Cameras at Funerals

[DionM]

My wife and I have been to two funerals recently .... (it is a sign of getting older, I guess, when you start attending funerals of people the same generation as your own parents).

At one a few weeks back, there were a few with cameras, and one even taking photos of the body in the casket. (Mind you, the wife of the deceased asked for that, apparently).

At the more recent one (today) there were no cameras.

What are peoples thoughts?

Personally I wouldn't take a camera anywhere near a funeral. I can sort of see some reasons for it (family together) ... but perhaps not an appropriate time.

[sirhc55]

I had my camera with me at my ex mother-in-laws funeral but out of respect did not take any photographs at the service or grave side. I was asked to take pics at the wake.

[MattC]

My thoughts are on the same lines as yours Dion. I would not feel it appropriate to take a camera to a funeral.

But.... If the family wanted the day recorded, I would want to be able to move around discreetly (as opposed to getting in faces) without upsetting anyone on an emotional day. In fact, I think that I would want to be invisible.

Cheers

[avkomp]

to me, it doesnt seem the thing to do so wouldnt take a camera to a funeral and would wish for no reminders on the passing of a loved one.

however

If I was asked to go and take a few photos for someone and the general consensis was that the family wanted it done, then I would do so.


Steve

[Matt. K]

I have photographed a number of funerals at the request of relatives of the deceased. These images become very valuable to those who were close to the departed. They are more interesting than weddings. The press often cover funerals of VIP's and I see no reason why every funeral should not be photographed for family historic reasons.

[phillipb]

A fellow photographer used to shoot mainly weddings and some funerals. He told me once that he made the mistake of asking the corpse to smile as he was so used to doing that with his usual clients.

[huynhie]

he made the mistake of asking the corpse to smile as he was so used to doing that with his usual clients.

[thaddeus]

I would definately not bring a camera to my funeral!

[Matt. K]

thaddeus
Then you would miss out on Picture of the Week???

[el nino]

I've been thinking about this topic lately after attending my first full funeral (I've been to a number of wakes, but never to the burial or cremation sites). The whole ceremony and weeping children & loved ones of the deceased made me very introspective and I doubt I would shoot one of my own family member's last rites. However, I can understand a family's need to have the last moments captured on film. I don't think I would want it done to my parents nor would I be able to do it on behalf of someone else...
But (a contradiction to my previous para) I do like to read about various religious beliefs, especially rites of passage - christening, coming of age/entering adulthood, marriage & death ceremonies. Without images, I doubt I would have gained an understanding of certain aspects of the processes involved for the various races around the world.


About 4 years ago, when traveling around India, I came across the morbidly fascinating concept of excarnation. The Zoroastrian/Parsi religious group believe in this, and in the city of Bombay (now called Mumbai) I came across a temple where the body is laid out and birds of prey as well as the weather are allowed to remove/decompose the flesh from the corpse. The religion believes that dead flesh is impure and do not use fire, which they believe to be sacred. A native American Indian tribe (or perhaps Inuit) follow this principle too.

[gleff]

When my grandmother died a few years ago, I took my camera albeit a point and shoot to take pictures. It was a closed casket, but I took pics of the casket, gravesite etc. My sister lives in Canada and couldn't make it to Australia in such short notice so I did the next best thing and sent her some photo's.

On a personal note, I don't think it's bad to take photo's at a funeral. As long as you do it with respect and discreetly. Eg. don't ask the greiving family to smile for the photo

The media take photo's all the time of bigger personalities funerals and that doesn't seem macabre.

[birddog114]

I often shot and covered funerals for friends and many members in our Buddisht Congregation and they are FOC.
I found shooting at the funerals with more interesting than shooting in other events and I can see the true life behind it!

[MattC]

The media take photo's all the time of bigger personalities funerals and that doesn't seem macabre.

Hmmm... Maybe it is that we have become immune to this sort of thing.

I caught a snippet of the news the other night. I wasn't really paying too much attention but it was about Kerry Packer's funeral. No ground shot. The footage was taken from a helicopter hovering high overhead.
As I understand it, the Packer's are a private family who shun the media spotlight. The media was not invited (I am guessing here - why else the helicopter?) to the funeral and yet the media invited themselves to intrude.

To me the whole thing seemed grotesque.

Cheers

[Killakoala]

I totally agree with you Matt. I was thinking the same thing when i saw the news.

I think that funerals should be a celebration of someone's life rather than a commiseration of their death. Photographing the event is not really macabre, but i doubt i would do it for someone. However, if i die anytime soon can someone off the forum photograph the funeral and email it to me

[Greg B]

The media take photo's all the time of bigger personalities funerals and that doesn't seem macabre.

Hmmm... Maybe it is that we have become immune to this sort of thing.

I caught a snippet of the news the other night. I wasn't really paying too much attention but it was about Kerry Packer's funeral. No ground shot. The footage was taken from a helicopter hovering high overhead.
As I understand it, the Packer's are a private family who shun the media spotlight. The media was not invited (I am guessing here - why else the helicopter?) to the funeral and yet the media invited themselves to intrude.

To me the whole thing seemed grotesque.

Cheers

Not in any way wanting to re-open the Packer discussion, I can't help but see the irony of a family which has made billions from the media - including magazines which constantly publish photographs taken against the subjects' wishes (by paparazzi), stories which may have only the faintest relationship with the truth, and television "current affairs" programs which feel they have the right to intrude anywhere they like - that family attempting to avoid the activities of a monster they have created, nurtured and from which they have profited.

I am not suggesting any right or wrong by anyone here, just the irony.

[MattC]

Greg

Yeh, I saw the irony in that too... The Packers become the victim of their own monster... but as I see it, that could have been anyones funeral. I have some fairly strong feelings about ethics in photography and even stronger feelings about the ethics of the media (motion and still).... The monster really needs to be brought to heel. But, that is best left as the subject of another thread.

As an example of cameras at a funeral, it was just plain sick.

Cheers

[Heath Bennett]

I often shot and covered funerals for friends and many members in our Buddisht Congregation and they are FOC.
I found shooting at the funerals with more interesting than shooting in other events and I can see the true life behind it!

I can see your point. It is the one event where the most pure true emotions can be seen - it is beautiful to see the outpouring of emotions that cut so deep. Sad, but definately beautiful. I can tend to be a bit sarcastic about weddings, I hope that one day I will better appreciate them.

Photos at funerals are something would be uncool to do professionally, especially if you already think weddings are high pressure! However in the case of people I know, if I was asked, it would be a service that I would deal with, with difficulty.

[Dug]

I have photographed funerals on quite a few occasions.

It is not a job I like or enjoy but it was traditional in the RAAF to send photos to relatives who could not attend.

I also photographed the funeral of an overseas student killed in a car accident his family could not afford for his body to be returned to his home so he was buried here.

It takes a great deal of tact and simple dignity to do the job without intruding on peoples grief.

( the standard joke is "Funerals are easy everything at 1/60th or slower and you just remember not to ask people to smile)

Humour is the best way to do a tough job.

[Matt. K]

Killakoala..Matt
Kerry Packer probably owned the helicopter and employed the photographer who took those "uninvited" images of his burial spot.