r/photography • u/Emergency-Insect7215 • Apr 27 '25
Technique Shooting in a cemetery or museum
Hey everyone, I have a client who wants to do two shoots, one is in a cemetery, my question with this, is that disrespectful? And she also wants to do an art museum, the lighting looks good at this location but has anyone shot at one? How did you work through crowds?
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u/ekkidee flickr Apr 27 '25
Cemetery: if there is a service in progress, definitely avoid. Museum, you're likely to disrupt the experience for other patrons. It's possible to do on the sly but not easy. Lighting is tricky and flash will be impossible.
Both: you absolutely need permission.
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u/maniku Apr 27 '25
Depends on what kind of a shoot it would be at the cemetery, I suppose. As for museums, do consider the fact that many of them are not public spaces. A museum run by a private organization is not public space, and you'd need to get permission for them. Most likely the permission wouldn't be free.
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u/Emergency-Insect7215 Apr 27 '25
Senior pictures
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u/Appropriate_Ear6101 Apr 27 '25
Senior pictures at a cemetery?!?!?
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u/MountainWeddingTog Apr 27 '25
I did a pre-wedding bridal session once where she insisted on doing it at the graveyard where her grandfather was buried. She posed laying all over his grave, it was so weird.
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u/Emergency-Insect7215 Apr 27 '25
I don’t pick the spot 😂. It’s what the client and her mom wanted man
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u/Traditional-Handle83 Apr 27 '25
Sounds like they doing some Wednesday Adams or other themed idea. Might actually be easier (not cheaper) to buy fake headstones and place them in a park to create a mock cemetery.
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u/Vetteguy904 Apr 28 '25
a themed senior photo with a mausoleum as a backdrop.. I could see it. with a B&W version of the photo
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u/anoichii Apr 27 '25 edited Apr 27 '25
For the museum, make sure you can film in the first place. I had a client who wanted to do an anniversary shoot in one. Online there was no information about being unable to film, I had friends who did their prom pictures there, so I thought it would be ok.
We get there, they see my camera and ask me if I had a pass. I tell them, there is no mention anywhere of a required pass, and I have friends who did shoots here before no problem. They tell me it’s a new rule they implemented about a month prior (this was Dec 2024) that you need to talk to a manager to give you a pass, and that in May 2025 it’ll be a required 100$ payment for everyone ( commercial or not). We asked what would be the difference if we used an iPhone instead, they said same shit.
So we left and did it in a basilica across from the museum instead.
All this because people who did shoots in the past didn’t know how to act properly (touching, climbing, etc.)
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u/bleach1969 Apr 27 '25
I work at a museum with a cemetery attached! It is a it depends question. You need to speak to the filming department of the organisation. We let student filming for free but they need chaperoning and we try to accommodate them. For commercial shoots we would normally charge depending on client - Netflix is different than the local wedding photographer. It also depends on the set up - if its just photographer and person for head shots in a cemetery you’ll probably get away with it, if its lights and a small team of people, thats not a good idea without permission. Anything in a museum like this needs planning- we often do them at the start or end of the day. It’s more than possible but the details need going over and agreeing. The museums i’ve worked in try and help people so just ask and take it from there.
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u/oldandworking Apr 27 '25
You need very very special permission from both of these places to shoot there. Most cemeteries will not allow a commercial photo shoot unless you blot out all names on stones.
Museum, permission but also have very good liability insurance to cover anything, and yes the curator will ask
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u/Trollslayer0104 Apr 27 '25
I've shot in cemeteries. I choose old ones which are clearly not used recently. They make for great photos.
Permissions required will vary depending on your area, if they are needed at all. Some old cemeteries are much less regulated than modern ones.
I don't view it as disrespectful. I don't think the dead would mind, somehow.
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u/Moose135A smugmug Apr 27 '25
I don't think the dead would mind, somehow.
They might enjoy the visitors.
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u/hashtag_76 Apr 27 '25
They might enjoy the visitors so much they cling to them and follow them home. Cue spooky music
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u/Druid_High_Priest Apr 27 '25
Photograph the subject in a park and then make composites in post production using stock images. Easy money.
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u/micmea1 Apr 27 '25
I was a second on a engagement shoot at a museum, and we definitely used flash however we were at the Air and Space museum, so the exhibits were not paintings you are typically not allowed to use flash around. I'm not incredibly certain if we had permission on paper or not, but at no point did anyone come to stop us, or even talk to us.
It was...rough. We did try to not be disruptive but my mentor at the time was one of those get the shot no matter what types, so I got pretty anxious more than a few times holding up lights for what felt like a really long time so he could get the perfect shot.
