Controversial Locations - Where do YOU draw the line?

Try as I might, I can't seem to make heads or tails of this sentence. Could you explain the apparent non sequitur?

 

If someone used my gravestone for artistic purposes it would not personally bother me. People take photographs of themselves next to Jim Morrison's grave all the time. I do not see that as offensive or disrespectful to him. People take photos in graveyards all the time. It does not matter to me.

 

; o ; The whole raveyard thing does sound awful rude... I mean, aren't graves supposed to be a place of rest? How can you rest when you have people taking pictures of it?! ; o ; Maybe if you knew the person... And it was their doll... In their honor... But, it's a fuzzy line...

Another place that would be bad, would be on someone else's property, without permission. Or shots that include visible faces, etc. of walking pedestrians... Really just common sense type-of-things. >^<

 

I actually think old graveyards are quite beautiful- I'd love to do a photo-shoot in the one on my campus! I wouldn't go to a newer, modern one though. It's just not the same. Old ones are overgrown and romantic, quiet and solemn- and they seem so peaceful and charming! I would be very respectful by doing my best to capture the quiet majesty of a place like that in my photo, and if I was buried in an old graveyard, I'd want to know that someone remembered me being there, and found the place lovely.

 

I personally don't think that there is any place that is "off limits" There are things that I wouldn't do myself, but that doesn't mean that I can judge other people for what they do. People's viewpoints are way different and it's easier to just accept the fact than try and label things with a definitive right and wrong because no matter what, people are going to do what they want. I go to an art school and my first year here I remember being astounded by all the bs that people would pass off, but then over the years I got used to it and just accepted it as a thing people do.

As for the comment about walking pedestrians, I agree with that in the sense that I don't really think you should be CREEPING on people, but if they are just in the back it is technically acceptable as long as it isn't for promotional use and as long as everyone is visibly over 18 (in the US anyway)

 

I completely agree with this. Old graveyards are asthetically beautiful, spiritual places with aged headstones, overgrown vines, and lichen. I don't think taking photos of dolls in such settings is inappropriate. I would find it odd to take photos with modern headstones, mostly because I don't find the modern headstones appealing, and would be more worried about living relatives being offended or emotionally hurt.

 

I can see why some people would consider cemeteries as a disrespectful location. If someone were to come and damage the headstone or destroy the grass for the sake of a photo, then that's just wrong. But otherwise, I don't see anything wrong with taking pictures at a cemetery. So long as you respect the person who lays there and keep the place as it was before you got there, its fine with me. Heck, I know that if I die and someone wanted to use my headstone as a monument in their photo, I'd be happy. After all, how much use am I dead? I enjoy helping people, and if my resting place can help someone get a great photo, my spirit will be more than happy to let them. Now if they destroy the ground I rest in and do not make an effort to fix it and actually fix it, well, I'll be sure to haunt them and give them the scare of their lives.

 

I don't know how I really feel about graveyards being used as a photo location, depends I guess. I mean, I don't know how I would feel about someone using my baby brothers grave because it's a 'beautiful location'. Historic graveyards, I think those may be ok, but more recent ones? Not so much. I mean, using benches, trees, shrubs, etc are ok, but the graves themselves is a no-no for me. Churches I think are completely fine, those I don't see any problem with, cathedrals included.

 

I think I have a completely different mindset about graveyards.

I come from New Orleans, and most of the graveyards here are major tourist attractions. They're mostly above-ground mauseoleums, so they are all beautiful monuments. I recently took pictures of my doll on the steps of one such grave- but as I did so a tourguide was leading a group of fanny-pack wearing, picture snapping tourists around. I don't think there was anything wrong with me using the steps- as I made sure the people's names weren't in the photo and I took them with the utmost respect.

 

I don't think you should take a picture of your doll on someone's grave, unless you have their family's permission. Yes the dead are dead, but we should have respect for their place of rest, especially if they were, or their family is religious, and believe that there is live after death. Because whether or not we believe the same thing as them, we owe that respect to them.

 

While not for a doll photoshoot, I once tagged along when my friend came to take pictures of a graveyard (cosplay ones, but she found some old fence rather than posed beside a tombstone). While I did felt uneasy about being in a place like this taking photos like that, I also found some interesting corners, crumbled walls, and mossy steps.I immediately thought: "Hey, I want a picture of that!".

That being said, I think it has something to do with how people are supposed to behave at the graveyard. That is, pay respects to the deceased, and be mournful. Taking pictures of your dollie kinda doesn't fit into the stereotype. However, it all depends on the amount of decency involved: taking a picture because you wanted to convey your sadness through a doll is okay, doing so because "tombstone is an instant cool background" isn't.

 

When I was a child I grew up across the street from an old cemetery. It was the oldest in our town and some of the graves were 200 years old. There were even older unmarked graves there as well. I used to love to go there during the day and walk around reading the stones. Many were very ornate and some were so old you could no longer read the names. However, there were some grumpy people across the street and they used to complain to my mother about me being there. My mother didn't care at all, she told me how to behave there and was fine with me going as long as I wasn't tampering with anything. I was pretty young, but I remember the neighbors trying to have a talk with me about how it was disrespectful for me to be there. I also remember how ridiculous I thought this was, considering I wasn't doing anything to disturb the graves. I was about the only person who bothered to go there. I felt no one was in any place to talk to me about disrespect when I was probably the one person in the area who could tell you the names of the people buried there.

