How to Take Pictures of Old Tombstones

Light is one of the most important elements in getting a good photograph of an old tombstone.

Old tombstones provide valuable information about history. Genealogists often photograph tombstones as part of their research. Tombstones record the birth and death information of members of a family's past generations. Historians often photograph old tombstones for the information they hold about a town's early settlers. Finally, some people photograph old tombstones for aesthetic reasons. Unlike modern tombstones, old gravestones often contain hand-carved patterns. Angels and lambs adorn many old tombstones.

Things You'll Need

• Digital camera
• Charged battery
• Memory card
• Soft plastic or nylon brush
• Spray bottle with water
• Reflector
• Big piece of cardboard

Instructions

1. Remove any trash near the tombstone.

2. Trim grass and weeds obscuring the stone with scissors or shears. Do not use gas weed trimmers because the string can damage the stone.

3. Clean the tombstone with water and a soft plastic or nylon brush or your hand. Do not use abrasive cleaners or a wire brush because they can damage the stone.

4. Position the camera parallel to the surface of the tombstone. If the plane of the camera is not parallel to the plane of the tombstone, the shape of the tombstone will be distorted and the lettering will be difficult to read.

5. Wait for bright sunlight to hit the tombstone's face.

6. Reflect light to parts of the tombstone face that are in shadow. Hold the reflector so the sunlight hits it and bounces the light back to the stone. Move the reflector slightly until the sunlight is bounced to the correct spot.

7. Set the camera on "P," or program, mode to have the camera determine a proper exposure. If you want to control the camera's depth of field, use "A," for aperture priority mode. A small aperture allows for a larger depth of field and will ensure all of the inscriptions are readable if you're not able to put the camera on a plane that is perfectly parallel to the tombstone.

8. Take the picture.

9. Check the camera's LCD screen to make sure you are able to read the tombstone inscription. Many cameras have a feature so you can zoom in on portions of the image to make it easier to see if the inscription is in focus.

Tips & Warnings

• If the sun is behind the tombstone, the tombstone's face will be in shadow. Move in close to fill the frame with the tombstone and eliminate the sky from the image to obtain a correct exposure.

• Do not use abrasive cleaners or brushes to clean tombstones because they can damage the stone. Do not power wash the tombstone.

• Do not try to scrape off lichens.

References

• Geneology
• Stonepics
• Charles County Maryland Genealogical Society