Life, The Universe and Everything

• Funerals are not my thing.

  Posted: July 23, 2008, 4:12 pm by egm

  This morning found me outdoors in a cemetry covering a funeral. This was my first time ever doing this. And my last. I have decided that funerals I won't do. Even if I get offered good money. It's just not my thing. I mean, how do you go snapping away at people grieving even if it's them that want it? If someone enquires about it from me, I'll direct them to other photographers.
  
  Today's funeral was extreme. 5 cameramen: 3 still, 2 video. And that's just the official ones. Of course the papparazzi were out in full force. I saw 3 at the cemetry. (An aside, one of the cameramen had Raul's twin. Right down to the flash, vertical grip and missing flash sync connection cover. Had I not being carrying Raul in my hands, I could have sworn he stole it from me!).
  
  If you think the above was bad, there was a funeral next to the one I was covering where, eh, I just got bemused. You know the way after a wedding service people pose with the bride and groom outside the church? That's exactly what was going on. Complete with the person co-ordinating the posing. I kept hearing, now it's the siblings. Okay, after siblings, let us have the uncles and aunts. Okay, now the cousins. I couldn't believe it.
  
  And so, as a PSA, let it be known Raul will never ever cover funerals. At least not while being handled by yours truly. If someone wants to borrow the camera to cover one, by all means let them do so after having left me a sizeable deposit to replace Raul should the grave suddenly appear too attractive to him, as well as paying a good use fee. Big enough to deter anyone from using Raul thus.
  
  I follow Alain Briot's outlook on photography. I will not cover things that evoke negative emotions. That's why I didn't take shots during the chaos earlier this year. That is why I am choosing not to cover funerals. Others that have no problem covering that can and are very welcome to do so.

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes