Cemeteries

So this morning I went on a photo shoot in the cemetery in Ft. Langely. If you are wondering why I am traipsing around taking pictures there, it's because I am collecting images for a new collaborative. I have always thought cemeteries are beautiful and interesting. I remember as a kid visiting the grave site of Louis Riel in St. Boniface, Manitoba. It was part of our history class and I loved reading all the headstones.

Most of the gravestones towards the front of the cemetery in Ft. Langley date back to the late 1800's. Some are so old there is nothing left of the engraving. A few have been repaired. I couldn't tell if the damage was due to vandals or just age. One thing I found rather odd was that there were several old graves that were on top of trees. By "on top of" I mean that the headstone was pressed right up against the tree. I wonder if the person who placed it originally didn't realize how big the tree would get and that it would be so close to the stone? It just looks odd.

Anyway, the fun part about taking the photos was that I got to try the sepia setting on my digi cam. I had intended to shoot in black and white, but the sepia actually looked better-it just seemed to be a better fit for what I was shooting.

I have two more cemeteries I want to visit so I can have a variety of photos to choose from for the project. I would also like to do some rubbings of the headstones. I can't wait to get this book together. I know it's going to be really interesting with photos from cemeteries all over the world in it.