Photographing Cemeteries

The reason why I enjoy exploring and photographing cemeteries is due to the fact that they have so much history and art in all its forms there. Anymore, I don’t really think much about death when I’m in one, nor am I paranoid about coming across any spirits / ghosts. I think more about family genealogy / the life someone went through, no matter how short.


Also, there's something especially beautiful and a bit absurd about old weathered headstones and statues left to be amongst nature, and due to peoples’ phobias towards death and it being haunted, much of it is largely ignored and not widely seen. So, I strive to capture all of those history / art elements whenever possible in my photography. I am obsessed with coming across Woodmen of the World tree-stump stones and white bronze (zinky) monuments and will always immediately scan a cemetery for them as soon as I enter one.


It wasn’t until 2020 that I seriously started exploring and photographing cemeteries, for obvious reasons at the time. I quickly realized that they are not only peaceful, but also a rejuvenating place in a lot of ways. I’m able to just shut off my brain and get away from the world for a few moments, without worrying about bumping into anyone.


Being a word nerd, they are definitely far more interesting of a place to explore than hiking through the woods / prairie preserves.