here are the images that i liked the best. i wanted to keep the intence colour that i found so i changed the exposures and change the curve to really bring out the tones and colours.

dandelions were not on my mind when i first started this brief but i found them to be everywere and photographing them was really enjoyable for me and while editing them i found that i really liked how they looked and through research i found that they were actually really relevent to the subject.

with this image i was firstly trying to just photograph the bluebells that were there but when i stood back and had a look at were i was i just could'nt pass up the opertunity. in this image is the bluebells at the bottom, the grave stones behind and whalley abby is visable in the background. this is one of my favourites and i will definetly return to this spot to photograph a model some time.

in whalley grave yard was the first point of where i found ivy in abundonce. i like how the viewer can see the grand grave stones in the back ground out of fucus but still clear to the viewer of what it is.

this was the very first time that i had ever seen a bluebell of this colour. it was very difficult to shoot this as there was alot of other things to clime over. i had to stride over another grave and bend and twist my body to get into the right position. i think that the difficulty was worth it.

i found this dead ivy that was still on one of the oldest graves in the church yard. it is very different from any of the other images un this set but i found beauty in an unusual form and i believe tat this imgage fit well with the set.

here are forget me nots that i found hidden away in a quiet area, i like how i was able to capture a part of what is written in the stone allowing the viewer to have a closness with the image without it beign too intrucive. i had to crop some of this image out so what it would work better as a peice of work.

this is one of my favourite images of the set as is it probably one of the most obvious to the subject with the lage stone in view just behinf the plant. it wasnt my intention to be obvious about the subject i chose but i am glad that i have been able to add a little bit of clarity to my work and add a bit of versitility.

this is one of the less obvious images. on first look you can see a pink heather but if you look closer you can see the gravestone in the top left of the image. it is somthing that the viewer may not notice at all but that isnt really the point of these images.

with these images i wanted to give a softer and more of an artistic look. like with my other edit i like the images but there are one or two images that it just dosnt fit for. i do however prefer these images rather than others, they are more modern looking and would probably be more sucessful as a set.

i wanted to try out a few different looks with the editing before i decided how i wanted them to look. when i edit i will often make several different sets of images before i settle one that i like. i have made a few with the images that i want to submit. i have found that the different edits work differently for different images but i would still like to show my findings








here i gave the images a low contrast black and white look. i feel like the images look good like this but one or two do look a little flat and less attractive. its an alright look but i would prefer to have them looking a little more punchy.

symbolism

i wanted to find out the symbolism of the plants that i have photographed and that i am planning to submit. i wanted to have a deeper knowledge of the plants and what the sometimes meant. i thought that by doing this i can then have a better understanding of the plants and the relevance that they have with my work. i am glad that i did this research because i now have a hugely rel event connection with plants that grow in grave yards and there is now a clearer reason of why i would want to go and photograph these plants.
when i found out the symbolism that these plants have i could not believe how relevent they are. i was expecting to find symbolism that has nothing to do with my subject but i was able to connect every plant with a relevant symbol. i am now actually wondering if it is more than coincidence as to why these plants grow in such a rel event place. i can now believe even more the point that i made when i first began this brief as to the natural gifts that grow and live in graveyards, i have found an amazing connection with this.

forget-me-not

throught research into the symboligy of plants i have found that this one has very grrat significance with where i found it. forget-me-nots symbolise love and hope and most importantly rememberence. i found that the rememberence mainly stands for those who have suffered or have been lost in war. this is one of the most interesting point for me because when i was walking around grave yards (especially in whalley) i kept finding these flowers in the graves of soldiers from the second world war.

ivy

i found that ivy symbolises survival, friendship and growth but more interesting i found that it stand for life, death and rebirth, it is suppose to remind us of the heavens and how this reflects on earth. i found this to be around a lot in grave yards and especially in the very old ones that were less kept. i take the life, death and rebirth as a very strong symbolagy related to a graveyard and the growth symbol is a very positive thing to think about when finding this plant is a graveyard or church yard.

Heather

known as the "flower of passion" it symbolises passion and luck. it has many medical properties such as the toning of muscles of put into a bath, soothing rhumatic pain, atiseptic, treats nervous complaints, cardiac palpertations, migranes and mentral pains. in stories it was used to open the portals between the human world and the fairy world. suposably it was used in witch crapt to conjour the spirits of the dead wich i find quite ironic concidering i found the plant in the a church yard.

dandelions

dandelions can stand for wishes coming true with blowing the seeds away. it symbolises regeneration and fertility and abundance. the seeds journey illustrates letting go and starting something new. i found this to be very interesting with how it connects with the theme of my work. i am awear that dandelions can grow almost anywhere and in almost any terrain but i find that how it illustrated letting go and moving on to be very fitting and and appropriate to where i found them. it is almost as if they wanted to grow there for this very reason to show souls has let go and moved on to the after life.

