RomanceEverAfter

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Photo Study: Photography as Art and Story

Melissa Hamilton

"Stone Reveals a Story"

Within the sacred grounds of a cemetery, a thousand untold stories are silent.  Carved in granite or weather worn stone, a name is etched that once belonged to a human being that lived, loved, and died.  During his time, he knew the joys and the hardships that life brings.

I have always found cemeteries fascinating from both a human experience and as a connection to the past.  The Naperville Cemetery located on Washington Street has been the final resting place for generations of Naperville citizens.  The names of early settlers, infants, Civil War soldiers, grandmothers, and men in their prime rest beneath the trees that have watched the decades roll by.

Once the outskirts of town, the cemetery resides in the center of an ever expanding community.  Yet, when I trod softly through the grounds, the noise and scurry of the town somehow doesn't intrude.  I'm too preoccupied conjecturing of past lives, appreciating the contrast of light and shadow, and considering my own place in the world. 

If you are ever in this area, take a moment to visit the Naperville Cemetery.  It is a place of history and the human experience in microcosm.

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My visit this particular day was late in the afternoon.  As most photographers can appreciate, the shadows of morning and evening create a mood and texture that only light and shadow can impress.

 

I found this to be an interesting photograph.  The headstone is quite old, late 19th century. The information on the headstone can be difficult to decipher.  The name, however, is clear - "Charlie". 

You will notice the "Ribfest" sign located behind "Charlie's" headstone.  (Naperville holds a marvelous annual Ribfest downtown).  The Ribfest sign was located across the street.

At the time I took the photograph, I thought about the continuance of life.

    
It is amazing how nature becomes one with stones and monuments. Flowers, plants, trees, and wildlife (birds and squirrels) become an integral backdrop to the stones of remembrance. 

Once again, you can see the power that light and shadow bring to a photograph. 

Near this location are some of the Civil War period headstones.  At the time I snapped this photograph, I could imagine a fully garbed Union soldier stepping from behind the tree.  The rich blue of his uniform would contrast the vivid green of the grass and tree branches.

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