I've long held a love for cemeteries. It's not like I'm depressing and morbid. In fact, I'm a ridiculously deliriously perky person, but cemeteries are something different from the rest of our world; quiet sanctuaries. They're urban parks that don't involve mountain bikes and dog walkers. They're silent open-air art exhibits that make you stop and think. You contemplate every headstone you see and what that person was like, who visited them and left those flowers after so many years later,and what do you want on your own headstone?
Cemeteries are picturesque and sometimes creepy, solemn and sometimes cheerful. And really good photographers know how to capture all those moods. In fact, I came across a local photographer here in Phoenix, Julie Foskett. She does unique things (like the beautiful photos above). A young engaged couple wanted their photos to express their unusual Tim Burton-esque wedding, so they had Julie photograph them in a pastoral Catholic Cemetery called St. Francis (one of my favorite places to take pictures).
I'm pleased to give her link so you can see more of the couple's beautiful and moody pictures.
Next time you're thinking of cemeteries as just places to store loved ones once they pass or creep around to try and obtain EVPs at midnight, remember that they're also gothic backdrops for fantastic portraits and meaningful commentary.
They might just make your next Christmas cards one in a million!