Crad1998

Sometime last year i posted that i was asked and did photograph a woman giving birth. Well I had another first this past week. I photographed a funeral for my cousin. It was a first and did not go as good or bad as I had hoped. I did managed to get a few good photographs without disrupting the service .

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Photography is a visual medium, you know.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

At least the subject was still!

Low Budget Dave

Funeral photography is the toughest assignment for most photographers. If someone clicks on this, I will offer a few lessons I learned the hard way:

1. Find out ahead of time what the ceremony is going to be like, and what the customer wants pictures of. Sometimes people want zero pictures of the eulogy, or the sermon, or mourners paying respects, or even the casket, and sometimes people want all of those things and more.

2. Wear something dark and formal. (I don't care if everyone else is in shorts.)

3. If you don't have a camera with a completely silent mode, rent one.

4. Ask if they want a group photo, and if so, when. Many families hate to admit that this is one of the few times they will be together, so you might have to plan the group photo for afterward. Keep the background neutral so they can use the group photo and not be reminded that it was at a funeral.

5. Let the family know when you are leaving, and offer your condolences again. You have no idea when they might ask for one more picture.

6. Plan your shots, and then plan them again. If you need a shot of the room empty, with only flowers and a casket, then arrange it with the funeral home. Once the service starts, that opportunity is lost.

sbohne

While I was a freshman in college, I photographed many deceased in coffins. The families hired me to supply prints to family members who could not afford to travel to the funeral, or were too ill too travel. I normally had to do the photography between 8:00 and 9:00 am, before visitors entered the funeral home. Decorum, and all that. Today, they take selfies while putting a "Trump Sucks Putin"... So much for decorum.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

The funerals I have attended, have never had a photographer present. These funerals, of course, were not famous people. Videographers are often called for these events, involving famous people. I'm sure they must be aware, to be able to not distract from the main service. Photographs of giving birth are common. Someone I knew, took video of his wife giving birth in a large tub of water. It was successful.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I did one once and it was pretty ok. It was for a friend who's husband passed and this was at the veterans cemetery with full honors. I started out by taking pics of the surrounding area as I was arriving, and just after parking so that the beautiful area was captured. It is a new veterans cemetery in Bakersfield. I put the camera is the most silent mode it had. I then took some pics of a hearse, any hearse with a nice background, then some pics of the crowd as it gathered, then the color guard, and then the pastor. I took some of the color guard as they aimed their rifles, some of the attendees as the bowed their heads, and some of the widow from the back and side at various times. That's it. I saved them to a CD and gave them to the widow and she was grateful. This was a freebe because they were friends.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Thank you for sharing your wisdom Low Budget Dave...
Good to know there are UHH members of your level of skill and experience...

All the best on your journey...

Silverman Loc: Michigan

Is there a market for this kind of discreet photography? I never thought this would be tactful in the least. Would you actually "Advertise" for this type of Photography service to a family?
What kind of equipment might a Photographer use in this type of Photography session? No Flash?,
High ISO?, 1.8, 2.8, etc. Aperture? Funeral Home? Grave side? Post Funeral Reception?

Low Budget Dave

I don't think there is any way to advertise this service, but maybe someone does. The three I have done all ended up being for free, either because they were close friends, or because I was trying to get other business from other family members. ("Low Budget Dave", not just a screen name.)

Crad1998

I wish I had asked for your advice before the funeral. That is great advice.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

It may be wiser to advertise your services to the funeral director, who then may recommend you to clients in need for photography. Funeral directors are generally better skilled at tactfully communicating and making arrangements with grieving families.

User ID

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My sister is sorting thru a lotta clutter and found
some funeral shots that apparently I had done. I
had the advantage of being family, so decorum
or technique were non-issues, I had carte blanch
and am a working photographer. But the point is
that years later some emotive, quality images of
the day are very highly prized. So any stranger
hired to produce such gems should keep in mind
the true value of his contribution. Wedding pix go
obsolete all the time .... not much "Til death do
we part" anymore. But, when death does part
folks, the pix of that day NEVER go obsolete.

FWIW, it was raining at the burial. If you wind up
with that inconvenience on your funeral shoot do
realize that it makes for verrrrry memorable and
emotional images, so use it for all it's worth. It's
like the heavens have "stage managed" things to
assure the visual record will effectively replay the
emotions of the day when reviewed years later.

There's no doubt at all I made those photos but
have absolutely zero recall of doing it. But then,
I do that stuff as autonominously as breathing.
If you could say the same about your mode of
photographing, then have no hesitation about
jobs that will require your "invisible presence" !



.

DAN Phillips Loc: Graysville, GA

As a funeral director/embalmer of nearly fifty years, let me say this about that. When managing funeral homes, if a family wanted someone to take pictures of the deceased, once dressed & in casket, I always, always had them sign a release form holding the establishmnet harmless for any use of the pictures by anyone. Personally, I could never understand why folks wanted to keep a picture of the deceased. In my mind I always felt that it was better to remember them the way they were when they were with you instaed of looking at what was left. I just never understood it, to each his own.

queencitysanta Loc: Charlotte, North Carolina

When my father passed away my mother was i ICU four hours away. She asked that I take pictiures pf my father and the service for her to view later.