Skip to main content

Funeral Pictures?

IMG_9560

I always take my camera to funerals.  When they see me with my camera, I think it seems disrespectful or morbid to some people; but a few days later I get a phone call or card from someone who really appreciated the pictures and would like copies.  They weren't able to make it and are happy to see the goodbyes of a dear friend.  Or they were there, and are glad I captured these moments.  

My grandmother had a big family, and funerals were often the last time she'd seen everyone together, and she always came back with a stack of pictures; I grew up thinking that cameras and funerals were as natural together as a camera at any other event.  (As part of my dad's service to our country, he served a few summer tours at Arlington Cemetery, officiating at memorial services for men and women who've served our country.  Someone videotaped one of his services for the family and gave him a copy.  Talk about moving!  Read about the Arlington Ladies; just thinking about this makes me well up with emotion.)

Death is a part of life; even though it is a sad part, there are many beautiful moments in remembering a well-lived life.  Here are some of my favorite shots from funerals...


9309 folding the flag 9264 doves 9261 flag-draped casket IMG_1293 IMG_1251 IMG_7223 IMG_9806 IMG_9753

Comments

  1. Beautiful and very meaningful photos, Karen! I think funerals are as important as the resting places the departed occupy. Thank you for capturing so many wonderful photos!
    Take Care!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow Karen. I've always wondered why we don't have cameras at funerals. I've wanted to take mine a few times, but, as you say, people seem to think it's disrespectful. These photos are beautiful!

    (And on another note, I hope you and your family are safe -- been thinking about you this morning.)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was doing well until I saw the Dum Dum lolipop! Beautiful pictures.

    We are fine over here in Centennial and I hope (and pray) you are fine as well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I had an uncle that videoed my father's funeral and I was able to watch it later as I wasn't able to attend. At the time I think people felt it was cold, but for my uncle it was natural (he's a filmmaker by profession)... He understood the need to document the event and for that I was truly grateful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad someone besides me thinks it's okay to take photos at funerals. I took one of my brother in his casket, as I hadn't seen him in over 20 years and wanted to look at him as long as I needed to, without anyone watching me. When I'd looked at it enough, a year or so later, I deleted it from my camera.

    I find your pictures very moving, Karen.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love reading your comments! Please be sure to LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS (if it isn't included in your profile) so that I may respond to you. Thank you!

Popular posts from this blog

reasons I knit

I haven't posted a lot of knitting on here in the last few years.  Not much to say about it but I still knit.   I knit because I love to create. I knit because I love sweaters. I knit because I grew up with a mom who is artistic beyond the acknowledgement she receives, and it's in my blood to do something creative. I knit because I love the good things God grows, like sheep and wool and muskox and cotton. I knit because I love colors. I knit because my boys wear what I knit. I knit because I like the rhythm. I knit because it has a beginning and an end, and they are achievable.  I knit because when my hands are busy, my mouth slows down, and it gives my brain a chance to make better decisions. I knit because I'm really, really good at it, and it's one of the few things that others acknowledge, and we all need that. I knit because I love to knit. I'm working on a colorful shawl in alpaca. 

modular knitting

On the plus side, modular knitting gives one interesting options for colorwork and color blocking.  Sometimes the dye process can give the yarn its own commentary, like this changing of scales. However, there are often many more ends to weave in.  This one is not too bad, but there's at least four ends on every row - 14 rows.  Still, interesting to try something new! Details on my Ravelry page , if you are interested!!  Have you tried modular knitting?  Thumbs up or down??

getting through winter

As classes of all sorts get scheduled, rescheduled and postponed due to weather, and with the short days with less light, I often find January and February to be a forced pause.  Years like this convince me that I should get good at reading rain gauges and keeping track of the temperature.  It seems like we've had an usual amount of snow.  That should be good for our snow pack and seasonal runoff to fill creeks, lakes, basins, but we'll see what the spring brings.  In the meantime, I have been trying to tick off indoor chores and projects, and working on garden things.   We have started a handful of seedlings:  basil, foxgloves, verbascum, lavender, rosemary, onions and something new to us, naranjilla .  We have varying levels of success.  The naranjilla did take a long time to germinate; I think we used 11 seeds, and we currently have five seedlings, some a couple weeks older than others!  We're still 12-14 weeks out from planting and I really had my hands full last year -