Why are some people drawn to cemeteries? Yes, there are times when we must go, for occasions such as burials, remembering passed family and friends, or honoring our veterans with flags and flowers. However, there are times when being in (and photographing) cemeteries is almost a compulsion.
It is much easier to understand the desire to locate and photograph churches. Many are beautiful for various reasons. Attractive architecture, local history, pleasant settings, or unique features are all good reasons to visit and photograph churches. Yet, there sometimes seems to be even stronger reasons that cannot be easily explained.
Sometimes there are even occasions where the cemetery and the church are intertwined in both place and time. This becomes another good reason to stop, enjoy the moment, and photograph the occasion. And yet, is there more? Perhaps we are drawn to cemeteries and churches to ponder the impermanence of humanity in the natural world. Our subconscious may be drawing us to this location for the opportunity to reflect on our place in history, in time and space, and in the flow of the world around us. Or, it may just be to take a pretty photograph.