I’ve been interested in cemeteries for a long time. All my life it seems. I’m not into horror or goth or anything creepy, yet my interest in cemeteries has always been there, I guess from TV and movies, and from books, especially vampire stories. I was always disappointed that our local cemetery, while oldish (about 110 years old now) didn’t have any of the old slab-style gravestones with interesting relief sculptures or sayings on them (it was not until much later that I realized that those style of gravestones tended to be much older than my town’s founding).

When I did my first Masters in History one of my major research papers was on cemeteries in Toronto, specifically on the Necropolis and Mount Pleasant cemeteries. The research I did for that paper (and the numerous rolls of film I shot) really opened my eyes to what was out there, and I knew I had to see the big monumental cemeteries of Europe (and other countries). Luckily, when I lived in France I was able to see the big 4 cemeteries of Paris (Pere Lachaise, Montmartre, Montparnasse, and Passy) but I wasn’t really able to see any others in Europe since I was too broke to go anywhere else. I no longer live in Europe, but I do have time (and sometimes money) to travel, and this blog is here as an outlet for my thoughts about the various cemeteries I visit, both as a historian and as a photographer.

I’ve done a lot of research about cemeteries online, and a lot of what’s out there just seems to be repetitious – I’m not sure if many of the authors of the pieces have actually been to the cemeteries that they write about. Of course, this is not about people who blog about cemeteries – there are a lot of them out there, and I enjoy many of their sites! They’re all different, but they all provide a lot of useful and/or interesting information about various sites around the world. However I wanted my site to have a slightly different focus, and as such I’ve decided to write about things both photographic and practical. I love shooting in cemeteries, yet I find there is little information out there about what the light is like, or if tripods can be used there, or what one can reasonably expect there, so I try to provide that kind of information here. As well, I try to provide practical information (which is current when I write it, of course things can change!). It’s hard sometimes to find out where cemeteries are, or what their hours are, or how to get there, and I’ve provided that information for each cemetery from my own experience in going there.

Finally, I will say that I HAVE been to the cemeteries that I write about (unless specifically noted), and all of the photographs on this site are mine (unless otherwise noted) – please don’t post them elsewhere unless you get permission from me first AND you credit me with the photos (and/or information).