Sunday, September 1, 2013

Glenwood Cemetery

Then for the photoshoot that had actually been scheduled with the Renegade Meet Up group, Glenwood Cemetery. Again someplace that I shoot several times each year. No matter how many times I go to Glenwood the photographs are always different. I always shoot the Hill Angel, everyone does. And I have my favorite memorials which I am likely to redo often--but they never come out the same.

I got in lots of trouble with Alcy a few months ago when we were talking about going to Glenwood. I mentioned that I have difficulty finding poignancy in a cemetery of full of rich people. It's not because the people buried at Glenwood are wealthy or prominent--it is just that everything is too pristine--the maid service is excellent. True the memorials are splendid. And maybe it is because I have never been rich, that I can not make a connection with that world. I don't know. I love shooting there but when I really want to do cemetery photography I much prefer Olivewood or Hollywood or some abandoned, forgotten country cemetery--that I can relate to. I just find subject matter in older, less fluent cemeteries that is much more emotional, more poignant, more touching.

500th (probably) photograph of the Hill Angel


Glenwood's newest angel


Everybody photographs the grave site of Howard Hughes and his parents

2 comments:

  1. Nevertheless, the images here are superb. Your camera doesn't know "rich" people are buried there and it shouldn't matter. The final image is all that counts. Beautiful!

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  2. John, thank you for the kind comment. You are of course correct that the camera does not know the difference and I do enjoy shooting at Glenwood, I do it frequently. The comment I made relates more to what I go to cemeteries to find. A metal funeral home marker, especially one that is rusted and faded beyond reading, a broken or vandalized head stone, faded plastic flowers, a personal memento left at the grave, a homemade headstone speaks more emotionally about the process of death, about how we are remembered or forgotten after out time on the mortal coil has concluded. I find that poignant, sometimes heart wrenching. I feel that the photographs I do in less affluent cemeteries have much more emotion. I have to work much harder for the emotions that I associate with death at Glenwood. I am glad there are those that can afford these splendid memorials they are beautiful to view, beautiful to photograph.

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