Tag: Cemetery Photography

April showers bring May cemetery flowers

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Spring always makes me think of cemetery flowers.

Flowers may not be the first thing on your mind when visiting cemeteries, unless of course you are bringing in an arrangement. But you may start to notice them more and more, dotting the graves, as well as the green spaces in between. Wild flowers can be found snaking through the grass and reaching into all corners of a cemetery plot.

  • Waters Cemetery, Lively ON ©2016

Abandoned cemeteries are usually filled with wild flowers as there has not been anyone to weed or tend to the ever growing vines. They add a lovely pop of colour to a green space.

I have seen some plots completely filled with wild flowers, where families have made the entire plot a flower bed. I imagine their loved one must have been an avid gardner.

You might also see fabric or plastic flower arrangements. These must have been so beautiful when they were first placed; clean and bright. Over time these arrangements take on a different kind of beauty— weathering the elements and time.

  • St. John’s Alsace Cemetery, Commanda ON ©2019

Springtime also means that the snow is melting, making cemeteries more accessible. Trudging through the snow is never fun. I have been slowly making plans for some road trips this spring and summer to visit some new-to-me places as well as some of my favourite spots.

Thankfully cemeteries are not usually a bustling place so being able to physically distance while exploring is great.

Thanks for reading!

One year ago today…

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At this time last year, I was exploring New York City with my boyfriend by my side.

It was his first time visiting the Big Apple, and my second time. We did a lot of the touristy stuff; strolling in Central Park, walking along the Brooklyn Bridge, and admiring the twinkling lights of Times Square. It was an amazing trip, that was full of surprises. We visited an amazing restaurant called Ninja New York and enjoyed some sake and delicious sushi.

We had the good fortune of finding Obscura Antiques, the curiosity shop that was featured on A&E’s television show – Oddities. It was so fun to talk to Mike and Evan, after dreaming about visiting their shop for ages. It was good timing as well since they have now closed their brick and mortar location. I also had the chance to visit not one, but two graveyards, while in New York. We had taken the Big Red Bus tours and were making our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. We got off just down the street, close to the Charging Bull statue on Wall Street, and walked back towards the bridge.

I had to stop in and take some photos. I was a little unprepared as I had not brought along my DSLR with me on this trip, but I did have my iPhone with me. I saw some beautifully carved slate stones, with memento mori and deaths head skulls littered among them. Both Trinity Church and St. Pauls Chapel graveyards are filled with them. You may have noticed that I have a deaths head skull as part of my logo. The craftsmanship in these stones is so detailed and has lasted over 300 years. Looking at the iconography on old stones like this always fills me with so many questions. I will have to go back with my proper camera and take some time exploring the grounds.

  • Trinity Church Graveyard, New York City, NY ©2020

Notes from a Cemetery

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Spring is just starting to wake up after a long winter sleep. Now the snow is melting, and tombstones are beginning to peek out from the snowbanks.

I have only visited cemeteries in the middle of winter once in my life, and it’s not something I plan on doing again. Yes, it’s beautiful; stark white contrasted against dark stones just visible above the snow. Pristine smooth snow blankets the ground. But this is also why it’s not very fun to trudge through. Deep snow up to your knees, hidden stones creating tripping hazards, dangerous to you the intrepid explorer, and to the stones themselves.

When I visited those cemeteries in the middle of March, back in 2011, I was visiting one of my best friends in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It was my first time visiting that part of Canada, and I wanted to take advantage of the time I had there. My friend was very kind to accommodate me, although she didn’t join me in the stone fields. She did chauffeur me around though, to two different cemeteries; the Pioneer Cemetery and Woodlawn Cemetery.

Pioneer cemeteries are my favorite to visit. They are usually the oldest and have beautiful old stones. They tell the stories of the original settlers of a town, and sometimes have much more information on them than modern stones do. Many names found on the gravestones in a pioneer cemetery are often on street signs within that town.

I loved visiting those cemeteries and thinking about my time wading through the snow to get that perfect shot, or to get closer to an interesting stone I spotted from far away. I also remember how cold it was, and how my boots were filled to the top with snow. It’s not something I have ever attempted again.

I prefer to spend my winters editing batches of old photos from the previous summer. Recently I have started organizing them for social media and this new website.

Now that spring is almost here, I am starting to plan this summer’s road trips and maybe a tour around my local cemeteries. It has been a while since I checked in on them. It’s always a pleasant surprise to find new and unique stones in a place I have visited many times before.

  • Woodlawn Cemetery – Saskatoon, SK ©2011

Introductions

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Hello, My name is Chantal and I am a taphophile.

I have always had a deep love of cemeteries and graveyards. It may sound a bit morbid, but I have always found beauty and peace in a cemetery. The combination of nature, art and history is what I find really appealing. A cemetery is a great place to go for a quiet walk, to learn about the history of a place, or to learn about your ancestors. Over the years I have visited many cemeteries and love to take pictures of what I see. I like to focus on details of gravestones, iconography, interesting epitaphs and mementos left behind by loved ones.

After realizing I had folders upon folders of photos, I wanted to do something with them—not just keep them to myself. So I decided a website would be a great place to showcase them. I’m still working out the details on how I want to organize them, but I’m sure that will evolve over time.

I chose WordPress because it looked like a great way to showcase my portfolio and include a blog option. I am in no way an avid blogger, but I do get the urge to write sometimes. So please do not expect a perfectly kept up-to-date blog! I’m hoping to write about my favourite cemeteries, road trips, newly explored cemeteries, cemeteries in the news and other cemetery related things.

I will also be slowly adding photos as I go!

If you are interested, I can also be found in other places around the web; Facebook, Instagram and ViewBug.

Thanks for reading!

  • Woodlawn Cemetery, Kitchener ON ©2019