Goth Photographers in a Row over Graves

[LuvNewcastle]

http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/lifestyle/goth_photographers_in_a_row_over_graves_1_3824829

THE BANNING of taking pictures near gravestones could ruin Goth weekend according to photographers that flock to the town.

Goth weekend attracts hundreds of professional and amateur snappers all looking to get the perfect shot of the weird and wonderful outfits on display in a dramatic setting.

It has long been a tradition that Goths visit the grounds of St Mary’s Church where there are legions of photographers looking for pictures for their own portfolios or to sell on.

But since the last Goth weekend back in April, signs have appeared in the grounds of St Mary’s Church saying photography on and near gravestones is prohibited.

Chris Oakes is an amateur photographer from York and is concerned that this combined with the fall out of the Goth weekend split could spell the end of the weekend altogether.

[dipsydoodle]

1. Cemetries are often used for movie film locations

especially ones like Highgate in north London where Karl Marx is buried. I wondered at first if the Whitby Gazzette might be the Geordie equivalent of the Framley Examiner : http://www.framleyexaminer.com/pages/fron011.php

Search google images for pictures of Highgate Cemetery - Victorian spooky place.

[LuvNewcastle]

2. I love old cemeteries.

If I ever make it to England, I'll do my best to check out Highgate. It looks to be an exceptionally romantic cemetery. We have a nice old graveyard here in Biloxi with lots of live oaks and Spanish moss. They give a tour through it around Halloween every year. And of course, the old cemeteries in New Orleans are famous and I like to visit those sometimes when I'm over there. The funny thing is, I'll probably never wind up in one of those places since I've told the family that I want to be cremated and have my ashes scattered. Those old places are beautiful, though, and are definitely worth preserving.

[HereSince1628]

3. Compared to American cemetaries Highgate's

east side is an urban woodland with some parts remarkably overgrown. The Karl Marx and Herbert Spencer graves get attention to keep them visible but a stroll through much of it is similar to a walk through an ungrazed woodlot. Probably great for urban bird watching...

[LuvNewcastle]

5. Yes, I saw some video tours of it

on youtube this morning. It looked like the graves on the east side are strewn around a bit haphazardly along the trails and among the trees. Some of the vegetation seems to be growing over the tombstones. It reminds me a little of an old graveyard where some of my relatives are buried in north Mississippi, except that graveyard is completely overrun with weeds and vines. You have to take a slingblade or a machete along to get through it. It doesn't take long for the weeds to get totally out of control in some of these subtropical jungles we have down here.

[baldguy]

4. The first comment is spot on.

Cuvin
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 10:42 PM

I have ancestors family buried up there and I have sat and wondered whether I would be offended if someone took a photograph of my ancestors grave, or even laid on it ( if it were a flat headstone ), and I think the answer is NO. What I personaly find more distasteful is the selling of green fields agricultural land in the countryside on the edge of Whitby by the sisters of the Order of the Holy Paraclete at Sneaton Castle for money. Those people buried in St Marys churdyard have long departed this earth, they do not care who takes images of their memorial. The people who will mourn the loss of a farm and countryside on their doorstep are alive and here - the so called established church has many double standards.

The Church seems to be more interested in their image - what the Alice Kravitz's & other busybodies of Whitby think - and money rather than anything else.

[LuvNewcastle]

7. Very true.

In fact, I think I like the idea of people coming to lie down or have picnics on my grave, if I were going to be buried in the traditional way. I think cemeteries can be wonderful places to visit and reflect on life. People should enjoy them.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Good article here on the subject

Fang you and goodbye! Goths banned from churchyard featured in Dracula novel for 'disrespecting graves'

For the black-clad followers of the goth culture, it is their gloomy equivalent of Mecca.

They flock to St Mary’s churchyard in Whitby because it features in Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel Dracula.

Thousands of goths and punks congregate in the North Yorkshire fishing town for a weekend of performances by their favourite doom-laden bands.

And the highlight for many is being photographed among the gravestones where, in the book, the blood-sucking count takes his innocent victim Lucy Westenra.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2043708/Goths-banned-churchyard-featured-Bram-Stokers-Dracula.html#ixzz1ZWyeDG1V

[LuvNewcastle]

8. They really should let people enjoy it.

Unless people are doing damage to the graves, it seems like the situation is a win/win for everyone involved.

[d_r]

9. this page has some pictures

http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=380349&rel_no=1

[LuvNewcastle]

10. It looks cold.

It seems like those buildings are huddled together on that hillside in order to keep warm. There's a stark beauty to the place.

[MineralMan]

11. Well, it's not a law prohibiting such photos. It's a church

making a rule about a cemetery and photography on church property. I guess they can do that if they want to. I have no problems with the rule.

[LuvNewcastle]

12. I'm not questioning the church's right

to make the rule, I just think they're being overbearing. The celebrants don't seem to be hurting anything.

[MineralMan]

13. They may well be overbearing.

I can't really judge that, due to a lack of information. Nor do I have any way to determine whether the photographers, etc. are hurting anything. For me, neither is really a question. The church owns the graveyard, and may make whatever rules it wants regarding its use. :shrug:

[LuvNewcastle]

14. The point of the original article,

I think, was to report a situation that was a bit unusual for the reader who likes that sort of thing. I didn't see anything in the article that said the church didn't have a right to make the rule, it just reported some frustration over it. None of the posts in this thread suggested that the church should be forced to look the other way. Expressing disagreement with another point of view is not the same thing as forcing someone to accept yours.:shrug: