Being Prepared

I've been shooting pictures of entire cemeteries in the Barre, MA area this past year to upload to findagrave.com.  Most recently I found Riverside Cemetery, which is definitely what I would describe as off the beaten trail.  More accurately it is off the paved trail.  It is located in a wooded recreational area about a mile and a half from Route 62 in Barre (for those not from New England, you pronounce that 'bear - eeee').  Generally I would not have driven off down a dirt road - walked yes, but driven in a vehicle not meant for off - roading - no.  I'd already shot two cemeteries that morning and didn't want to wander aimlessly in the woods when I wasn't even certain this was the correct road.  I've been warned by enough friends that I need to not wander around in the woods alone.  Wolves, you know.

The narrow one lane road wound through the trees, up, down and around.  To my surprise there were a few homes tucked into clearings - that's privacy!  One was appropriately a log cabin.  Recent rains were evident in the erosion and I wondered how far I could or should continue.  Just when I had decided that I was going to turn around in the next possible spot and go back to research the location better, my "cemetery sense" tingled.  Off to my right, down a rutted path and through the sun tickled woods, I could make out a clearing that I felt could be it.  I couldn't see a gate or the headstones, just the hint of a clearing on a rise of land.  That usually means "Cemetery" and usually gives me a burst of energy. 

There it was.  Riverside Cemetery.  It was much larger than I had anticipated with a large white arch at the entrance. I had not planned to stop, but considering it was so far in the woods and I didn't know when I would be back that way, I thought I should start shooting the images of it as well.

Having already shot two cemeteries that leads me to the title - "Being Prepared".  I am generally, in spite of the fact that I was never a girl scout, very prepared.  I get that from my mother.  At her funeral it was said that she was a woman who would produce the makings of a picnic, including a cake from her purse.  It's a bit of an exaggeration, but there was always a spare iced cake in the freezer in case of company.

In general being prepared for shooting the cemetery means to me having at least the following tools in addition to the camera:

• Extra charged batteries (one or two) How many you need depends on the battery life.  Batteries for newer cameras seem to me to last longer - I get four hours each out of the Sony Lithium battery pack for my CyberShot if I am shooting stills (far less if shooting video).  I'd been out shooting already four hours, so these were very useful.
• Extra memory card(s).  When I first started I was using a 1 GB card.  Now I am using 8 and 16 GB cards and have never filled a card of that size in one trip.  For whatever reason, that morning I put an extra in my pocket.  And as luck would have it, halfway through the cemetery, the card in the camera was reportedly full, so I did need it. 
• Soft brushes - to brush off dirt or dust from the face of stones, especially those that are flush to the ground surface.  I am no stranger to grave dirt under the nails though.  I use soft make-up brushes for cleaning up things like mushrooms but for headstones a larger soft brush that will not do any damage to the surface of the stone is useful.
• Food - munchies and water primarily.  I lose track of time and cemeteries do not have concessions.

Those are my basics, but there are more items I have learned are very useful:

•  Mirror or reflective sun shield - With my graceful nature, it is best I do not carry a large mirror in the car, but using a mirror or reflective shield (the foldable sun shield in the car works) you can reflect light against the surface of a stone and hopefully make the lettering on a weathered stone appear with more definition in a photo.

• Spritzer - bottle of water to spritz the stone.  This can help to clean off dirt or tell-tale signs of visiting birds or, in some instances, the water on the stone surface sometimes brings out the stone color in the photo or brightens it.

I don't do restorations or repairs on stones.  My "job" is strictly to digitally record their images and carvings. Restorers have many other tools and skills in their kit.

The one thing I hadn't thought of needing, I did not even own that day.  I do now.  Unbeknownst to me, hunting season opened that day.  Not being a hunter of animals, I hadn't really been paying attention.   I should have been and it is important to pay attention when in "lost" cemeteries, tucked into places such as this one, where hunters are enjoying their time out as well.  I now own a lovely and extremely stylish BRIGHT ORANGE DON'T SHOOT ME I AM NOT A DEER vest to wear over my tan jacket.  

I am thankful that the hunters out that day were more aware than I was.