Taking pictures at a funeral

Yamanoto · 02-06-2012 01:01AM

There is a case to be made for allowing a photographer discreetly and sensitively document a funeral at the family's behest.

It's obviously a profound and deeply intense experience which often passes the family by - capturing small moments of condolence, tenderness, grief and even humour shown by those in attendance could conceivably provide some solace to those who need it.

Battered Mars Bar · 02-06-2012 01:05AM

Piss ass sheepbook generation :rolleyes: There'd be no bosses like moi around :cool: Wouldn't be long hurling his artistic special friend photography arse outta there.

steddyeddy · 02-06-2012 01:09AM

Jermaine Better Terminology wrote: »

I recently attended the funeral of a close friend who passed away in her mid-twenties. One of my work colleagues also attended and spent the entire service snapping pictures with his massive camera. I asked my boyfriend WTF he was doing and my boyfriend said he was taking pictures for people who couldn't be there. He didn't seem to think it was that strange. When we went outside for the burial, he continued to take pictures and nobody seemed to be saying anything.

The day after the funeral, I logged onto Facebook and was greeted with the funeral pictures on my news feed. He had tagged our dead friend in them! Pictures of the casket and everything. Obviously someone, probably one of her relatives, took offence because they were quickly removed, but I just couldn't believe anyone would actually do that. It just seems so incredibly insensitive and inappropriate. I don't understand how it's ever acceptable - most people who 'wanted to be there' would have been there if it meant that much to them and even if you couldn't make it, why on earth would you want pictures?

What do you think?

Depending on how well I knew the deceased I would have smashed the camera over his head to be honest!

KKkitty · 02-06-2012 01:15AM

A funeral is a time to start grieving, come together to remember the person who has died, go for a drink and be surrounded by people who respected the deceased. Coming to a funeral with a camera to take pictures of what should be a dignified farewell is disgusting no matter what way you look at it.

Battered Mars Bar · 02-06-2012 01:20AM

KKkitty wrote: »

A funeral is a time to start grieving, come together to remember the person who has died, go for a drink and be surrounded by people who respected the deceased. Coming to a funeral with a camera to take pictures of what should be a dignified farewell is disgusting no matter what way you look at it.

Fact! although what you said is interesting...to me anyway, probably no one else but this bit...
"Coming to a funeral with a camera to take pictures of what should be a dignified farewell is disgusting no matter what way you look at it."
also applies...
"Coming to a pub with a camera to take pictures of what should be a dignified pissup is disgusting no matter what way you look at it."
is also very true imho :pac:

Thoie · 02-06-2012 01:38AM

pjproby wrote: »

my mum died some years ago. would love to have pictures of the event. saw so many people there, could not remember afterwards who they were.
a few photos would have been much appreciated.

Would the book of condolences not have that information?

KKkitty · 02-06-2012 01:45AM

Battered Mars Bar wrote: »

KKkitty wrote: »

A funeral is a time to start grieving, come together to remember the person who has died, go for a drink and be surrounded by people who respected the deceased. Coming to a funeral with a camera to take pictures of what should be a dignified farewell is disgusting no matter what way you look at it.

Fact! although what you said is interesting...to me anyway, probably no one else but this bit...
"Coming to a funeral with a camera to take pictures of what should be a dignified farewell is disgusting no matter what way you look at it."
also applies...
"Coming to a pub with a camera to take pictures of what should be a dignified pissup is disgusting no matter what way you look at it."
is also very true imho :pac:

Mars bar you'll go places with an attitude like that. How dare they ruin a night of blatant debauchery with taking photos of it :pac

Battered Mars Bar · 02-06-2012 01:58AM

KKkitty wrote: »

Mars bar you'll go places with an attitude like that. How dare they ruin a night of blatant debauchery with taking photos of it :pac

A man can't drink and get naked anymore, it's a disgrace...I'll have to call joe duffy :pac:

KKkitty · 02-06-2012 02:03AM

Battered Mars Bar wrote: »

KKkitty wrote: »

Mars bar you'll go places with an attitude like that. How dare they ruin a night of blatant debauchery with taking photos of it :pac

A man can't drink and get naked anymore, it's a disgrace...I'll have to call joe duffy :pac:

Joe is the man isn't he :pac:

ejmaztec · 02-06-2012 02:03AM

I've got visions of someone like a fashion photographer, clicking away and asking for more sobbing.

Lone Stone · 02-06-2012 02:08AM

Thats fk'd up, when i was at some relations funeral her daughter in law was snapping away with her camera. I thought it was very weird.

Battered Mars Bar · 02-06-2012 02:12AM

KKkitty wrote: »

Joe is the man isn't he :pac:

Well you know I may be the big man behind my laptop but tbh if I wanted anything done in real life I'd go to joe

Mr.Biscuits · 02-06-2012 03:49AM

You sure you weren't at a wedding.

02-06-2012 03:56AM

When I came across this I asked the person taking the photo what the caption on facebook would be, "me and james at his dad's funeral xx"?

