Re: [Leica] funerals

[MEBérubé <MEB@goodphotos.com>]

I remember reading in some book on the history of Photography that Post 
Mortem Portraiture was very popular when photography was still very new. 
(mid 1800s)

As I recall in the article claimed that for many folks who died when 
Photography was still in its infancy the Post Mortem Portrait would be 
their first, last and only photograph ever taken for the family to remember 
the loved one with. As photography stuck around and the prices for such 
dropped to affordable and then with the advent of the Kodak, such drastic 
means of getting a portrait of grandma weren't needed and the idea died 
out. (sorry) I suppose the upshot there is that with the 90 second exposure 
time that those wet plate pioneers needed sometimes, someone as still as a 
corpse would have been a pleasure to photograph!

Carpe Luminem,
Michael E. Berube


At 08:36 PM 1/26/01 -0500, you wrote:
>on 1/26/01 7:37 PM, firkin@netconnect.com.au at firkin@netconnect.com.au
>wrote:
>
> > When my father died last friday, we had
> > the funeral and memorial service the week later. I said to Helen -- "people
> > don't take pictures at funerals do they? Why?" Well I didn't take many --
> > got to show some sensitivity, but I to wanted to remember my father's
> > funeral, and this is how I do it, so I did, and I will never regret it. I
> > have chosen 4 images for my family album, and now I can remember the day
> > the way I do best. If you like me love images, love memories and need those
> > images to help the memories flow, take some selected images and treasure
> > them.
>
>funerals are fine things to photograph... sometimes. Sometimes they are just
>too painful, but about half the time you have that wonderful get together at
>the wake and it turns into one of those times you never want to forget. I
>have no problem photographing at funerals, and I've never had anyone
>complain at all.
>
>--
>Johnny Deadman
>
>http://www.pinkheadedbug.com