Funeral photography?

Right,we go to weddings, christenings, parties, club dinners, etc and there is always a photographer there, well I have a fantastic idea.

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Funeral photographer. Come on now, think about it, you could have a set of prints to remember your loved ones at their last hours on this Earth.AND, the Leica RF would be the perfect tool for the job, no noise.

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Is that a bleedin' great idea or what?

Your fantastic bleedin' great idea is not novel.

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I have taken pictures, for hire, at more than several funerals. Some

have asked for images of the person who passed on, in their casket,

but most have not. I usually take a few anyway (co-ordinate with

funeral director), since the first funeral I shot included none of

those, and I was asked by other family members later on for one (and I

came up short). If they don't ask, I won't present it, and the

pictures in the casket are always done before or after the viewing,

never with other people and family members around.

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The REAL reason for photos at a funeral, is that in many instances,

family, friends, loved ones, old school chums, have come from long

distances to pay their respects. It is a gathering of people who's

common thread is intertwined around the departed. Often, or more

like usually, there is just not a chance otherwise to get photos of

these folks together, and that is why I have photographed funerals.

It is a moving, and touching experience in every case, and in every

case, I have been made to feel like a member of the family.

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I usually use a Hasselblad 500c/m, 60mm Distagon, and a 12x18 softbox

with a 283 in it. Sometimes I switch to the 80mm Planar for better

face shots since when you get real close with the softbox it tends to

have falloff on the bottom of the image (closer than 4 feet or so).

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I usually just mill around in the back of the funeral parlor, and

people seek me out, bringing others with them. It works well that

way, since I can arrange them on the ample, and stately funiture.

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I consider funeral photography a valuable asset to the families of

those who have died. I have run into some flack tho, from funeral

directors who insisted on a "cut", usually 25 percent, of my proceeds

because "their photographer" was not used. The two times that

happened, one I ate, and one I had them arrange to tack onto the

funeral expense at large. My feeling is that their photographer

either did not exist, or charge an exhorbitant fee to cover himself

and the funeral home.

Well I wasn't gonna add this, then I was, then I wasn't... but what

the heck, here goes......

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I would be willing to wager that many users of this forum would be

overjoyed at photographing "your" funeral, pro-bono even!

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Sorry... I just could not resist, damn me to hell.

.......oh God, I was only joking.........Charles, please tell me

you're joking too?......please.

Wishing death on someone, not something I have ever done on this site

or any other come to think of it, But hey, If you want me dead then

that's fine.

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You really are a sick little puppy aren't you Charles?

I actually posted a rather long thread on the LUG once about how I

felt the Nikon F100 with zoom lens and flash on bracket was the

perfect rig for weddings, and the Leica M with a couple of lenses was

ideal for funerals. The wedding shots really glow with fill flash, and

the big rig gives one a bit of authority in the crowd control

department ("O.K., all the bride's family on this side!") In contrast,

the M fits right into a discrete, unobtrusive documenting of what is

generally a quiet family scene. I can't help but pass on Mark Twain's

comment that the reason we are happy at weddings and sad at funerals

is that we are not the actual parties involved. ;+)

I was at a funeral a few weeks ago that was not only

photographed (with a huge Nikon SLR) but also videotaped.

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I also remember visiting a distant aunt when I was a kid who had

a photo album devoted to her husbands funeral on her coffee

table. I recall being particularly creeped out by the pictures

(some of which were tightly framed headshots) of the corpse.

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And, yes, funeral directors have quite a reputation for being

racketeers. One of the reasons I'll be cremated when I check

out. No need for a $7,000 casket, a $10,000 plot, and a $5,000

funeral service. I'd rather spend the money on something fun

while I'm alive.

Charles, that was a rotton thing to say. Nobody deserves that, not

even the forum's most deleted participant!

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<img src="http://www.spirer.com/images/pall.jpg"><br>

<i>R.I.P. Wally, Copyright 2001 Jeff Spirer</i>

</center>

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My wife's grandfather. Every family member has this photo hanging

in their hown. It's just one more memory...

........I'm lost for words......photographing and videoing a funeral,

it's just too American.

Friends: Please IGNORE Phil. He is a perpetual nuisance to our

forum. Don't fall for his silly threads. Tony will yank him soon.

How about - 'What is the best film for capturing the pale tones of my

dead granny as she lies in her coffin?'

Phil the Pro,what photography is really all about.What is a good

photograph,what sort of impact should it create.Now that would be a

interesting post...how about it Phil(honest question).

Jeff, R.I.P. Walley is a great & emotionally moving shot. No wonder

everyone has it. Really top notch photography.