Taking pictures at funerals

Is it proper to take pictures at funerals?

  • Yes, it's fine

    Votes: 6 16.7%

  • No, not appropriate

    Votes: 30 83.3%
  • Total voters
    36
  • Poll closed .
Levonian said:
Believe me--I really wouldn't put it past Mayflower to do something like that. :|
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You're joking...or she's mad at you about something? It's hard to know if you're serious or joking...you're a monkey after all...hugs!!!
 
Mayflower is a redhead—she’s always mad about something. If she doesn’t have anything to be mad about, she’ll create one. :roll: But no, she’s not going to stick flowers up my dead butt and post the pics on the Internet. For some strange reason, she still loves and adores me.
 
Tamara said:
My sister in law took some photos of her 6 weeks old dead baby daughter to remember, which I think it is good idea. Nurses cut her baby's hair, and paint her feet and hand on print and gave it to her as keepsake.

Really its depend on each individuals and the deceased's age and so forth.
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My cousin Samantha delivered a stillborn son Dylan last May due to umbilical cord accident, and she took some pictures of the baby, he was GORGEOUS when he was born, but look so sleeping and fragile, but not alive. She had the pciture of Dylan, and blow up in 8 X 10 with his name, birth weight, date, time, etc.. It's grief for her, but she likes to look at him and remind her that she has a son born sleeping.

And I was at my Grandma's hosue, looking thru 6 big boxes of pictures with all of my sisters, brother, cousins around, and we looked thru and found couple of pictures of the dead babies which happen to be my aunt and uncle when they were babies, and passed away with a hole in their heart. My grandma pulled them out and put in the frame to remember... I think it was beautiful.

I guess taking pictures of dead person is okay to me, but ALWAYS ask the immediately family first if it's okay with him/her/them and then take couple pictures and STOP during the services, etc..

My grandma passed away couple years ago (not long ago) and my aunt took couple of pictures of Grandma and the flowers and the pillows and flowers on the coffins to show my uncles and aunt who didn't make to come to the the funerals, she showed them and it was very touching pictures..
 
Last night in bed I was telling Mayflower about this thread. She told me that when her uncle died a couple of years ago, her cousin was practically the funeral paparazzi. She was snapping pics of the deceased from the moment she got there to when the first shovel of dirt hit the lid. So I guess some people feel a real need for this. :dunno:

In the movie The Others, it’s mentioned that post-mortem photography was a common practice during the Victorian Era. I Googled up some references:

http://www.sleepingbeauty2.com/index.html

http://www.anamorfose.be/postmortem.htm

http://www.boatswain.nl/pm01/pmtexteng.html

http://users.telenet.be/thomasweynants/post-mortem.html

The third link is particularly good.
 
Bizarre...I think it's inappropriate to take pictures at a funeral, or to have a open casket. It dishonors the dead. I know people grieve in different ways, but I think the body needs to be covered and there should be little distractions as possible at the service. If you want to see dead people become a mortician. I believe in honoring the spirit and soul of the person/animal.
 
I don't support the idea of having my pictures taken after I die. I prefer that they remember me in life not death.
 
The custom here is to have "viewing" and "visiting" hours the night before the actual funeral. Friends and family visit with each other at the funeral home, sign the condolence book, and if it is open casket, they can view the body. The next day, at the memorial service, the casket is sometimes open until the immediate family arrives; sometimes it is closed. After the family is seated, the casket is closed, and stays closed. After the memorial service, then the casket is taken to the cemetery for burial. We usually have a brief service at the grave site. Then the family and close friends go to someone's house for fellowship and a light meal.

I don't like viewing the bodies but if it comforts the family, I do it. I feel that the deceased isn't there and doesn't care, and my discomfort is not important. Just my opinion.
 
It is so important to share my experience with other families suffering the same heartache. This is the only time to validate the importance of the babies in these families lifes. Some parents don't have months, weeks or days to create lasting memories of their child. Most have only the moment.

Parents and photographers knew of the importance of these images long ago. Why is death such a taboo subject in our society? Memories fade, but a photograph (especially in this day and age) will last many generation to come.
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Good comments!!

http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/

It is interesting to see modern deceased baby photos as I believe its help the beaverment parents to remember their baby for a very short time.

Of course, I wish it never happen to these poor victims or anyone to go through this, knowing these Mothers carrying their baby for nine months!!

The two photos in the link, I believe is about 20 weeks gest as it is not fully development full time, as I think it helps their parents that this unborn baby do exist, as sometimes the Government won't give their unborn baby's Birth Certificate as they finds it hard to accept, as I often read it in women's magazines.
 
I voted no.. I don't normally take pictures at a funeral. I guess its just a tradition for me and my family not to take pictures of a dead body. I'm not totally against it either. Some people just like to take pictures and keep it as a memory.
 
I've taken pictures at visitations for the deceased and would do so again in the future. The thought of it being "creepy" or "scary" is nonsense, :roll: as the person is dead and cannot hear or see the person looking at them. However, a part of it that is ghastly is the way some peoples' mouths are pulled to a straight line. That is gross, especially on people who have small mouths (like me, you'd never know it, though).

I've heard of parents taking their child out of the casket and carry them around, which the funeral director would be inclined to return the body, but, sometimes, families need that kind of closure.
 
What!? Carrying around a cadaver that is filled with formaldehyde? Oh, boy!
 
I myself would not want my friends or family to remember me in such a way,
I would prefer them to keep pictures of me when I was alive and happy, In
what I'm about to say though I cannot speak for everyone but my Uncle
hated his father so much that he took pictures of him dead for the gratification of being able to say," Look at him now."
 
Hell no! I would never take a pic of any dead person! thats too morbid and too
personal in my opinion! alot of my relatives were cremated as i can see why, they dont wanna be gawked at! sheesh, i wouldnt either! only my father and his mother was not cremated, just mostly on my mother's side of family..my husband and i have decided that we wanted to be cremated too!
Who wants to look at the weird made up dead people anyways..they never looked normal, anyways..eeww! even my father looked weird..but that was his wish, to be buried next to his parents...oh well, to each his own...to be
stuffed with crap or be cremated..lol!

I was laughin at Levon at his remarks...you are so funny!
 
My family owns 4 funeral homes in Ohio and it seems that out my whole family
clan there are about 8 Morticians and 6 Medical Examers and 4 who just Funeral Directors 4 Mortuary Techincians but we have always left it up to the family if they choose to allow any pictures to be taken of deceasedent at the funeral and Calling hours.
And another thing we look at is if the deceasedent's remains are in good condition or if they are in a closed casket or not.
If the deceasedent is in a closed casket and their remains are not in good condtion or non showable their casket remains closed.
And if the family request some pictures be taken we take them at their request.
" Mollie "
 
Dear, pek1
My family and I work with deceased every day and your post was nicely put into words.
If I did'nt know better I would of thought that you were a mortician too...
And again your words were nicely done.
Take Care: " Mollie "
 
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