Paying my respects

January 26, 2015Olivier Glod

Hello and welcome back!

I’m currently working on my leaving and returning to the Fujifilm ecosystem blog post, but this will take a bit more time (it’s going to be a BIG one…). In the meantime, I wanted to share a bit of my last weekend with you :-)

Saturday morning, 10 a.m.; the first snowflakes start to hit the ground. By noon, it was clear I wouldn’t be taking the car out for the rest of the day. Luckily I was already done with my grocery shopping, so I spent the rest of my day playing with my son inside our warm and cozy house, occasionally letting our gaze wander over the beautiful, white blanket outside.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon! It’s 2 p.m., snowfall has stopped and I’ve just been granted a bit of playtime by the wife. After a brief moment, I decide put on my Heat3 Smart Gloves (which I can wholeheartedly recommend!), grab my X-T1 and go shoot some landscapes with the XF50-140mm.

Heading down into Echternach, I pass the local graveyard and quickly pop in to pay my respects to my father-in-law. I can’t believe it’s already been more than two months since he passed away. Amazing how time flies, isn’t it?

Standing in front of his final resting place, my thoughts start to wander back and forth and I finally notice that there’s actually no more beautiful light left to capture those painterly winter landscapes I had initially planned to. Well, why not make the best of the situation and explore the graveyard further?

I have the utmost respect for these places; they are full of memories, emotions and amazing craftsmanship. Oh, the delicate details in the engravings and intricate carvings. Statues, baubles and figures, both minor and major, the plaques, flowers, lanterns and bare candles; all of these were put there to commemorate a lost loved one and every last one of them has a personal story to tell.

Stories, such as the life and death of Adalbert Boros.

Some graves have fallen prey to the nagging tooth of time, while others are in a pristine condition. Some are minimal, while others are elaborate shrines.

Documenting a graveyard can be very humbling experience as it reminds you that we all come into this crazy world with an expiry date attached to our mortal coil. Unfortunately, the sight of a photographer in such a sanctuary can be frowned upon, even though I tend to blend into the background and keep a respectful distance from any other visitors so as not to disturb them and their private moment, reminiscing on years past.

There is so much more I could write about this, but I do not want to bore you any further. I’d rather share the following with you and wish you and your loved be kept safe and sound!