Controversial Locations - Where do YOU draw the line?

Sooooo, everyone's cool with someone taking pix of their doll in Notre Dame or The Louvre?

What about at work? Would that be a bad place?

 

At work... well, as long as you don't get caught and you aren't invading someone else's privacy/spilling national secrets, I'm cool with that. Your coworkers might mind, but as long as your boss gives you the OK (and it's not deemed too distracting, like I'm sure I'd be told if I brought my doll to school with me) it's inoffensive enough.

 

I see no harm in taking pictures in graveyards at all. And I don't think that taking some pictures of your doll with a beautiful gravestone is disrespectful unless your boys are acting out some hot yaoi scene ontop of a strangers grave.

Though I guess I am a pretty easy person when it comes to controversy when it comes to art. Art is art after all, and some of it exists to shock us. I doubt a lot of BJD photographers try to achieve that though.

 

hm, let's see... Churches... Graveyards... Hospitals... Places where someone died... Museums... Places frequented by poor people... ok, i can't think of others for now.

 

I used to see some beautiful doll pictures taken in graveyards. Now you guys make me think this serious thing. Yes, I agree, it is inappropriate to take pictures of dolls there, as we need to respect the people died and their families. Church is not appropriate as well. I do not have any religious beliefs, but for people who strongly believe in that, they will feel bad and think we are look down up them, as they probably think dolls are just "toys". Well, why hurt other people? As for the art museum, if the museum people think it is okay to take photographes in there, then I think there won't be any problem, 'cause I know usually we are not allowed to take pix in the museum.

Above all, I think if the people at that place or in charge of that place think it is okay for us to take pictures, then there's not problem.

 

I don't think taking a picture of a doll at a cemetary is such a bad thing. I took these two pics of Reiko at my aunt Sherrys' (ziggy) grave. The pics are of the back of the head stone. Ziggy always loved Reiko.

 

Yeah, but that's a family member that might not have minded. It's a bit different than some complete stranger with a family that could mind very much!

 

Is it different? The vast majority of graves will end up forgotten about when each successive generation dies. A lot of the graves I see, the family are either dead themselves or don't care much anyway...but that's only to be expected when the graves I photograph are often 200+ years old!

With cemeteries it really depends on a lot of factors. I wouldn't take photographs in a modern cemetery because I find them artistically uninspiring and I would hate to get in the way of a funeral rite going on there. I prefer less active, older cemeteries because the masonry is gorgeous and few people go there.

Danny35 - Your Aunt Sherry sounds like she was an awesome person

 

I dont think that and graveyard is a bad place but maybe, just to be safe, try and do it on a family members grave or something. To capture more emotion for you and that way the strangers family wont be made if you use theirs. I think maybe it is a bit disrespectful because like we have our pov, maybe that person, when alive, didnt like dolls or didnt want their stuff to be touched so afterlife wouldn't be much different XD

I wouldn't mind if someone did to me, as long as they were nice to my space and gravestone and didnt hurt it. I'm not religious but I still think its a special place to a lot of people so it should be respected in that sense.

 

I don't think anyone could object to someone visiting the grave of a relative and stopping for photos, and most people would probably not object to very old graves. The question really seems to be about graveyards which are still visited.

 

Yeah, well you could also ask friends and thier family about they loved ones grave, it all depends on the people. There is this one grave yeard by my mothers work that is by a huge highway but its hidden and beautiful and I would like to take pictures there. I would edited out the gaves names and stuff but I just wouldnt feel right since its people I dont know @_@

 

Here in Houston, we have a local cemetery called Glenwood Cemetery. It has several sections and it's laid out like a labyrinth, with very old graves and new graves. For us here in town, it's both a place to take pictures, contemplate quietly, and visit deceased relatives. In short, it's more like a park than an off-limits cemetery. A large number of the graves have artistic significance--Howard Hughes has a huge Art Deco style grave there (Wikipedia has a nice photo of Hughes' grave).

For me, taking photographs of my doll there, or even photos of my friends, isn't wrong. But if I were to just randomly go into a cemetery and start taking photos then I might feel it's wrong. It's very dependent on the type of place you're going. There are old cemeteries in Galveston and New Orleans that I've been to for the purpose of taking photos (with and without my doll). It wasn't just a matter of, "Oooh, that's pretty!" or "Graveyard shots are totally cool!" Rather, it was a matter of visiting a place that I felt was significant and to which I wanted to draw attention through my photographs.

For a place like Glenwood, even though it's currently used for burials it's still recognized as a tourist site. But, it has rules for visitors. In this case, I think that's OK. But I don't think it's fine to just waltz into any cemetery and start snapping photographs. I feel the same way about hospitals, offices and other workplaces, and any public or private place. If you're getting in the way, you should probably not take your doll there for photos.

I can respect the fact that people might not feel that it's appropriate to take your doll into any cemetery, but I think there are certain places and situations (such as historical sites) where it can be appropriate.

 

Personally, I think I would be okay with someone taking pictures of a doll on my grave, as a bunch of people have said. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not using the stone. I'm not even REALLY using the coffin, 'cause I'm dead. The place where I want to be buried is all beautifully landscaped rolling hills, more of a garden of rest than a graveyard... Still, I guess I would respect others' wishes as well. I want my grave to be someplace that people feel at ease and comfortable... so that's my reasoning.

 

When we talk about graveyards, I think it's okay to take pictures in graveyards as long as names and alike on the stones aren't displayed or readable in the picture. So that people viewing the pictures can't tell who is buried in that particular grave. I think you should be careful also not to include visitors in your pictures, at least not so that they can be identified.

 

I disagree... in the older graveyards, where gravestones are falling over and there's obviously no one looking after it anymore (and by this, I mean the whole graveyard, not just one particular grave... the area I live in has many small, forgotten grave sites), the most interesting parts are the names and dates... when people take photographs of graves like those, I see it as remembering those people (whether the photographer means to or not)... which is something that obviously hasn't been done in a long time.

I do agree that taking pictures of people mourning is a very, very, very bad idea.

 

I agree. Graveyards are set up for the living to remember the dead. The whole point is to look at the stones and see/remember who was buried there.

 

Of course, when it comes to old and forgotten graveyards, i don't think that displaying names is such a bad thing. Old gravestones with the names and way-back dates of the persons passing can be really beautiful. I was more referring to new graves like the ones you find on the new modern graveyards where it might have been only 0-2 years since the person passed away.

 

I can definitely understand that sentiment. It is rather weird to say, "Oh hey, let me pick a random grave and photograph my doll next to it!" But if you've got a massive grave monument (winged angels, and the like), you're pretty much telling the world that you want people to come look at your grave site. I've seen plenty of newer graves that are very elaborate and obviously constructed because the family wanted people to admire the grave (or maybe they wanted to say, "LOOK HOW MUCH MONEY I'VE GOT!" I don't know...).

 

Actually I agree. If they are older and falling apart, who knows how long they will be there and even more is if they are forgotten. Taking a picture is kinda like making a lasting memory! It seems sweet. But newer ones are better left untouched unless you take off the name or something.

Other public places though , like parks are fine but I think inside buildings you may need to ask someone there XD

I would actually like to take some pictures at a graveyard but may never get the chance since I cant drive to one.

Since grave yard has been talked about what about other places, can you think of any? School might be out unless you cant see everyone, and if people want to be in it that's fine. (just dont get caught by a teacher!)

Ive seen some at books stores and libaries, what do you think of those places?

 

If you're in a public place like a book store or a library, it's usually fine to take photographs. But I'd still ask for permission first.