Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Mt. Holly Cemetery

With the large amount of free time I have now, I ended up spending a few hours driving around trying to find something to take pictures of. I was in downtown Little Rock, and ended up making a stop at Mt. Holly Cemetery.

Now it is almost morbid to go to a cemetery just for the purpose of taking pictures, as if stomping around on the final resting places of unknown people is just a bit too much. That thought was going through my mind as I walked along the worn paths through the weathered stone markers. Mt. Holly Cemetery is old, dating back to 1843. The cemetery is located next to an interstate and in the heart of the city, but it's amazing how all the sounds of a city are muffled there. You don't hear the traffic on the road, but just the rambling of a squirrel moving through some fallen leaves.

Mt. Holly has a great collection of Victorian-era grave markers, overflowing with angels and other decorations. I was interested in the juxtaposition between the markers and the buildings downtown. So here is the shot of the cemetery, with downtown looming in the background.
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2 comments:

Jonw said...

I really like this shot...the artsy fartsy part of mind immediately sees this shot as the death of civilization the way you've juxtaposed the monument with the skyline. The photographer in me just thinks it's a cool shot.

Personally I used to love wandering around an old cemetery...it's relaxing and a great training ground for the abstract frame of mind. Once you get past the morbid discomfort, it's a very fulfilling place to work. Besides, I think it's good to be acquainted with graveyards as when the inevitable zombie apocalypse comes you'll know which directions NOT to go when fleeing dense urban areas.

Cormackphotos said...

This place is a popular hang-out for photographers trying to take those moody black and white cemetery spots. It's an interesting place to visit, anyways.