Variations on a theme

At Stirling Cemetery there were many graves and stones that were iconic or striking or both and Sid and I photographed them individually. What I mean by 'individually' is that each of us wandered around taking photographs but, and I believe it's part of the Campbell Plested Agreement, we made a point of not shadowing each other or trying to take their shot. But sometimes we did shoot the same thing.

I thought it might be interesting to show the images that were produced.

Here are the subjects.

 The first, and close to the wall of the cliff and castle itself, is this angel.



The second, in a different part of the cemetery, is this enclosed memorial.

Because the subject matter seemed to call out for it I did a black and white conversion of the first image (you've seen lots of that sort of thing in this blog).

And this is the detail of the face.

For the enclosed grouping on the other memorial I took this group shot.

Colin

Brompton Cemetery, 2011

As Colin has already mentioned, Brompton Cemetery in London is a wondrous location.  It is quite literally a necropolis, a city of the dead that sprawls over 39 acres and has seen over 200,000 burials.  I stumbled across Brompton Cemetery in 2011 while somewhat frantically trying to find the Doctor Who Experience for which I had purchased a ticket as part of the London portion of my fiftieth birthday trip to Europe.

I was instantly captivated by the prospect of photographing Brompton, but my time was running out and I was still lost in the pouring rain.  Reluctantly I turned my back and continued my hunt. 

I managed to find the Experience with ten minutes to spare, but when it was over I retraced my tracks to the cemetery and pulled out my camera. 

It was a horribly frustrating experience - never before have I spent so much time trying to capture the vision of a location with so little success, and the following shots are the best of a poor lot, in my opinion.  It is possible that I did a slightly better job when Colin and I visited London last year, but for now I'll start with these black and white images from 2011.

 

- Sid

P.S. the first image is the same melancholy figure that Colin posted in his earlier introduction to Brompton Cemetery.  Again, I think that the pictures that I took on my second visit do her more justice, although it's interesting to see that in the intervening years she added a garland of ivy to her ensemble.

Brompton again.

Ah, but I'm not done. I also wanted to post a couple coloured shots from Brompton.

Angel in the grass

I thought this may have been the same (creepy) headstone figure that Sid posted previously but it's not. I just liked the layering.

Crypt Lock

Crypt Detail 1

Crypt Detail 2

 Colin

Black and White

While most of what comes next is a talk about photography it is still a testament to this wondrous victorian cemetery, Brompton, that Sid and I photographed together.

Suburb of the dead

I've always been a fan of black and white photography. Back in the day (as they say) I even used to roll my own, film that is, and do all the development rigamarole (I liked using HC110, particularly for infrared) and then there was the alchemical magic of the solutions and the trays. The only things I have left from those (I hope) not so long ago times are a couple of film cameras and the condensers (lenses) from my old enlarger. You have to keep a souvenir. It's like having a hostage to a memory. Everything else, though, has gone away, sacrificed to the dumpster of progress.

The digital age of photography and the computer darkroom allows me to play around with images in a similar way, even convert them into b&w information. I can almost (but not quite) get the effect I used to with infrared negatives. Okay, stuff gets lost, I get that. But, on the plus side, there's quite an extensive tool kit of new toys. There are some really cool things you can do. But back to b&w.

Peace Perfect Peace

I used to have to use a deep red filter (A25 I think) with the infrared stuff. You lost a couple stops of light using it. And you had to mount the camera on a tripod, you couldn't hand hold that puppy. I can't remember what the effective ASA (pre ISO) rating of the film was. It seemed just as slow as that old Kodachrome film you could get, what was it, 25 ASA? Or was that Panchromatic X? Or all of them. It was really slow is all I'm floundering around to say.

Still life with cross

Oh, I almost forgot, when you did finally manage to find the location you wanted, set up the tripod, attach the camera to the top, got your shot framed, you still had to refocus the camera's lens to compensate for the infrared shift. Then you took the shot, simple.

The photograph that Sid was so kind enough to include as the background for this blog is one of those early infrareds.

Now, though, I can handhold the camera and get most of the effect. Cool. And when you convert an image into b&w you can actually pick which spectrum of the light you want use, much like using filters over the lens.

Red Roses

My only beef is that I have to use 3 different pieces of software in order to get to a point where I'm happy with the image. I've already started thinking, in advance of my sitting down at this computer, what 'softwares' I'm going to use and in which order. It makes a difference you know.

Don't ask about my continuing ongoing struggles with proprietary softwares.

Sigh, such is life and death.

Colin

New Orleans, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

I think that Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans was the first time that I took graveyard photos.  Colin and I were down there on vacation, and when we heard about the cemeteries, we instantly knew that we had to go to one of the locations and take some pictures.

Cemetery No. 1 isn't safe - people have been shot there, tourists have been robbed, and although it would be a great place to take pictures at night, probably not a good idea.  There were a couple of armed guards wandering around in between the graves when we were there, and several people had warned us to be a little careful.

Regardless, it was just an amazing location.  New Orleans has a well deserved reputation - that unique combination of Southern lifestyle, Creole influence, voodoo, the decadence of the French Quarter - and I found that Cemetery No. 1 had a sort of surreal vibe. I think that the pictures I took ended up having some of that feel, a kind of Twilight Zone strangeness.

 

 

 - Sid

N'Awlinz, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

There is a backchannel of communication going on between Sid and I talking about postings and locations and variations (oh my) on the theme. Amongst ourselves we've already talked about this particular site and I thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce it to you with an offering, well multiple offerings.

Offerings to Marie Laveau

These are the offerings placed at the front of the Glapion family crypt, the reputed resting place of the voodoo priestess Marie Laveau at the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Making wishes

The side of the tomb is decorated with 'x' marks drawn by visitors to the site in the hopes that Marie Laveau grants them a wish.

Colin

Glasgow Necropolis

Located near the medieval cathedral in Glasgow the Necropolis covers some 37 acres. It is said that some 50,000 individuals have been buried here although not all have stones marking their locations, there are something on the order of 3,500 monuments.

Billy Connolly, a Glasgow native, once said: "Glasgow's a bit like Nashville, Tennessee: it doesn't care much for the living, but it really looks after the dead."

Beside the cathedral, a quiet resting place

Near the cathedral facing west

A niche along the trail leading up the hill.

Angels guarding a now unmarked tomb

Looking skyward

 Colin

Luss Parish Church Cemetery, Luss

The headstones and memorials at the Luss Parish Church were so overgrown and coloured by lichen that they might well have changed the name of the town to Moss.  

- Sid