And I still feel much the same way. As long as you're not being disrespectful, I see no problem with it. It's a public place of remembrance, anyone can go (obviously not a valid point for private cemeteries). No one would care if a lone photographer was taking artistic photos of graves. If they care that someone is doing the same but with a doll then they're simply being ignorant and bias.

If you personally happen to run into a family member of one of the deceased and they express some sort of concern, I think it's only right to cease what you're doing and apologize if you made them uncomfortable but I think a stranger has no business telling you what to do in such a situation. I would personally back down, regardless of who asked, simply because I think causing a commotion in a cemetery is one of those things that can be classified as disrespectful. However, I still think it's no ones business.

As for the deceased themselves... I think if there is an afterlife, they have better things to be doing than worrying about what a well meaning stranger is doing near their grave.

 

I think cemeteries are great places for photoshoots of any kind. They provide a dramatic and beautiful atmosphere, and it's not unusual for people to think of them when taking pictures.

I thought of it this way - if someone took a picture of their doll on my grave, would I be offended? No. Even if I was still around in some metaphysical sense, I wouldn't care. If I knew now that someone was going to in the future after I was dead, I wouldn't care. And in my opinion, I won't be around to care either way, so it doesn't matter to me or bother me at all.

But on the other hand, if someone took a picture of their doll on my grandfather's grave, I might think it was in bad taste. It's hard to draw the line between 'this person is dead so it doesn't matter to them' and 'this person was someone I cared about so it matters to me.'

I think the best thing to do would be to find a historic or very old cemetery where the graves would be so old you wouldn't be at a high risk of offending any living relatives, lol. I know that sounds terrible, but...all I can think is that the living might be irked by it or even offended, but I doubt the dead mind at all.

 

I don't think it's wrong to take pictures with gravestones or anything. Cemeteries are nice.

But as for places that would bother me... I can't really think of anything. Oh, oh, a concentration camp. No really, you can take tours there. I would hate to see someone with a BJD in a concentration camp, it would make me so mad. You need to take those sorts of things seriously. It's fine to take pictures of the things in the camp, but if you brought your doll and were posing it all over the place... now that is disrespectful. Now, this has never happened, I've never seen anyone with a BJD with pictures of say, the inside of Auschwitz or Birkenau (I can't remember, but aren't they the same place? Auschwitz-Birkenau II or something?), but if I did... I think that would just be horrible.

Just my thoughts. Nothing else bothers me. Put your dolls wherever you want, just not there.

 

I don't take my dolls out of the house much (or really at all), but you would never find them in a graveyard. I do take photographs of graveyards quite often, but not with dolls present. I am always respectful of where I step and I never touch anything. I don't believe that there are souls any longer in those bodies down below, but nevertheless for the sake of respectful attitudes and respect of those they belonged to I am careful where I tread and how I do so.

You'll find me taking photographs in historical cemeteries quite often, but I generally don't just wander into a random cemetery. Nor do I bring my dolls with me.

I will take photos of almost anything-- but if applicable, I always ask permission first.

 

I'm always taking my doll out, so the general publicness doesn't freak me out one bit.

However, sometimes I feel uncomfortable about taking pictures in a graveyard, but that usually only occurs when the graveyard is new, and modern, with families still visiting their loved ones. I prefer the really gorgeous, hundreds-of-year-old graveyards, where people would visit to sightsee versus visit loved ones.

Basically, depends on the feeling and mood of the graveyard.

As for other locations, I'm all out ready.

 

I think a graveyard is still too new until there's no chance that anybody who knew anybody buried there is still alive, which basically means no burials in the last 100 or so years. I still don't feel right shooting in any graveyard, but it doesn't bother me as much when it's that old.

 

I believe that graveyards are for the living and not the dead. After all, why would the dead have an attachment to their bodies when there are so many other objects, events, and people that they could be attached to?

Aside from that, though, I think I would probably ask permission from the people in charge of the cemetery and bring offerings. But that's out of a learned respect for the dead (as we call it) and out of respect for the living.

 

I think old graveyards aren't so bad, with the old time headstones and sculptures and whatnot. It's the newer ones, with newer graves that are probably still visited that would make me pause. I wouldn't want to upset someone by putting my doll where they aren't wanted.

To answer the question, I think a lot of places are off limits. I wouldn't bring my doll to a funeral, or church during service (other times might be ok). I definitely wouldn't bring one to a wedding, unless the bride (or groom) had hers there and expected it. I saw this photo of a guy once who was laying on the ground trying to get a pic of his doll in a wedding dress in front of the wedding procession... and it was pretty obvious that he wasn't part of it and was in the way. O.o

 

I don't really believe any place is inappropriate for photography. It's like journalism, but with a camera. I also don't feel it's wrong to photograph dolls in a graveyard. Graveyards are beautiful, peaceful places and I don't see why it'd be wrong to take advantage of it. I spend 90% of my time in them, so I wouldn't mind capturing a moment or two with my doll. As long as you're not carving up the grave or drawing on a tombstone, I don't see how snapping a 2 second shot is going to upset the balance.