Funeral photography

I have never seen anyone taking pictures during a funeral or at the funeral home(and I have been to too many in the past couple of years). If someone were to take pictures of my family during a funeral or at the funeral, they would loose the camera and be lucky if that was the extent of it.
 
Mixed in with my family's old photos were a few funeral shots - of the deceased in the casket! That used to creep me out.
 
Rocky Mountain News's Todd Heisler

Rocky Mountain News's Todd Heisler

Rocky Mountain News Photographer, Todd Heisler, recently was awarded the Pulitzer for his photography of an Iraq Veteran's Funeral. See here. Heisler's work was also featured in both consumer and pro magazines, most notably, Rangefinder Magazine. Of course, he secured permission, and admitted how difficult it was to work through the grief of the Veteran's spouse. Great photography, difficult to nigh impossible working conditions!
 
BigSteveG said:
The truth is it was done disrespectfully. I has requested that no photos be taken and it was done against my wishes. Also, people need to differentiate between a private citizen and a public figure. It's two different ballgames.
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If you read what I wrote, you will note that I said that the wishes of the next of kin are paramount.

I'm sorry people acted disrespectfully to your stated wishes at your father's funeral - but I do not think that you should assume that everyone should be governed by your "rules".

There are some cultures, such as the Greeks, where the mourners gather together after the interment to share a meal together. Oftentimes pictures are taken at these events - in part, perhaps, because many attending realize that they may never see each other again.
 
There can be no answer to this except to negotiate and navigate with sensitivity. Obviously one should resepect any request to not photograph. But each case is different and should be dealt with individually. When a dear friend of mine lost his wife unexpectedly at age 50, he asked me to photograph the funeral. He felt it would be an important record for their children, then 12 and 15. It was a beautiful ceremony. She was Persian and the ceremony included a lot of Perisan ritual. The ashes were spread in the river near their home. Very touching and very difficult. I gave them the negatives & contacts. Don't know if they ever made any prints. The point is that it's absurd to make rules about this other than having a sensitive approach.
 
My brother-in-law recently passed away and I did not bring a camera except for my Oly XA and one roll of film hidden in my pocket. I wanted to be considerate to my sister and decided to not bring anything else. It's a highly emotional time and the answer really is dependent on the family member(s) involved. It turns out that my sister would have loved for me take more photographs and she has cherished the few that I did take even though technically they weren't the best photographs. Since he was an Army chaplain it was a military funeral with a 21 gun salute and had that aspect.

For some death is a new beginning and a celebration of life so they may want something to remember it with.
 
No! Never!

No! Never!

I am an easy going person. I am also over 50 years old and have attended more than my share of funerals of relatives and friends. I have not seen a camera at one. Nor would I want to see one. It is a time for things other than hobbies.

If I were asked by someone if they could take a picture at a funeral, I would say NO!, NEVER!.

If another family member gave permission, I would be furious with that family member and the photographer!

How many people do you need to ask permission of? Everyone. How do you do that, make 50 phone calls to the mourners the night before? Stand up before the eulogy and ask every one in the chapel?

All mourners would need to give consent. There is no easy way or proper etiquette.
 
For many years, photographers were called in to photograph the deceased in their caskets. Often this was the only likeness family members would have. Funerals are one of humanity's shared rituals, photographed by HCB, Eugene Smith and countless others. Those images contribute to our understanding of the world - and of life itself. Hardly the product of a hobby. Everyone is entitled to their social norms, but if we're going to get along in this world, we gotta be a little flexible.
 
For and against depending on the wishes of the family. I took pictures at my son's funeral and my wife did not like it, but afterward she asked if I got a specific shot. I look back at what few pictures I took during and after the ceremony with fond memories. They did not turn out well.
 
I've only shot one funeral, that was my sister's very early delivery of her baby, she wasn't developed enough to survive and they held a funeral since she was alive at one point. It was a sad time to go visit, but I brought my camera to the ceremony and I had to shoot this. It was shot on a digital camera.. actually I was kicking myself because the buffer was too slow and I missed the shot of him kissing the little casket before it went in, but I got this one.
IMG_3976.jpg
 
HI,
I actually once shot a funeral. On request of the widow. She wanted to make the pictures herself so I offered to do it for her. I approached it as an normal event like a wedding.
Although some people didn't find it appropriate, the widow was very happy.
I did however tried to stay in the background a bit more as usual and only used silent cameras.

Cheers,

MIchiel Fokkema
 
Hi,

Pictures are serving different purposes. It can be a hobby, art or memories.
Funeral pictures are memories llike wedding pictures and holiday pictures. They can help the people in their mourning proces.
But, of course only of they want that themselves.
As said before I once did a funeral on request of the widow. Her husband passed away way to early.
I've also been asked to photograph the grandmother of my wife when see was lying in her chest. Her both sons wanted to have that picture and I happen to carry a camera anytime. I didn't ask for it, they did.
I don't see a problem with that.
My niece became a widow very recently after she was married only for a couple of months. She had the service and funeral covered by proffesional filmers. The video still gives her comfort.

Best regards,

MIchiel Fokkema
 
I would agree with the view that funeral photography is inappropriate in all instances other than where the service is expressly requested/allowed by members of the immediate family or in certain cases of public figures.

Divorce photography on the other hand is something that I thought could really take off and be much more fun than wedding photography if handled and marketed correctly.:D
 
What a hot topic thou. I do appreciate if my friend will shoot mine. Again, it is part of my life as well.
 
MadMan2k said:
I've only shot one funeral, that was my sister's very early delivery of her baby, she wasn't developed enough to survive and they held a funeral since she was alive at one point. It was a sad time to go visit, but I brought my camera to the ceremony and I had to shoot this. It was shot on a digital camera.. actually I was kicking myself because the buffer was too slow and I missed the shot of him kissing the little casket before it went in, but I got this one.
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MadMan2k: I was deeply moved by your picture and the story behind it.

Leica-Virgin said:
I would agree with the view that funeral photography is inappropriate in all instances other than where the service is expressly requested/allowed by members of the immediate family or in certain cases of public figures.

I agree too. When my 5-year-old daughter was buried, I took some pictures of the coffin and the flower arrangements before the funeral (today, I'm very glad I did this), but I would certainly have been offended if anyone outside the immediate family would have brought a camera to the church.
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FrankS said:
Certainly not acceptable to show up at a cemetery and begin photographing an unknown family.
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My all-time worst assignment.

Some of you may recall the "Tylenol Murders", a product tampering case from the early 1980's. One of the victims was a local mother, and I was assigned to shoot the burial. I had a very difficult time coming up with a respectful, non-intrusive viewpoint, but worked it out. Thank Goddess for the 300/2.8.
 
Unfortunately, I am now in the position of experiencing this dilemma first hand, with the passing away of my wife's father yesterday.
 
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