Yes, I understand there may be other places that carry all these emotions for someone on a more personal level. I'm talking in a broader sense, don't be self-centered.
Naturally, this makes graveyards pretty damn easy to photograph. Almost too easy. Take for instance the admittedly dull picture I took for today;
I didn't do much to this picture, really. The smudgy blur on the sides of the image are from the extreme cold fogging up my lens, which was a very happy accident considering the mood it gives the picture. All I had to do was darken it a bit and bring out some of the color from the sunset and, viola, a nifty picture of a tombstone.
But I'm going to be honest with you guys for a second; I'm mostly using that picture as an excuse to rant about something that's been bugging me for a while.
I know I said taking pictures of a graveyard, especially an old one like the above picture (that tombstone is over 150 years old!), was easy. And it is...provided that there isn't a model in the picture.
Do not get me wrong here, an actor or model in a picture can really bring out the scenery and add an extra level of depth to the photograph. The pic I presented today may be a nice picture of a cemetery, but that's all it is; a picture of a cemetery. There's nothing more to it, it's just there to look nifty.
However, with a model in the picture, you can use their expression, their posing, and even their clothing to add an air of mystery, or a sense of mourning...in essence, you tell a story (something I've gone on about before). A graveyard is far too iconic and complex of a location to do a simple face-shot or model shoot.
I bring this up, because this is a strange trend among quite a bit of aspiring punk or goth photographers lately. I will not name names, but suffice it to say I'm seeing a lot of pictures centering around women, who are very pretty, but are wearing incredibly complex or out-of-place clothing (example: a black-and-bright-pink zip-up corset).
My problem with this? It's too...needy. That outfit in a creepy old house or in a studio shoot? Perfect, great, works wonderful. Out in a graveyard, though, it looks like the model (and by connection, the photographer) looks like s/he is trying to wrestle the attention away from the scenery and put it all on him/herself. By doing so, they look out of place, add nothing to the location, and make an overall unremarkable picture.
I guess you could edit it and make it quite a bit better in post, but in my opinion 1.) they almost never do this, 2.) it's a lot of effort to go through if you don't have a very specific idea of what you're doing from the start, and 3.) on the whole, only take a picture that's interesting to look at from the start. Photoshop can make a dull image look fabulous in the right hands, but it's easier and feels more authentic when the original image is dynamite as well.
Not that taking crappy photos is bad. God knows I do that all the time. Just make sure your original idea is strong enough to be presented despite all the flaws and it should be just fine.
Anyways, rant over, feel free to tell me what an idiot I am if you disagree. I love the attention.
-Track
P.S. Also try to remember, when you're in a graveyard, you're standing over the remains of someone's beloved grandma. The last thing someone wants to see on Facebook is a picture of you slumming it up on top of Nana's coffin. Food for though.
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