Highgate Cemetery

Gordon @ Convergent AV · 06-07-2007, 7:30 PM

You have to pay £1 to take photo's here and they mustn't be for commercial use. You can't use a tripod and you can't use flash. Also the really photogenic West Cemetery is not open to public. You can only get in on tours.

I'm going to find out if you can pay for a licence to use a tripod and flash as I think you could get some amazing images in here. I've never been in a cemetery that is so overgrown and rundown. It was amazing but sad at the same time. If you want a plot it's £10,000-£15,000 but you can get a plaque for your ashes for a few hundred....bargain!

Anyway here you go. Only a handfull

Creeping roots cover alot of sections of headstones and in those areas it's very lichenous (is that a word?)

Lots of large ornamental headstone

The place is so overgrown in areas that you don't realise there are graves under the plants but then a headstone will stick out like a beacon

Lastly I tried a couple of IR exposures by resting camera on a headstone. Got this rather ghostly capture

stevegreen · 06-07-2007, 7:34 PM

Very nice Gordon, not sure about the last one as it has a lot of grain in it, not keen on the effect. The first is my pick of the lot, really nice. The third is next favorite, really nice black and white conversion.

Nice little set

Tobers · 06-07-2007, 7:35 PM

Been roaming again Gordon?

#4 does it for me. Much more atmospheric than the others. I've sold loads of a graveyard shot on Fotolia, and if I wasn't so selfish I'd suggest you put this one up there too but it'd take sales away from mine. Hang on though - you cant use it for commercial purposes

T

Mark123 · 06-07-2007, 7:37 PM

Excellent series of shots Gordon - particularly like the 3rd one - great B&W conversion. What method did ya use for the conversion?

Gordon @ Convergent AV · 06-07-2007, 7:39 PM

I was actually there not to take photo's but to do something else. I happened to have my camera with me so thought I'd snap some off. The grain on the 4th is noise from the long exposure and the post processing. I've still not got the hang of this IR stuff. I think the key to it is to only try it in bright sunlight....,not in dark creepy tree lined avenues in graveyards......bwahhh....

Gordon

Gordon @ Convergent AV · 06-07-2007, 7:40 PM

I use a highly technical B+W conversion. I just desaturate it in my Raweditor. Nothing else.

Gordon

tontoshorse · 06-07-2007, 7:44 PM

Dr Who on number 2 anyone?

Mark123 · 06-07-2007, 7:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon @ Convergent AV

I use a highly technical B+W conversion. I just desaturate it in my Raweditor. Nothing else.

Gordon

Can't beat simplicity

stevegreen · 06-07-2007, 8:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark123

Can't beat simplicity

I should know, on both angles

macker2006 · 06-07-2007, 9:11 PM

Wow, I'd love to get in there ! No.1 is fantastic mate, and I actually like no.4, very atmospheric

**senu** · 06-07-2007, 10:12 PM

Didnt realise Highgate had a Cemetery ( despite actually seeing but not quite noticing it more than a few times) going past at least once a week as I do

Nice pictures but all those those rules and regulations Ill move on to Ally Paly and it surroundings ( Personally)
£1 isnt anything though...Why you must be in a tour rather surprises me

Liquid101 · 06-07-2007, 10:51 PM

No.3 for me. Nice conversion, strong composition.

Can't really work out whats going on in No.4 - it has no focal point and sort of looks like one of those random shots you'd to get while winding a film on.

vulkan75 · 07-07-2007, 8:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macker2006

Wow, I'd love to get in there:

All in due time my friend.... all in due time

I always look forward to your posts Gordon..theres always something interesting and this is no different.Great set of shots but #3 just stands out excellent

bodoman · 07-07-2007, 8:26 AM

Believe theres a quite a few `famous` people buried in Highgate Cemetary, one of them being Karl Marx.
Here endeth the history lesson

Gordon @ Convergent AV · 07-07-2007, 9:11 AM

Yep there are a few famous folk and some not so famous folk

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/polit...264893,00.html

I can't find anything about this chap unfortunately

and Karl Marx

The gatekeeper woman at the cemetery was a Marxist and she was having a really hard time getting to grips with having to charge £2.00 entry to some politics students who turned up wanting to just see Marx grave.

If you want to see an amazing cemetery with lots of famous folk's graves then go here.
http://northstargallery.com/pages/PereHist.htm

Gordon @ Convergent AV · 07-07-2007, 9:17 AM

Also there is some confusion about what I said earlier about tours I think.

The cemetery is in two halves, split by a road, Swail Lane. The west side is permanently closed and is "full". So it's not public access. They do tours every weekend of it where you are allowed to take a compact camera and photograph.

The East cemetery (that I was in) is open to the public and is a "working" cemetery ..ie they still bury folk there. However due to the high cost of upkeep and the diminishing income from burying folk they charge £2 to get in and a further £1 if you want to take photo's.

Hope that helps clear things up.

Thanks for looking

Gordon