When we die, we rarely leave a message to those we love. It strikes me as strange that we don’t write self-eulogies to be read out our funerals. The only formal way we have of communicating love after our death is through our will and testament but surely love can be expressed in forms other...
I have been asked to present to Funeral Celebrants Association Australia about my work so I reached out to a client whose reason for wanting a funeral book surprised me when she told me in 2015: Margaret said her father had dementia and she wanted the book to help him understand that he had lost...
I attended a funeral recently where everything went as you’d expect. The church service was good, the burial went smoothly and we went to the church hall for the wake. It was at the wake that everyone relaxed. Food was served, drinks passed round, stories were told. There was the warmth that one sees at...
Last year I was asked to photograph a birthday party. The celebration was for the 100th birthday of Miss Tuck. Miss Tuck had been a music teacher at an all girls’ school in Sydney. At the celebration the most enormous cake was served, with 100 candles on top which all fitted in with room to...
After my previous blog about consciously having an order of service portrait, I photographed Tan Ho – a 90-year-old Vietnamese woman full of energy and warmth -at the request of her son, Harry. I photographed her in Harry’s home where she was relaxed as it’s a familiar space for her. Tan Ho lives in her own...
When I design Funeral Photo Books I suggest to families that they might want to provide me with a photo of the deceased in the prime of his or her life. Too often, there aren’t any good photos. I’ve only known of one person, Dr Viv Whittaker, who consciously arranged for a photo of himself for...
When I tell people I’m a funeral photographer they can be slightly taken aback. They remove “funeral” from the occupation and replace it with “wedding”. They think, “How can you be a photographer at a funeral? How can you ask people to smile?” Well, that’s not quite the point. And here are 5 (there are...
This inspiring video was shared by Bruce Wadd I showed it to my wife who reacted as I did. She cried and said it was beautiful and dignified. Her reactions just like mine. Thank you Bruce so much for sending this. “Wow” indeed! Yes, as I sat watching this, and listening to Philip talking so intelligently...
We live in a society where it is more important to look good than to be good. Universities in Sydney are spending millions on building acquisitions yet teacher salaries and conditions are falling. Most of the news we are presented with reports on people failing to treat each other with respect. It is almost as...