Vicar in a tutu · 02-06-2012 03:58AM

Here's a pic of me planking on grandads coffin

:):)

LH Pathe · 02-06-2012 04:08AM

Omg, look at how bad mommy's mascara was running *scoff* *bìtch*

Vicar in a tutu · 02-06-2012 04:09AM

She looks so FAT in that dress :mad::mad::mad:

Seriously though, taking pictures at a funeral has to be the most tacky thing I can think of.. Do these fools not even feel a bit awkward about it?

Nyan Cat · 02-06-2012 04:15AM

The height of tack.

Could've been even worse though: 'can you move ti the left mrs Boyce, and you too mr twit, huddle up you weeping people for a good picture - sob!' really it could've been worse

confuseddotcom · 02-06-2012 04:24AM

Can see how snap snap snapping for a full hour's service wouldn't be well-received, but depending on the person 2/3 very discreet pics might be okay? A big might though, but ..... I'm just thinking of say someone who would have had a huge contribution to the community or would have been very popular around the place with a huge active social life; - 2/3 pics of a couple of memorable moments tactfully snapped/taken at some point throughout the day might be just fitting to the person and their lives that they lived / fulfilled while on earth.

A photographer from Galway died tragically as a by-stander at the Cavan Stages Rally last week, and I'm sure he has taken some quality pics in his photography career, so it would be a nice token gesture to have roles reversed and have a couple of pics of him in memory. Or somebody like a motor-biker, is another I think that it would be nice to have a couple of pics to the end. Certain characters or lifestyles like that if that doesn't sound too crass, but like full of life to the end ........

But I'm not talking about photos of the dead or the coffin, more-so a couple of pics of the day key moments poignant moments but respectful pics at the same time.

While messages and wishes for the deceased on Facebook might be deemed in-appropriate, - some people are now going further than Facebook and absorbing themselves in the world of Youtube, where some searches will show up commemoration/memorial of the deceased posted by loved ones and friends. Clips/vids/pics of their whole life-story in a slide-show etc. commemorating their life; - baby to toddler to school-days to teen to student to college-life, single-life, married-life, kids etc., and also some have a couple of pics in of their final farewell day, funeral procession/ceremony which I think can be appropriate and can be quite fitting and memorable and a good idea for memories and where done tastefully can be poignant leaving a positive after-effect.

books4sale · 02-06-2012 08:14AM

RTE and the media are at it the whole time though, especially if its a well known irish person, a gangland shooting, car crash, suicide, the list goes on.

They are round there in a flash, cameras stuck in everyones face recording everything for the whole country to see.

Pretty messed up and highly disrepectful.

mintoffdom · 02-06-2012 08:24AM

Gross.

helimachoptor · 02-06-2012 08:29AM

Heli checked in at Heaven

xzanti · 02-06-2012 08:42AM

kwalshe wrote: »

my father takes pictures of dead people when they are in the funeral home when nobody else is around. .

Why?

PinkFly · 02-06-2012 08:52AM

books4sale wrote: »

RTE and the media are at it the whole time though, especially if its a well known irish person, a gangland shooting, car crash, suicide, the list goes on.

They are round there in a flash, cameras stuck in everyones face recording everything for the whole country to see.

Pretty messed up and highly disrepectful.

+1 on this
My friends child died in an accident last year, cue to the vultures outside the church clicking and filming away it actually enraged me so much.

The next day her face of anguish was on most of the front pages, we can all only imagine how people feel when someone dies, why the heck would we need a pic

GOODME · 02-06-2012 08:58AM

many countries do it, it is normal. we celebrate a persons life, death, funeral are not a sin or odd. we do take pics at birth, christening etc nothing strange, MEMORIES TO TREASURE.

I have seen it done here in Ireland.

Ellis Dee · 02-06-2012 09:05AM

I sometimes sit on the beach and watch puffs of smoke rise from the chimney of the crematorium near by. If someone wants to make a video of my smoke rising when it's my turn, does anyone think I'll be giving a fuck?:rolleyes::rolleyes:

And if they post it on the Internet ("Ellis getting high one last time"), that certainly won't bother me, either.

:D

SeaFields · 02-06-2012 09:16AM

PinkFly wrote: »

+1 on this
My friends child died in an accident last year, cue to the vultures outside the church clicking and filming away it actually enraged me so much.

The next day her face of anguish was on most of the front pages, we can all only imagine how people feel when someone dies, why the heck would we need a pic

+1 My cousins partner died in tragic circumstances a few years back and the scum were outside the funeral home, church and graveyard. They also rang the house the morning of the funeral to ask for a comment.

Leave people to grieve in peace FFS.

kwalshe · 02-06-2012 09:40AM

xzanti wrote: »

Why?

I really don't know why, he just wants to remember the moment I guess. He's never really explained himself when I've asked. He aint a weirdo.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 02-06-2012 09:46AM

people are too squeamish about corpses these days

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-mortem_photography

get over it, they're just dead people. you won't die or bring death upon your family by looking at them.

herisson · 02-06-2012 09:56AM

I genuinely can't believe this actually happens :eek:
It is completely disrespectful to the person and the family!
And putting it up on Facebook is twisted!

If i ever died young, i would hate for that to happen to me, or for people to write RIP on my facebook wall, because to be honest it is creepy as fcuk!

Taking pictures at a funeral

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