Charleston: Magnolia Cemetery

[Mike Buckley]

Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery was opened in 1850 and is still selling funeral services and space for burials. It is a large, gorgeous area of land, formerly a rice plantation, designed in the Victorian style, filled with live oaks draped in Spanish moss and featuring a lagoon with egrets and alligators. Wrought iron fences decorate many family burial areas. It is the only cemetery in Charleston with a chapel mausoleum. The canopy of live oaks is so dense in areas that we enjoyed a picnic lunch sitting under the trees during a light rain and never felt a drop.

My wife and I spent an afternoon and morning photographing the cemetery and probably didn't get to more than 10% of it. The light was too diffuse but I would rather have that than harsh light with extreme contrast. I'll never return to Charleston without visiting this extraordinarily beautiful cemetery.

During the two days that Charleston was completely shut down due to flooding, the lagoon in the cemetery also overflowed. Fortunately, we left the area the previous day.



Photo 1 (The only tomb I have ever seen with a turf roof)



Photo 2



Photo 3



Photo 4

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Tony M]

Looks like an interesting cemetery Mike. I also enjoy wandering around old cemeteries, as it reminds me of the past and of people who occupied our world before us.

Cemeteries in Spain are quite different to what we're used to in the USA, or New Zealand in my case. Below is the one where my father-in-law lies. I took the photo when we visited it last year.



Tony

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to John and Tony!

Cemeteries in Spain are quite different to what we're used to in the USA, or New Zealand in my case.

You might be interested in the following excerpt from the cemetery's official website: "The property was designed during a new rural cemetery movement that crossed from Europe to America in the mid-19th century."

[Tony M]

Thank you to John and Tony!
You might be interested in the following excerpt from the cemetery's official website: "The property was designed during a new rural cemetery movement that crossed from Europe to America in the mid-19th century."

Hmmm, well it didn't come from Spain. Maybe from somewhere further northeast.

[JBW]

Mike, the shots are great. But to me they lack emotion. I have no idea how to increase emotional content but there must be a way.

[Mike Buckley]

I have no idea how to increase emotional content but there must be a way.

Better light would go a long way. I wasn't in control of the light and had only an afternoon and a morning there when a hurricane system was influencing the weather and, thus, limiting the quality of light.

[IzzieK]

I like #1 image, Mike...the rest seems to be not well taken cared of. It is a shame. I like the narrative that accompanied your image too.

Tony Marshall...my maternal relations originally came from Catalan, Spain. Latino cemeteries are way too beautiful and well kept than the Western-ian ones as they have a different culture. A few years ago I was on a photoshoot in New Mexico and were with Americans and one of the ladies with us said she "cracks up" every time she passes this Mexican cemetery. I asked why and she said something about being "too decorated". To cut a long story short, I put her on the right track.

[Rebel]

Very interesting series Mike, looks like a spooky place!

[ST1]

Nice series Mike, your first image looks to have the better light of the series.