~WinGz~ Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 So over the past 3 years I've been doing paid funeral work. I was curious as to if anyone else here on neowin has been doing it. It's not as morbid as it sounds. I've done close to 30+ funerals and even was just offered a job at two local funeral homes to do more. So what were your experiences with funerals if any? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerowen Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Most of the ones I've been to were military funerals, and I hate going to military funerals. Every time I go to one it's emotionally very difficult. There's a part where the leadership for that soldier stands up front and does a "roll call", and when they get to the name of the soldier who died, he obviously doesn't answer, and they repeat it a couple of times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qdave Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I did it several years ago for my girlfriend (at that time) when her mom died. Obviously it wasn't a paid job nor did i enjoy it remotely...quite a stressful time i had then too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~WinGz~ Posted November 5, 2011 Author Share Posted November 5, 2011 I can fully understand the stress and the hard emotions. My first funeral was my grandmothers funeral was possibly the hardest thing I have ever had to shoot. Then had 2 grandfathers also that I had to do. So it's hard i've slowly just begun to master how to shoot, when to shoot, and where to shot during them so that people aren't offended as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambroos Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I never go to funerals, I can't handle them. It can be someone I just don't know, if I see someone cry I just can't hold it. Don't like death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argote Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I haven't done it though I have a question. What is it exactly you focus on in these shoots? The people crying or hugging or so? The casket? The flowers? The priest (or equivalent)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cacoe Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Seems common in the US, as far as I know, it's not so much in the UK. Anyone seen this here before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metallithrax Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Wedding photos - yes birthday photos - yes funeral photos - no ****in way. why would anyone pay for photos of a funeral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pygmy_Hippo Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Can't say I've ever heard of it, and really wouldn't want to take part in it either. I can understand that it's an occasion where families are all together, but it does seem a little crass. Having said that - to each their own...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzy88ss Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Uhh... neither my girlfriend nor I have been to or heard of a funeral with a photographer... what do you do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambroos Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 It's just weird really. Usually people want photos of things they want to remember. If someone dies you'll want to remember their life, not their funeral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
what Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 It's just weird really. Usually people want photos of things they want to remember. If someone dies you'll want to remember their life, not their funeral. For some families, funerals are the only time everyone gets together in one place. Many marriages aren't as unifying as a funeral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~WinGz~ Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 As +What has said. It's usually the only times that entire families ascend into one place long enough to see everyone together. It originally started out as my grandmothers request to photograph her funeral for the family. Photograph the casket, body, family and so forth. Casket part is due to her italian heritage, and keeping a book of the corpses morbid yeah. But anyhow, funeral photography isn't so much about the death its about the celebration of their lives. The family, friends and emotions some good and some depressing all captured to show what that person meant to you. When I've done funerals I have a goal in mind and i've always stuck with it. Family, Flowers, Gifts. Anything else they have to tell me ahead of time if they would like. I did a funeral a few days ago that they wanted photos of the paulbearers carrying the casket outside of the church. I did one of my grandmothers funeral with my grandfather and my uncle at her casket. Sometimes it's not about what you get but what the family asks for. Ask a funeral home if they ever have requests for photographers. It'll surprise you how many people want that sort of shoot. Sorry for the text wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slammers Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Yeh but even it's the only time the whole family is together, why would you want to remember and celebrate that? The funeral acts as a good bye to the dead person. Not a palce to take photos of aunty Mavis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~WinGz~ Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 Sometimes it's not about the family. My family taught me growing up funerals are a celebration of the deceased's life. It's something you cannot just base on the negative aspect of the day, unless you are there photographing the event from being requested. Also several of the funerals i've done the families all have said that the photographs of their living loved ones helped them through their grief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekun Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 O hey want to see some picks of grandpa at his.... funeral. Good times. Definitely a weird request. I thought people preferred pictures of the people when they where alive not dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mirumir Subscriber¹ Posted November 10, 2011 Subscriber¹ Share Posted November 10, 2011 The ending in the "wedding crashers" is pure gold when they start "crashing" funerals...haha. It's just came to my mind after reading some posts here ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick H. Supervisor Posted November 10, 2011 Supervisor Share Posted November 10, 2011 I've dabbled in photography in the past, but I don't think I've ever heard of funeral photography. At least, not since the 1800's or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenNT Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I find it the idea of funeral photography rather inappropriate, but that's just my view. I've attended the funeral of my Grandfather the other year so from my experience I believe it's inappropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan~ Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 In my opinion photographs are for happy moments or moments ot remember then be happy. I wouldn't dare take photos of people when they are at the most emotional for the wrong reasons. Same as if someone took a photo of me at a funeral I'd lump them one! Might just be an America thing, as I'm pretty sure it doesn't happen in UK, strange though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Veteran Posted November 11, 2011 Veteran Share Posted November 11, 2011 [thread closed at op's request] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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