West Norwood Cemetery

[Mike Farley]

Some more images from my shoot on day 151 of my PAD. All were taken with my infrared camera.

[Mike Farley]

Another, this time a standard mono conversion.

[Mike Farley]

A number of people had left silk flowers on graves and I was struck by the way that these had faded.

[Paul Heester]

That second image of the girl amongst the grass I find very powerful. It gives me the creeps a little, partly I think as no other headstones are visible so its not immediately obvious its a cemetery. The IR really suits the whole mood.

[Mike Farley]

Hi Paul

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad that you enjoyed the photos. The cemetery does have something of a feel of a country park to it, especially towards the rear where the grass has been allowed to grow, so it was possible to get some images which are a bit different, such as the statue of the little girl. By their very nature, these places tend to be a bit unsettling and the surreal effevt of IR definitely helps bring that out.

[davidc]

The little girl shot is one of the best I think I've seen of your work, like that a lot. Must admit I'm surprised at your PAD choice given the other options! The Sabrina Mongridge headstone shot is nice too.

I've been looking for a cemetery for some strobist shots I have planned so might check it out - also noticed a place called Beckenham Crematorium while on the tram too.

[Mike Farley]

West Norwood Cemetery is one of the major London cemeteries established in Victorian times and at one time was a fashionable place to be buried. Mrs Beeton of cook book fame is one of the inhabitants there. Some of the other major cemeteries are Brompton and Highgate. I have been to Brompton and that has plenty of photo opportunities and plan to do Highgate at some point during the year. If you are looking to use flash at a cemetery, bear in mind that they close by dusk. West Norwood, for example, currently shuts at 6:00 pm durng the summer months and this becomes 4:00 pm in winter. They are probably not an ideal place where you would want to spend the night locked in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnificent_Seven,_London

I went for my PAD shot mainly because I feel it has a significance which I tried to reflect in the title, which has dual meanings. Perhaps it is too subtle or those seeing it need to be a bit older to appreciate what I was trying to say. I too like the other shots you mention and you are quite possibly right that given the lack of response to my chosen image, I should have opted for one of those instead. When I come to print the little girl shot, I will probably remove the dark area at top left.