Happy Halloween

A Sarcophagus at the Cementerio de Montjuïc, Barcelona, 2009

With Halloween nearly upon us and the Day of the Dead shortly thereafter, I have uploaded a gallery with photos from two of the world's most interesting cemeteries, Cementerio de Montjuïc in Barcelona and Père Lachaise in Paris. The two are completely different. Click here to view the gallery.

Montjuïc sits on a rocky hill in the far outskirts of Barcelona. I visited in 2009 with my daughter on a hot, clear and bright June day. Because of this, the photos show a brilliance to the day that makes a strong counterpoint to the subject. Built on a series of terraces cut into a hillside with staircases leading from one to the next, Montjuïc is huge. Although we spent most of the day there, I think we barely saw a quarter of the place.

My experience with Père Lachaise was exactly the opposite. First, it was cold and pouring rain most of the day, which makes for pretty gloomy photography that matches the theme. Also, although not centrally located in Paris, it is nonetheless a short walk from the metro in Paris proper. Many celebrities are also burried in Père Lachaise including Jim Morrison, Edith Piaff, and Oscar Wilde.

Wilde's grave is by far the most interesting of all. Done in an Egyptian/Art Deco style it attracts so many visitors that it is cordoned off with a wall of inch-thick plexiglass on which people have written their dedications to his memory. The dedications are both intimate and moving. It's obvious that his writings and his life have touched many people.

All the photos in the gallery are available for purchase in sizes from 8x10 to 20x30 and can even be delivered already mounted and framed in a wide selection of styles. Click here to view gallery and purchase prints.

Happy Halloween.