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a cemetery wedding...


imgnepc

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I've been to cemetaries that had a park area, (seperated from the actual graveside areas) where we have done some outside formals and fun shots. And I've stopped at a couple of cemetaries for a short time so that the bride and/or groom could have a quick visit at the grave of someone who, well,...wasn't able to attend the wedding. (BTW, altho I've got some photos of graveside visits, this is another area when I wouldn't post those online due to issues of privacy/respect) But I can't imagine a wedding in the area of the markers and tombstones without it being rather morose/gothic. If anybody could do it, it would probably be one of those "Brits". With some of those centuries old cemetaries it might be done.
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I did a wedding several years ago at a historical cemetery. At first I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to make romantic images in a cemetery. What worked well for me was to have the couple play tag and look for each other around a large marker or tombstone. Like some of the poses we do around trees, I only did a couple of poses making it obvious that we were in a cemetery. Then I started looking for open shade and used the shrubbery as backgounds that is found on the parameters of most cemeteries.

The couple was very pleased because it was special to them that they had gotten married in an old Oregon Pioneer Church.

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Aha, so Anne knows I get around. :-P Okay, I don't want to hijack poor Katrina's thread, so I'll shut up now. It was just so recent for me, I thought it fit the bill. It was actually a graveyard on private property rather than an actual public cemetery. But those aren't uncommon here, either, seeing as though <a href=http://www.springgrove.org/>Spring Grove</a> is so nearby.

 

Thanks for the kudos, though, guys (oh, and on the camera question, D200 & D70).

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Go ahead and hog my thread all you want, Kim! Doesn't bother me.

 

Your photos are beautiful. I absolutely love the photo of the bride's reflection in the mirror... The colors are brilliant, and the photo is breathtaking...

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I didn't ask whether or not you LIKED the idea of a cemetery wedding. And, personally, I don't think it's dumb. I've seen a couple of cemetery weddings, with a beautiful philosophy behind them. Why does a cemetery have to be about ending? Why not complete the circle of life and have the cemetery be about beginnings as well?

 

And I'm a little offended to read that, since this is my best friend's wedding.

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Unusual, sure. Eccentric? You bet. Hell, I'll even give you morbid/ gothic, maybe. But, dumb? That's harsh. A wedding should be a reflection of the couple's unique individual and combined personalities, and I, for one, find these kinds of quirky affairs to be the most fun to photograph. Not knocking the timeless elegance of traditional formal events, but purely from this photographer's perspective, formulaic conventions can get really boring. I can appreciate that for many couples, adhering to convention *is* an expression of their personality(/ies), but that won't stop my heart from doing a little leap for joy when, say, the bride wears something other than a strapless ball gown and tiara. ;-)
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I think a wedding in a cemetery would be neat.........why not....people get married in the air, under water...........why not a cemetery............ :) Where is the cemetery.....if it is in Savannah, GA I will be jealous :(
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"Why not complete the circle of life and have the cemetery be about beginnings as well?"

 

At first, this comment sounded like tortured logic to me, but then again, probably many thousands of human beings have been conceived in cemeteries ... no doubt mostly after dark by unmarried teenagers who couldn't find a secluded parking spot ...

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Oh my...........we are getting a little upset :)

OK.........you pose them as you would anywhere else. Look at the surroundings and the props that are available to you, take their personalty and make it all work. It all depends on what you have in that cemetery. Go take some friends and experiment if you are not comfy with the idea of just pulling out of your hat when the day is here. I myself thrive on creativity when it counts and let things flow.

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Only because I've seen entirely too much judgemental behavior lately...

 

I tend to go for the whole spur of the moment thing often, as well... just was wondering, since it's such an uncommon thing, if anyone else had experience working with tombstones...

 

I apoligize if I came off harsh... Just a little frustrated...

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I agree with the suggestion of doing at least some shots with black-and-white infrared film. Also, the bride and groom separated by a tombstone or fresh grave would put a photographic spin on the "til death do us part" thing. I can't get that "Last Dance with Mary Jane" song out of my head now. The bride falling limp - like dead weight - in the groom's arms in a carry-her-across-the-threshold pose might be interesting, depending on how open-minded the couple are.

 

Michael J Hoffman

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