Genealogists photograph tombstones to document the birth, death and burial information of their ancestors. This post will give you some tips on how to get the best possible results when taking those important pictures.
Locating Cemeteries
Your first challenge might well be just getting to the cemetery. Hopefully you have an obituary or burial record for your ancestor that gives the name of the cemetery. Depending on how old the record is, finding the cemetery can be very easy or impossible. There are some tricks that can help you.
Start with an Internet search for the cemetery. Try searching the major mapping sites as well as regular search engines. If you don't find it by name, or if you don't know then name, try just searching for "cemeteries" …show more content…
You might find a map or burial list posted somewhere on the grounds. I have seen them on maintenance buildings , the backs of cemetery signs and even on the walls of outhouses. If any grounds keepers are working, ask them for help. No one knows the cemetery better than they do. If all else fails, you will be back to walking the rows of graves.
Once you locate the grave or graves of interest, document it so you or someone else can find it again. Make a simple diagram of the cemetery and mark the site on it. If you were able to get a map of the cemetery from the administrators, just mark the grave on that. Take a wide shot of the grave in relation to landmarks like buildings and trees. If you have a hand held GPS receiver or a smartphone with a location app, set it on top of the gravestone and record the latitude and longitude. Photographing the Stone Examine all sides of the stone carefully and copy all the inscriptions into your notebook. Describe the stone including the material and it's …show more content…
Too many tombstones have been worn or damaged by well meaning people who tried to clean off dirt, moss or lichens. It is far better to get the best picture you can with the stone as it is than to risk any damage. At the most, spray on a little water and very gently wipe the stone with your hand.
If the day is bright and nothing obscures the stone, you can probably take your photo hand held. In most cases though, you will get much better results with your camera on a tripod. Set it up, focus on the stone and carefully examine the scene in the viewfinder or on the digital cameras screen. You can also take a trial shot with your digital camera and examine it on the screen. Many cameras will let you zoom in when viewing photos.
Look for shadows from the camera , tripod and photographer. If you are using a zoom lens or can changes lenses, move the tripod back and zoom in until the shadows no longer fall on the stone. Another trick is to have a helper shade the whole stone with a jacket, your reflector or with their own
Locating Cemeteries
Your first challenge might well be just getting to the cemetery. Hopefully you have an obituary or burial record for your ancestor that gives the name of the cemetery. Depending on how old the record is, finding the cemetery can be very easy or impossible. There are some tricks that can help you.
Start with an Internet search for the cemetery. Try searching the major mapping sites as well as regular search engines. If you don't find it by name, or if you don't know then name, try just searching for "cemeteries" …show more content…
You might find a map or burial list posted somewhere on the grounds. I have seen them on maintenance buildings , the backs of cemetery signs and even on the walls of outhouses. If any grounds keepers are working, ask them for help. No one knows the cemetery better than they do. If all else fails, you will be back to walking the rows of graves.
Once you locate the grave or graves of interest, document it so you or someone else can find it again. Make a simple diagram of the cemetery and mark the site on it. If you were able to get a map of the cemetery from the administrators, just mark the grave on that. Take a wide shot of the grave in relation to landmarks like buildings and trees. If you have a hand held GPS receiver or a smartphone with a location app, set it on top of the gravestone and record the latitude and longitude. Photographing the Stone Examine all sides of the stone carefully and copy all the inscriptions into your notebook. Describe the stone including the material and it's …show more content…
Too many tombstones have been worn or damaged by well meaning people who tried to clean off dirt, moss or lichens. It is far better to get the best picture you can with the stone as it is than to risk any damage. At the most, spray on a little water and very gently wipe the stone with your hand.
If the day is bright and nothing obscures the stone, you can probably take your photo hand held. In most cases though, you will get much better results with your camera on a tripod. Set it up, focus on the stone and carefully examine the scene in the viewfinder or on the digital cameras screen. You can also take a trial shot with your digital camera and examine it on the screen. Many cameras will let you zoom in when viewing photos.
Look for shadows from the camera , tripod and photographer. If you are using a zoom lens or can changes lenses, move the tripod back and zoom in until the shadows no longer fall on the stone. Another trick is to have a helper shade the whole stone with a jacket, your reflector or with their own