looks like such a creepy cool place!
ReplyDeletehttp://dusanabotswana.com/