The object is to produce a sharp and sparkling photograph that shows the old stone in all its glory, its decorative carving standing boldly in relief, and its inscription clear and readable. To do this may seem to the novice to be a relatively simple matter. However, a glance at most documentary photographs made by beginners proves otherwise. This paper presents techniques developed over a fifteen year period of photographing more than six thousand gravestones. The techniques are not difficult, but the work can be demanding.
Good results require attention to detail and, above all, patience.
If you have the patience and are willing to attend to the details outlined here, you will find that documenting gravestones photographically can be a fascinating, satisfying and worthwhile endeavor, The results are not only valuable records of America's early sculpture and early history, they can be handsome, often striking,'Works of art. Lighting Documentary photographs of gravestones should be made only in brilliant sunlight. Hazy or overcast conditions produce inferior results. Too sharp an angle, on the other hand, over-emphasizes the stone's rough surface, which tends to obscure and detract from more important features. Stones that face north are sunlit in the late afternoon in midsummer, and are in shade at all other times of the year.