Cemeteries - why?

Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires is one of the most spectacular and bizarre places on Earth. Utterly amazing. One of the top tourist destinations in the city.
 
My Father's college room mate is at Arlington. Airborne, KIA 1945, France. When visiting there with my Father in the 70s, it was basically like watching "Saving Private Ryan". I suspect there are "Saving Private Ryan" scenes from real lives played out there 100 times a day. No one would go in with a camera, snapping all of them up. But you do witness them, and it makes you think how lucky you are and about those who were not so lucky. I "Google" searched my Father's room-mate this year, and found a recent obituary column for his Sister, died in her 80s. Her brother was listed as a sibling, along with a large number of children and grand-children who never met their Uncle.
 
why cemeteries?

why cemeteries?

For me, it is all the above positive comments. Our local National Cemetery is a very peaceful, well taken care of monument to our fallen troops and spouses. I sometimes go there just to be at peace and contemplate and not to photograph. I love that place.
 
I second the suggestion of cemeteries in Savannah- lovely places to stroll through, very peaceful, and some decent sculpture, too.
 
I love cemeteries too. I live in Germany and have yet to find anything older than the 1940's. My buddy told me that here, you pay for your plot. Your family keeps paying for it, and when they stop paying for it, you lose your plot, they dig you up and toss you out to make room for a new paying customer. Very strange, but thats what I've been told.
 
I love them - old ones that is. The craftsmanship on old headstones is fascinating, as are the inscriptions.

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"Behold, as you pass by.
As you are now, so once was I,
as I am now so you must be.
Prepare for death and follow me"
 
cheer up ...

Life's a piece of ****,
When you look at it.
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show,
Keep 'em laughing as you go.
Just remember that the last laugh is on you

 
gb hill said:
<snip> I always wanted to visit Jim Morrison's grave site. I think at one time people would paint, scrawl, or what ever all over his tombstone! Don't know if they still do! Jerry Garcia would also be another interesting one to visit! Greatful Dead ya know!😉
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Greg: I have been to all three of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson's gravesites in Mississippi. Each having a memorial and each claiming to be where he was buried in 1938. They are all within a 20-30 mile radius of each other, so each is possibly the real one. But those who know for sure are long gone.
 
I think cemeteries are way different to the first two categories you list - lots of opportunities for wonderful photos of architecture and art in the gravestones. Kinda melancholy and beautiful - not at all morbid. All this with a chance to reconnect with history of the place.

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Memorials too

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Thanks for the comments. I am sure you all enjoy what you enjoy.

Perhaps I have been around too much death. For sure, I despise war and have ever since the horrors of Vietnam. And I am now fast approaching the long sleep myself. All of the above is why I do not care for cemeteries. A part of life? No, it is death. I cannot salvage good from anything related to a cemetery. I have seen too much waste in my time.

I prefer to drink my water from a flowing well than to drink from a stagnant pond. But that's just me.🙂

The reason for the post is the my wonderment at the fascination of the dead. BTW, as a former architect, cemeteries are not it for me.
 
Bob Michaels said:
Greg: I have been to all three of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson's gravesites in Mississippi. Each having a memorial and each claiming to be where he was buried in 1938. They are all within a 20-30 mile radius of each other, so each is possibly the real one. But those who know for sure are long gone.
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Very interesting bluesman. I love that pact with the devil story! Did you ever meet his son Claud? I assume he is passed away. I'll have to do a google. Do you think he is buried here at Little Zion?
http://www.ratpackstlouis.com/robert_johnson_gravesite.htm
 
gb hill said:
Different strokes for different folks I guess!🙂 I myself find them facinating! I always wanted to visit Jim Morrison's grave site. I think at one time people would paint, scrawl, or what ever all over his tombstone! Don't know if they still do!
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Yes, they still do... I've been there three times in recent years, and I've found and talked with people of all kinds and ages... Usually there's whiskey around, so the last time I brought some! It was raining the last time, and all the people were still there, enjoying the rain, talking about Jim and toasting, and singing "...my only friend, the end..."

Both in Pere Lachaise and Montparnasse cemeteries you can find everything...

Chopin's small and discreet place is always full of tons of colorful flowers and sweet and delicate fans. The only time I visited Baudelaire, there was a really stupid unknown guy posing for a video camera man, combing his hair, putting a face of I'm so interesting and that's why in my song videoclip I have Baudelaire in the background... Everybody was shocked or smiling... I think even the video crew were laughing at him... Amazing!
 
I used to teach Introductory and Advanced Photography classes. I never accepted any photos of cemeteries or pets from my students. They're the worst.

Another subject often photographed by college photography students is homeless people. Though I didn't reject those images. I really hated looking at them. These kids photograph them all the time. Because they're so used to be looked at that they're easily approachable. And they don't care about their opinion of them. It's no different than when they photograph cats. And most of the homeless are so starved for human interaction they'll talk to anyone that pays them the least bit of attention even if it's to exploit them.
 
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