Would You Photograph a Funeral?



Wedding photography is obviously big business for lots of professional photographers, but over on Reddit, Shian Bang (u/shian243) talks about something a little different: his first experiences as a funeral photographer.

While it’s fairly common for press photographers to cover newsworthy funerals, I’d never heard of a photographer being hired to shoot a private event. My granny was kidnapped in the 1980s so her death two years ago was covered in the Irish national media, and we went so far as to get someone to stand guard outside the church in case a photographer showed up. The idea of actually hiring someone to capture seems totally strange to me.

Even Bang was a little taken aback, but he took the job anyway for the right reasons. Even though it wasn’t something he’d done before, Bang “felt it was important to provide for the family rather than rejecting [them] and having to put them through the trouble of looking for another photographer.”

The whole post on r/photography is worth reading. Bang talks about how he found the whole experience, what he learned, and tips for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar position.

But what about you? If you got a phone call from a potential client (or even a family member) asking you to photograph a funeral, would you take it on? Or are funeral photo shoots a big part of your business? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Image used with permission of Shian Bang.



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