Bluebells

bluebells are known the symbolise humility and gratitude and are assisiated with consistancy and everlasting love. i find it very interesting that these flowers would occour naturally in graveyards and even on the graves of people who have passed. i like the romance of the plant growing on the grave of a passed couple of family in which it can symbolise the everlasting love and gratutude of each other.
Bluebells are also linked to the relm of faries and have been known as fairy bells. they have also been known as harebells from the stories of wiches who would turn themselves into hares to hide amongst the plants. the plants are also known as deadmans bells as it is said that faires would cast a spell upon anyone who picked or damanged the plants.

ritual plants of muslim grave yards

throught my research i have found that the use of plants for ritual in muslim grabeyards is very important.
i found 'Plants were used to mark rites of passage both in human and in the annual cycle, as well as to decorate and to symbolize [[1]:262]. Plants, especially flowers, have been used at funerals in many cultures [[1]:66–70; [2]:165–167; [3]: 3–5]. Folkard [[4]:193] wrote, "All nations at different periods seem to have delighted to deck the graves of their departed relatives with garlands of flowers. The association of certain trees and plants with death and its glooming surrounding dates from a period remote and shadowy in its activity".'
white flowers are used as a symbol of purity and right of passege into the afterlife.

plants that are typically found in graveyards

Cypress

Cypress trees have been associated with the underworld since ancient times.
Traditionally associated with the underworld since ancient times, the Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is a favored tree for graveyard garden plantings. Chosen for its longevity, mournful coloring and stately growth habit, cypress appears in historic and modern graveyards throughout Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. Known for their erect, conical shape and dramatic whorls of evergreen foliage, cypress trees thrive in Mediterranean climates around the world, including California and southwestern Australia.




Weeping Willow

Willows have been described as "the perpetual mourner."
Few plants are more representative of graveyards than the weeping willow. Referred to as "the perpetual mourner," weeping willows earned this epithet with the mournful, trailing appearance of their branches. Native to northern China, weeping willows are a cultivar of the Babylonian willow (Salix babylonica), bred for their classic shape and narrow, silvery leaves. In addition to their aesthetic appeal, weeping willows serve a practical function when planted in graveyards, due to their ability to remove excess moisture from soil, which can cause graves and headstones to collapse.




Calla Lily

Calla lilies are often planted at the heads of graves.
White flowers hold a deep symbolic meaning of death, mourning and resurrection in many cultures around the world. In Europe and the Americas, calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) frequently grace graveyard gardens with their large, semi-tubular flowers. Native to southern Africa, calla lilies produce an abundance of evergreen foliage in areas of ample moisture and rich soil, sending up thick stalks topped by fleshy white flowers throughout the growing season. Symbolic of resurrection and eternity, calla lilies are often planted at the head and foot of graves.




Poppy

Corn poppies have traditionally been a symbol of lives lost in battle.
A potent symbol of death and immortality, corn poppies (Papaver rhoeas) have been featured in burial places since ancient times. Traditionally a symbol of lives lost in battle, corn poppies bear large, showy flowers in late spring, with a second blush in early autumn. Known for their vivid red hue, corn poppy flowers feature four large, delicate petals with black markings in the center. In cemetery settings, corn poppies are generally planted along the tops of graves where they quickly naturalize into dramatic drifts, reappearing each year.

Simon Marsden

the work of simon marsden has grown from a love of ghost stories and poems that he was interested in as a youth and from growing up in haunted houses. his favourite authors are Arthur Machen and M.R. James and his favourite poet it Edgar Allen Poe.

through his work he wishes to open people up the the idea of the paranormal and has no intention to convince people of ghosts but to inspire them to be open to the belief.

he became interested in photography the age of 21 when he received a Leica for his birthday and the first roll of film was used photographing cardboard cut outs of ghosts. he was intrigued by the magic of time and light and the enigma of 'reality' that these elements conjured up and liked the play with the unreality and the real.

his images have a really dark feel to them and have a great deal of depth to them. you can see that i great deal of thought has been put into his work in order to give the viewer a better experience and point of interest. these images have been good to view for me to see the shooting and editing style.

Amanda Norman

Amanda Norman is a photographer i have come across who is passionate about dark photography and specialises in dark portraits and graveyard photography. Her inspiration is taken from old universal films staring Borris Karloff and Lon Chaney and the old professional actor portraits that had would have a dark and creepy feel to them.
She has stated that she believe that modern technology has replaced the viewers own imagination and wishes that through her own work to create images that can capture the viewers own imagination, to be able to allow the dark atmosphere to linger.
The photographs taken in graveyards seems to really capture the architecture and design of the statues and headstones. she states that when photographing she tried to images the person who the grave belongs to and often feels peaceful when on a shoot. she wised to provoke a wide range of emotions with her images and capture them within her own work.

whalley church, attempt 2

here is my seconds attempt at whalley church. i really enjoyed photographing here as there was so much to shoot. the grave yard is beautiful and has been kept very well but has also been allowed to grow and blossom. the area was so quiet and seemed to have some wild life there. i think that this day was the best day for photographing since i managed to get a lot of images that i was happy with. i am looking forward to editing my images further.

whalley church, attempt 1

a few days ago I went to whalley church to photograph the graveyard. when i tried to take a photo i found that i had a flat battery in my camera. instead i walked around and took a few pictures on my phone to remind myself what the graveyark looks like and were i can find plants growing. from this i learn to always check if my camera is ready to use and not rely on my memory of when i last used it.

St Hubers

this was the only thing that i would interesting in this location as it is very well kept and does not have many pants other than two bushes. the bushes were in flower but i dont think that this image will be used since it dosnt really look the way i want my images to look. it was a very nice walk though.

St Bartholemues Graveyark

This grae yard was uch better kept and it was easier to photograph the plants as i did not have to worry about tripping on a sunken grave spot. it was also a lucky time to go as just as i was leaving to go home the church gardeners arrived to remove the plants i had just been photographing.