Controversial Locations - Where do YOU draw the line?

I not sure I would not feel right without permission except for the non grave statues

 

I think that this is a matter of culture. In Japan there is a holiday in late August called Obon. During this holiday the Japanese have parties that include food, beer, and karaoke in the graveyard. There are children taking pictures with the graves. It is a very normal thing. So, I think that this is a very personal issue for some people. I wouldn't mind if someone was taking their doll's picture next to my family's grave as long as they were not disturbing it.

Here is a link to some pictures of Obon for anyone interested: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2214322&l=2e0c8&id=10007693

 

I think the heart of the matter is where do YOU draw the line. Personally, graveyards are A-OK in my book... but Ground Zero in NYC or next to the Vietnam Memorial / Holocaust memorial are not.

That's where I draw the line.

Your mileage may vary.

Mike

 

I have to agree. This is a matter of respect for the living if nothing else, whether one believes in sacred places, gods, or religion, and whatever one feels about the afterlife. The entire world is not a playground for whims or even serious artistic intent.

 

I have an enormous respect for the dead and probably more than some. I used to own a hearse, in fact. I enjoyed it because it was a beautiful classic car and I took great care of it. It was even in a movie. I never displayed it in a vulgar offensive way. I was even offered a job to drive for a company that serviced funeral homes.

The same could be said of graveyards. I enjoy them as well. They are peaceful places of beauty to reflect on life. I have eaten lunch in them (off to the side), walked in them...and yes, taken pictures in them (although, not with dolls).

If the pictures bother you, don't take them. It's going to be a controversial issue no matter who you ask.

 

I don't feel it is inappropriate to take picture in a grave yard or near grave as long as they are done with taste. Some of the graves are beautifily done and are pieces of art themselves. AS long as your not posing the doll in some type of overly rude manner and show some respect to the person who's grave you're taking pictures of, then I see no problem.

 

I personally think it's a bit of a no-no.
Someone could get very upset if they thought that their relatives grave was being used for a photoshoot so IMHO i would never do it out of respect for the living.
The 'dolly in the graveyard' has been done to death (scuse pun) anyway and i love seeing dolls photographed in contemporary day-to-day settings, sitting on the bus, shopping, restaurants etc etc.

I cannot find the post again that likened taking a pic of a doll in a graveyard setting to a war photographer taking a pic of a man about to be executed but i can't see the analogy as one is reporting on the state of war and the other is just someone with a camera snapping pics of a doll on their weekend off....not the same at all really.

 

I think it depends on cultural differences. Personally I wouldn't take pictures of my doll on a tombstone but I see no problems with taking pictures by a tombstone. Why is putting dolls "nearby"tombstones any diff from placing flowers. Also I live in a town where taking pics of graves are practically an everyday tourist thing. I'm also studying fine arts where we are taught that art has no boundaries. But to be fair to those who find this offensive it doesn't hurt to ask permission if in doubt. Also every gravesite is different. I think that if it's an old abandoned graveyard it probably wouldn't be as big a deal if it was a current graveyard where current people have and are being buried.

 

I think graveyard pictures are mostly a lame cliche, so unless I saw an amazing statue that I needed a photo of, I wouldn't use a graveyard for a photoshoot. I don't really think anywhere should be deemed "inappropriate." I mean, if you see someone's family gathered around a grave you probably shouldn't decide to use that gravestone as a prop in your photoshoot at that moment. As long as you're not vandalizing or harming anything and you leave it as it was when you came, I don't see a problem. The dead person won't take offense to it, as they are dead...

 

i like the quiet place of a graveyard...it captured the beauty of life and death...the art of being a human...the thought of being in this world.

 

I'm okay with graveyards as long as no names are shown in the photograph. I love graveyards, and it's always got the spooky feeling about it. But I'd rather take shots in an old graveyard that's no longer in use. I'd hate to see my grandparents gravestone in a photograph.
I don't think I like the idea of dollieshots inside a church either. Maybe because I've never been to a wedding, only funerals.
Personally, I'm not religious, but I respect those who are.

