in thinking its odd to take photo's of a coffin

[DuffyMoon]

Just caught a bit of Robin Gibbs funeral and it struck me that when there is a celebrity funeral, everyone is there with their camera's and mobile phones, taking pictures of a coffin. What do people do with the photo's - show them to friends and families "ere I got a lovely picture of the hearse" - it all seems a bit disrespectful and not "done"...is it me?

I've got a photo of DS4's coffin, because I was worried I'd forget what it looked like/how tiny it was. I wouln't take a photo of anyone else's coffin though.

Ellie im really sorry about your son ,

I dont understand public grief at all and photo taking is macarbe (spelling) imo,

saying that my familiy have photos of funerals at my nans grave with the flowers , mY aunts and uncles only though,

so sorry ellie - as soon as I pressed send I thought I should add taking pictures of someone you dont know or dont have a connection with...

Thanks mrsjay. He was a 2nd tri miscarriage, sorry, didn't make that clear in my first post and don't want people assuming he was much older. MIL wanted a photo of all the flowers at her mum's funeral so DH took a couple which was nice I think as they were really pretty.

Although the one DH's grandad ordered with white lilys and a single red rose in the middle looked like a bakewell tart .

Photos were taken at DH's nans funeral. I thought it odd, as it's not something that usually happens in the UK.

People take photos of things they want to remember, and if you are a massive fan if Robin Gibbs.....

bakewell tart

the victorians/edwardians used to take photos of their dead in death masks

you know i didnt even know Robin gibb had died till today last i heard he had come round from his coma i was a bit shocked

I used to work with dying people, some people took photographs, if it's close family/friends then IMO do whatever you need, it's your grief, there's no right or wrong, the dying part of someones life is still time you spent with them and you have as much right to remember it as any other time

dunno why anyone would take photos of a celeb they don't know though?

I think it's odd to make a big show of having a horse drawn carriage for a funeral for anyone that's not royalty tbh, and it's inviting people to take pictures.

If the family didn't want pictures to be taken then they should have done something more discreet and less show offy.

never mind the death masks mrsjay - google image Victorian post mortem portraits , or memento mori not for the easily upset though please, it's not gory just so desperately sad and emotional

OP, I too don't understand it when it's someone you don't personally know but I would assume that they are huge fans of Robin Gibb/Bee Gees and will have been for over 20-30 years maybe, and in that case I can well appreciate why they would.

Elliejjtiny I'm so sorry about your little boy xx

I took a photo of my Mum's coffin in the hearse as it pulled up outside the house.

She so wanted to come home. That's the closest she got. It seemed momentous, when things are momentous I like to have a photo if I can, it keeps the moments that matter clear in my mind, it is scary to think about forgetting or even blurring the lines of a memory. I like to write down how I feel about important things too, and whereas the photos and diaries aren't always fun to look back on or reminisce about, it is important to me to have that record I can return to if and when I want to. And sometimes it helps to compartmentalise hard feelings and process them in a safe place.

Oh foof I don't know how i feel about those im sort of stunned at some of them I have seen pictures like that before but some of the poses made me very

At my GU's funeral, his dp's family took photos of the coffin, hearse, the empty grave, the full grave, the grave with the soil onto. I thought it not macabre, but odd.

Ellie my goodness Im sorry for your loss, I think in that situation i would probably have photographed the coffin too.

When a friend of mine died a few years ago, the family hired a photographer for the funeral - like a proper wedding photographer.

There are photos of her in her coffin, the coffin going to church, all the flower displays, mourners, graveside, coffin being lowered etc etc.

Very strange, but her mother was on so much medication to calm her down, she wanted a record of the events in case she couldn't remember it. Each to their own I suppose but it did raise a few eyebrows at the time.

My husband's uncle was from the US and most of his family could not come for his funeral, one of the other uncles took loads of photos of everything to send to them. I don't understand taking photos of celebrity funerals though, maybe people just see it as another spectacle?

My brother has a photo of a random street corner in LA. When I asked what it was he told me it was where Hugh Grant picked up Divine Brown. Proves that people want photos of the most random things.

Ellie I am so sorry, I totally understand your motivation.

Ellie I did the same, also 2nd trimester loss. X

Like Ellie and Moomin I have photos of DD2's coffin, she was stillborn at 37 weeks x

I suppose that people would take photos as it is the closest they could get to Robin. I suppose in this 'digital' age, that cameras are readly accessible, and photos are taken of all sorts of things.

Ellie and Moomin ((hugs)) Me too. Baby born at 24+2 weeks and with us for 12 days. We took so many pictures of him and the coffin, reasoning even if we never looked at them we would rather have and not want than want and not have.

Unless you have a connection to the deceased it is wierd though.

x posted with Tami ((hugs)) to you too. As always.

I took a photo of SIL's coffin to send to her sister in Canada who couldn't get to the funeral in time.

This thread is so sad :(

I agree that strangers taking photos is a little odd.

Outraged some people make requests for that sort of thing at their funerals and I think sometimes families do it anyway because they feel like they want to do something quite grand as a way of honouring the person who has died. I imagine some people find it quite therapeutic for the grieving process.

A family member videod my grandfather's funeral, I thought it was tres weird.

My son was stillborn at 39 weeks and we took loads of photos of him, his coffin and his grave. I didn't even connect the two things!