My third day in the exclusion zone started bright and sunny. Today we were headed to the Duga-1 radar array, also known as the Russian Woodpecker. It was built in 1976 as a way to detect any missles that might come over the horizon from the U.S. Now, satellite Continue reading “Site 175: Chernobyl (Day 3)”
While I’ve been interested in cemeteries for as long as I can remember, I’ve only started photographing them with serious intent just over ten years ago. At the time, I never questioned my decision about photographing them in black and white. Continue reading “Photographing Cemeteries: Colour or Black and White?”
Having just visited my 150th cemetery/memorial site in just over 3 years, I thought it might be interesting to look at the overall numbers of where I’ve been and what I’ve seen. Just sorting through the numbers have given me a few surprises – I didn’t realise Continue reading “Cemetery Roundup 2015-2018”
For the final part of this series, I want to talk about some of the ethical issues surrounding photographing cemeteries. People have a lot of differing opinions when it comes to visiting cemeteries, and photography, or any other activity that is not quite related to the purpose Continue reading “The Art of Photographing Cemeteries: Part 3”
In my last post, I wrote about how light is probably the most important aspect of a successful photograph. Despite anyone’s preferences for a certain kind of light, the fact is any and all kinds of light have their disadvantages. The key is knowing how that light will work Continue reading “The Art of Photographing Cemeteries: Part 2”
I spend a lot of time on various cemetery blogs, SNS groups, and reading articles about cemeteries in general. There is usually a really large range of photographs, and while some are truly beautiful or moving, many more are not. Generally I find the photos that Continue reading “The Art of Photographing Cemeteries: Part 1”
…or the twin cemetery to Tōkōji, or perhaps I should say its elder sibling, as it was established several decades earlier, in 1656. The first, and even-numbered Mori lords are buried here (the odd-numbered ones, minus the first, are at Tōkōji). It definitely takes a little more Continue reading “Site 75: Hagi’s Daishōin Cemetery”
As I’ve mentioned previously, there are four cemeteries at Alexander Nevsky Monastery. The Tikhvin and Lazarus Cemeteries are located outside the official gates, but the other two are located inside the monastery grounds. Even though Nikolskoe is clearly the largest of the four, I only found it Continue reading “Site 42: St. Petersburg’s Nikolskoe Cemetery”
Twelve years after the founding of St. Petersburg, in 1710, Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra monastery was founded by Peter the Great. It was built in the spot that was thought to be the place where Alexander Nevsky (13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263), grandson of Vsevolod Continue reading “Site 40: St. Petersburg’s Lazarus Cemetery”
I still hadn’t been inside the Kremlin, but, as with previous days, I couldn’t bear the crowds, so I opted for the Donskoy Monastery and it’s old cemetery. There are actually two cemeteries here – the old necropolis, within the monastery walls, Continue reading “Site 37: Moscow’s Old Donskoy Necropolis”
In the late 1860s there was a massive civil war in Japan, called the Boshin War, in which supporters of the Shogunate (military commanders who effectively ruled Japan, and had, up to that point, had had an isolationist policy) and the supporters of Continue reading “Site 30: The Byakkotai Cemetery on Iimoriyama”
The 47 ronin, or masterless samurai, is probably one of the most well-known historical stories that comes from Japan. That said, whenever I mention the 47 ronin to my students, they have no idea who I’m talking about, as in Japanese they are Continue reading “Site 27: The graves of the 47 Ronin”
This is another one of the big cemeteries that are dotted around Tokyo. After a very short walk from the train station I was in land of stone and trees. And cats. Some of the most beautiful, friendly, and well-fed cemetery cats I have ever seen Continue reading “Site 26: Tokyo’s Yanaka Cemetery”
There’s something familiar about visiting a cemetery, no matter what culture, city, or country you’re from. The quiet. The trees. The stone memorials that mark the final resting place of the departed. The people that you see tend to be of the greying set. Continue reading “Site 25: Tokyo’s Zoshigaya Cemetery”
…of my European cemetery trip. I didn’t see as many cemeteries as I had hoped, but I did visit more than I had realistically planned. Overall I was happy with the places that I visited, but it also left me wanting to see more (especially in Italy). Continue reading “This is the end…of my cemetery tour (for now)”
stone and dust 