But I would never take photos where people visibly feel uncomfortable with me and my dolls being there. Wouldn't pop my dollies up from the bag if I'm in a nice restaurant (or even take pictures ^^; ).

 

This seems like such a tricky subject, I guess because graveyards mean such different things to different people. I personally have no problem with it and am all for supporting the art form as long as the photographer's intentions are pure and they're respectful of the property they're on - but at the same time, I can totally see how a living person (be it relative, guard or visitor) could find someone taking photos in a cemetary offensive, esp. if they have something unusual as their subject matter (dolls that are very unsettling to a good deal of people who haven't seen them before?). I know I wouldn't be able to do it regardless because I get so spooked about ghosts/graveyards -.-

 

Beautifully written, umarine. I agree with every single word. It's all just part of being human, so I have no problem with a peaceful graveyard background or a lovely cathedral interior. As long as the photographer is respectful of where they are, I have no problem with dolls (as artistic representatives of the human condition) being photographed in these areas. Most of the photoshoots I've seen like this have been respectful, artistic, poetic...and poignant. They have spoken silently about what it is to be human and I very much enjoy that.

 

Yeah, I think this is very personal - if you do take pictures in a graveyard, you have to be aware you'll likely offend someone.

I personally have great respect for graveyards, and take care where I walk when I'm in them, and how I act in them, but I don't see anything wrong with taking photos. And I wouldn't mind if someone were photographing around the graves of my loved ones as long as they were respectful. In a way, a weird way admittedly, its a little like they're paying their respect to the person. After all, most graveyard photography is all about the juxtoposition of life and death, and when someone photographs the symbol that my loved family member has died, they're also acknowledging their life.

but again... yah, some have different boundaries

 

Aren't all of these places(i.e graveyards,churches,etc...) meant to be aesthetically pleasing.pictures are a way to appreciate that beauty.In another era it was painted and in this era it's photographed.It's all a way to share & remember and love & live.. and isn't that what life comes down to anyway.

 

Consider me a bit morbid, or inconsiderate or whatever but honestly I don't see anything wrong with taking picture in a graveyard, church, memorial and such. I personally have never taken my dolls to any of these but doesn't mean I won't. My BF father works in St. Augustine here in Florida and actually work with the ghost and graveyard tours they do. There are some really gorgeous graveyards out there and even some of the monumental buildings seem a good spot for photo shoots. Heck my one doll is currently sitting right next to a model replica of a '59 Cadillac Hearse.

 

I grew up in a Christian household and going to an Episcopal church (though I'm not a Christian anymore). As I ended up having to spend a lot of time at this church I became extremely familiar with it's Memorial Garden and ended up playing there a lot.

Nowadays I tend to like exploring old graveyards. I like to do grave rubbings and photography, especially in graveyards that are more than 50 years old (modern graveyards are too sterile for my taste). I actually tend to think of it as my own way or remembering the people there, though I never knew them. Posing my dolls on graves/headstones/statuary do not bother me in the slightest.

Art is art. As long as you aren't damaging anything and do your best to remember the people whose headstone you're using, I believe it is perfectly acceptable.

 

for me,I'll never take photo in the places which should be respected like tempers
It's rude and I'm afraid that something shouldn't be there will appear in the photos-'-

 

hmmm... i guess it wouldn't matter if the pictures were at your own grave site. Time to reserve a spot. TT_TT

 

for me,graveyard...places of worship...historical sites...old buildings and nature are the best places that i like to do photography for my dolls.

somehow,my dolls being an inanimate object deplicting the beauty of humans,forever captured in that moment,frozen in that expression....together with a background displaying of history,nature and art showing the past flow of time,life and death,believes and hope...happyness and sadness... its all an art...the art of being a human being appreciating the flow of time...tasting every moment...and the feeling of being alive and conciousness....how many people who have lost themself in the modernity,hectic lifestyle in chasing wealth...forgeting that every moment,time is passing....time lost that never to be regain....and thats the essential i want to capture in my photography art for my dolls.