Printing/taking photos of open caskets

That's the one I'm most comfortable with, too. But it seems I'm in the minority in my shop. The general consensus is go with the most powerful image, which is the one with Henry's daughter standing by the casket with a message she wrote to her father. Yes, it's powerful. I've talked myself into and out of using it, and now I'm leaning against it. We're not in the Cincinnati or New Orleans areas, and I'm not sure it's worth the grief we'll probably get.

 

Seeing dead people creeps me out as well.

I guess it stems from having a dear friend of mine in high school die as a result of a car crash and attending my first funeral. I was 15, he was 16.

Casket stayed open the entire service, which ran about 2 1/2 hours (he was greek).

I sat as far away from it as I could, because I didn't want to see him. But after the final words were spoken at the service, the father asked everyone in attendance to file by the casket to pay their final respects.

It was unsightly for me to see him like that.

When I returned to my seat, I watched his family file by. His mom, who was moaning uncontrollably during the entire service (understandably so), started shaking him and physically lifted him halfway out of the casket screaming "Wake up, wake up"

I will never forget it.

Sorta made up my mind at that point that I want to get cremated when my time's up. I just don't want people to remember me for laying motionless inside a box.

Seeing some of the Henry photos today, the one that tore me up was the one where the little girl (I'm presuming one of his kids) takes that message tablet up to him lying there.

I thought I'd be seeing photos of some of the people that were in attendance, not actually of him.

 

Can't find it quickly online, but a Chicago Tribune photog made a classic shot of a cleaning lady looking at the open casket of Cardinal John Cody after hours the night before his funeral. Really touching. So there is a place, done correctly.

 

My feeling is that very few readers are going to feel their day is incomplete if they don't see a photo of a dead guy in a box. They aren't going to miss it if it isn't there. And they aren't going to buy the paper just because it is there.

 

This. I used the same photo. It illustrated the story well without being ghoulish. I thought long and hard about using the one of Henry's little girl, but in the end I wasn't comfortable with being able to see Henry's face in the background.

 

Did that once; will never do it again. Will never forget that feeling, either.

 

I've taken photographs of my deceased family members. It's no big deal. It is a pat of life that we all must deal with.

 

I thought about it, but I the pictures just seemed ... I don't know. It just felt wrong to me.

I remember my dad going to Derrick Thomas' public viewing at Arrowhead after he died. He said there were signs everywhere saying "No photography allowed."

 

I am against open casket photos if the death is premature and not of natural causes. I don't know how it advances the story or illustrates the event any more than showing a reaction shot of his family crying.

Let the man rest in peace.

Now, if it was a president lying in state, that's a different story.

 

I bet the fines for improper disposal of a body are cheaper than an actual burial.


I've been going to funerals with open caskets since I was a baby, so they don't bother me. I grew up in the country, where you go to the funeral of everyone you ever when to church with, as well as their close family members. I agree on not touching the hand though. Even though I'm Christian, and I believe that they've moved on and this is just their body, it still makes it hard to feel it like that.

 

the age/youth of the deceased is what often takes people aback (it does me) ... not sure of it's origin, but the phrase "the death of an old man is not a tragedy" sums it up for me ... gave the eulogies for both of my parents ... Mom was in an open casket, and I addressed my concluding words directly to her, which seemed then (as now) wholly appropos ... truth, too, is that many older folks buy our papers for one page only ...