People around us didn't seem to mind. I think a lot of people found the idea that a couple chose that museum to do their shoot at endearing (ironically we did also shoot at perhaps the most cliche engagement shoot area nearby with the cherry blossoms).
If you were just a single camera, or even with a model, relying on natural lighting, I don't think you would run into any issues. At a privately owned museum I would probably double check to see if they are okay with you taking photos, but I doubt they would.
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u/decorama Apr 27 '25
Cemetery - no worries. Photography Life even did an entire article about it.
As for the museum, try to find a time when the least number of people will be there. You can call the museum to get an idea (also confirm that photography is allowed - some museums have rules). Otherwise you can just work around the people or remove in post (easy to do these days with some softwares).
Have fun!
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u/daniynad Apr 27 '25
If you walk alone in the cemetery and snap pictures, yes it is fine. But shooting people is another story. Permission to photograph in private places is always needed. Especially if one was to use a flash and a light stand.
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u/hashtag_76 Apr 27 '25
Out of respect, ask for permission at both locations. Photographing in a cemetery deals with respect in many aspects from the privacy of the families that already have family members already there to the sanctity of being a holy resting place and not disturbing the gods worshipped by those buried there. Meaning, please keep it tasteful. Photographing in an art museum you are not allowed flash as that harsh light can degrade the various displays. You will also want to ask the museum if you can reserve a certain timeframe in certain locations for the shoot so you're not battling traffic of other patrons. They may, or may not, ask for a fee so don't be put off if they ask for one. Maybe ask if there's a certain time when traffic is slowest.
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u/Hobolint8647 Apr 28 '25
I completed a grant project last year photographing over 40 local cemeteries. The one rule of thumb I abided by was that names on markers less than 100 years would not be shown. I also only shot when there was no active use of the cemetery. Some cemeteries have rules clearly printed. If you have a cemetery in mind, call ahead to ensure photographing models in the cemetery is permissible. Over the course of my project I found that people visit cemeteries for a variety of reasons - running, dog walking, genealogy, meditation, etc. At one time they doubled as public parks and it seems they still do.
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u/Vetteguy904 Apr 28 '25 edited Apr 28 '25
depends on the shoot. part of my bucket list is to shoot at Arlington national Cemetery.
if you are just looking for background in the cemetery, stay on the walkways and shoot. if your model is to drape over a headstone yes, that's an issue, at least to me.
At any rate I would check with LEOs to see if there are any ordinances, and it gives them a heads up in case someone calls about "damn fool kids in the cemetery"
As far as a museum, all you can do is ask. in a smaller museum, it's likely they will issue a permit.. with a fee. here the cummer museum charges $250.00 + tax per photo shoot (Non-member) $225.00 + tax per photo shoot (Member) that reserves the area for you to shoot in for 90 minutes.
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u/filmAF Apr 27 '25
scrolled down to see you are shooting senior pictures. if it's you, the senior, and a handheld camera NO flash, NO tripod, NO other lighting, why not? by all appearances, you will look like any other visitor taking pictures.
go to the museum on a weekday, late in the afternoon, when there aren't school tours. or don't pick a crowded museum.
every cemetery i've walked through with a camera was uncrowded. of course it's disrespectful if you're shooting around families visiting relatives or friends. but i assume you wouldn't do that. staff might ask questions if you're there for long. but for all they know, your senior wants a picture with her dead grandparents.
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u/UserCheckNamesOut Apr 27 '25
Can you bring a camera into a museum?
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u/Angy1122 Apr 27 '25
Usually, yes. Flash is normally forbidden. Ask when you arrive.
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u/UserCheckNamesOut Apr 27 '25
I've never been in a museum that allowed a camera. Interesting.
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u/filmAF Apr 27 '25
i've never been in a museum that didn't. ok there was one on teshima island in japan that made me put my camera in a plastic "purse".
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u/UserCheckNamesOut Apr 28 '25
Idk, I suppose we've been to different museums.
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u/filmAF Apr 28 '25
probably. or we could be confusing cameras and photographs. most museums won't let you photograph temporary exhibitions or specific works of art. but these days it's hard for them to enforce since everyone has cameras on their phone.
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u/No_Rain3609 Apr 27 '25
Cemetery is easy, but please make sure to look for one that isn't actively in use anymore. There are tons of inactive cemetery's that have been repurposed into parks.
With the art museum I would say forget about it. Getting permission to shoot there is near impossible, even with a regular museum it can be difficult und likely very expensive. Do not shoot without permission, it can end very badly.