Graveyards

PHOTOempt

these are 4 of a series of images, taken in my home area in december 08. returning home from italy with my mother's ashes, i headed, for the church graveyards of my childhood, looking for beauty and solace in the winter chill.

please feel free to comment.

escomb church near bishop auckland, a beautiful saxon church (7th century)


escomb church


st mary's, staindrop


st andrew's church, bishop auckland, 13th century

grimace

Sarah,

I'm sorry for the loss of your mother.

The first two shots are great. Wonderful comp.

I really like the detail, color and character of the headstones. They are so much different than the ones in the states.

PHOTOempt

grimace wrote:

Sarah,

I'm sorry for the loss of your mother.

The first two shots are great. Wonderful comp.

I really like the detail, color and character of the headstones. They are so much different than the ones in the states.

Adam,
thank you for commenting, and for your condolences. it's a difficult subject - to post, and to comment on, especially as we haven't met, so i applaud your courage in leaving a message. thank you. sarah

Nacho

Sarah, I haven't lost my mother yet, but they are getting frailer by the minute. My condolences to you and your loved ones. As you noted, it can be a challenging subject to speak about and revisit vividly. I hope the trip, your artistic engagement, and the expression we see here provide a measure of solace and feeling of connectedness for you.

What I notice most about the images, besides the wonderful headstones, is the overall greenish tint. I'm not sure I would have corrected it either ––I like that green patina/weathered look. I like the second and third one best. The second one, with the stones at different angels, adds a level of dynamic tension to the shot. The third one, with the town in the background, gives me a sense of foreboding as well as the insistent connection of the graveyard to the townsfolk.

Thanks again, and may you be well, may you be at ease, may you be at peace,

N

pathfinder

Sarah,

These images bring to mind burial grounds Kathy, Kerry and I visited on our drive across the UK, the week before the workshop in Mull.

In a little English village named Mells, is St Andrews church surrounded by gravestones dating back three hundred years or so. The church is still in use everyday. Lovely.

I am sorry for your grief.

PHOTOempt

What I notice most about the images, besides the wonderful headstones, is the overall greenish tint. I'm not sure I would have corrected it either ––I like that green patina/weathered look.
Thanks again, and may you be well, may you be at ease, may you be at peace,

N[/QUOTE]
hi - thank you for your response. the green tint is, in fact, a very fine moss, which has grown over the centuries. the fourth image: i left the colour of the headstone absolutely unchanged but desaturated the rest. i'm curious that no-one has commented on that one. i wanted to give the message that our memories live on by our commemoration of the dead. your kind comments are much appreciated. sarah

Every Miles A Memory

That had to be quite an emotional journey to go home and put to rest a loved one, especially your mother. My deepest condolences and on a lighter note, your images are awesome.

Those first two are just beautiful

PHOTOempt

pathfinder wrote:

Sarah,

These images bring to mind burial grounds Kathy, Kerry and I visited on our drive across the UK, the week before the workshop in Mull.

In a little English village named Mells, is St Andrews church surrounded by gravestones dating back three hundred years or so. The church is still in use everyday. Lovely.

I am sorry for your grief.

hi jim, thank you. britain is full of these beautiful old churches and very evocative and timeless graveyards. escomb church, saxon 7th century, is extraordinarily beautiful, and some of the gravestones are likely 600 years old. the other churches i visited are comparatively modern - 13th century! the north east of england is full of beautiful historic places.
all the best, sarah

PHOTOempt

Every Miles A Memory wrote:

That had to be quite an emotional journey to go home and put to rest a loved one, especially your mother. My deepest condolences and on a lighter note, your images are awesome.

Those first two are just beautiful

thank you pat, yes i felt in quite a time warp, as my brother still lives in the house where we grew up, it was a bitter-sweet visit, to put it mildly. the camera really helped. sarah

Nacho

Sarah, thanks. Yes, it is indeed the fine moss that grows on those stones. I was more pointing to the overall greenish hue that is cast to the image given the green moss on the stones, the grass, and the other rock/stone work. : )

I like the last one, but find selective color/desat a bit more distracting. I think the point about commemoration is very present, and all the images carry it well.

Thanks,

N

PHOTOempt

Nacho wrote:

Sarah, thanks. Yes, it is indeed the fine moss that grows on those stones. I was more pointing to the overall greenish hue that is cast to the image given the green moss on the stones, the grass, and the other rock/stone work. : )

I like the last one, but find selective color/desat a bit more distracting. I think the point about commemoration is very present, and all the images carry it well.

Thanks,

N

hi nacho, yes, i understand what you mean - i wasn't sure if you meant that the gravestones were greenish as a result of light reflected from the grass! i guess i didn't see the whole effect as a greenish tint to be corrected, but yes, as an overall light effect resulting from the colours of the scene. i tend not to correct an existing effect, but to enhance it if i like it enough to want to bring it more in evidence. that certainly wasn't necessary here, other wise we would all feel rather bilious! so i just left it. i liked the effect as it was. thank you for all your comments. regards, sarah

schmoo

Sarah, I'm sorry to hear about your mother. But I am really moved by these photos, even apart from your story. You can really feel the emotion in these and I like the moss an the green as it is quite a bit. I imagine that these photos are intensely personal for you, so thank you for sharing them with us.