Sanctuary

The wind-down to the wedding season, where everything is so of-the-moment and fluid and sometimes frenzied, was to set up a personal shoot in one of my favorite spaces – cemeteries. There were no professional goals other than to put myself into a scene that I naturally enjoy spending time in and a shooting a scenario where I could do whatever I wanted and take. my. time. I have no goth girl fascination with cemeteries. I just think they are beautiful and peaceful spaces, mysterious and historic. Boston is full of small colonial cemeteries that hold a million secrets and much larger ones landscaped as arboretums so that they are meant to be open-air sanctuaries…and enjoyed…as strange as it sounds. Mount Auburn Cemetery (“America’s first garden cemetery”!) in Cambridge is one of my favorites, and Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain is another. Over a period of three days I shot in both these spaces plus the Central Burying Ground and Granary Burying Ground in downtown Boston (on Halloween!) with my beautiful and patient friend Jera as the “ghost bride.” I bought a vintage capped veil and lace capelet from Millay Vintage, and borrowed exquisite Edwardian-era dresses from Gossamer. I found a decrepit black lace mourning cap at an antique store in Woodstock, Vermont. Shots are a mix of medium format film and digital. I took the time to play with some black and white film and some in-camera double exposures to make my ghost truly ghostly…Thanks to my friend LauraJean for the beautiful floral arrangements and Jera for being the perfect model.