Haunting the Cemetery [Rf Photo of the Day]

October 31, 2016

By Laura Brauer

Photo © Li Ward

Photo © Li Ward

For many photographers, Halloween marks an end to a busy, warm-weathered wedding season, and for photographer Li Ward of Fat Orange Cat Studio in Boston, Massachusetts, it also marks the perfect time to set up a personal shoot in a unique environment, like a cemetery. “I just think they’re beautiful and peaceful spaces, mysterious and historic,” she says. “Boston is full of small colonial burial grounds that tell a million tales.”

Ward traveled to four local cemeteries in three days exploring the decrepit graveyards to complete this personal project. Using a dress rented from shopgossamer.com and a friend to model, the final series includes photos taken in both digital and medium-format film. She also took a few double exposures, like the shot above, which creates the essence of a bride haunting the graveyard. However, she says, “The goal of the shoot wasn’t about being ‘spooky’ or ‘Halloween-y,’ but definitely mysterious, wispy and ethereal.”

(Shot with a Nikon D4 and 35mm f/1.4 lens.)

Check out more Photos of the Day, and email rangefinder@emeraldexpo.com for submissions.