I have traveled to many cemeteries ever since I have started investigating. Over the past few years I have spent as an investigator, one of the things I have heard and seen on many different forums and blogs is how disrespectful it is to photograph cemeteries, and investigate in and around cemeteries. I do not agree or see it that way. A while back, I saw a documentary on cemeteries and their history in the United States. There is a cemetery in New England that people used to flock to on Sunday afternoons back in the late 1800's and early 1900's for picnics with their families. Picnics in cemeteries with our families? Are we crazy? The answer.......No. Cemeteries are meant to be visited. They originally came about to have a park-like atmosphere to be inviting to honor the memories of those that rest there eternally. I have been taking pictures in cemeteries for as long as I have been investigating around them. I have also found out that I am not the only person that does this. In the times that I mentioned earlier.....going to a cemetery on those Sunday afternoons was like taking a trip to an art museum. If you stop and look long enough, you might see that cemeteries not only hold our nations history, but they also hold much of our nations most beautiful artwork. Many of these memorials that are etched in stone are not only a lasting memory of those long departed, but are also examples of some of the best artwork in the world. The next time you see somebody taking pictures in a cemetery, and you think to yourself , "What the heck is wrong with them?" There is nothing wrong.......they just are most likely observing the same beauty and serenity in that cemetery that I do. If you visit a cemetery, be respectful, and mindful that it is the final resting place for many, but also be mindful that in life people enjoy visitors......it most likely holds true after this life as well. Take care everyone.
I enjoyed your thoughts about the cemeteries. I have been intrigued by them my whole life. The statuary, the headstone and inscriptions tell stories of life, love and loss. I feel that people want their story told even after death, and visiting cemeteries is a way of honoring their life.
I love visiting cemeteries Sheila. I always have. I think that sharing our pictures of the beauty that is in them is still a memorial to those resting there. Thanks for the comment, and Take care. Dan.