Photos at funerals, not a hashtag movement

By Cody Rusan

Photos being taken at funerals are seen to be normal, just not from a cell phone camera.

Once upon a time, photos with dead relatives were a common practice. In the Victorian Era, when photography first started, the majority of people wanted a photo with their relative(s) who had passed away. From sons and daughters to fathers and mothers, hundreds of archived photos are available to view under post mortem photography – a final and peaceful visual of someone who meant a great deal to a family or group of people.

With today’s use of social media, people are painting a grim image around the history. People posing with the bodies on display and using hashtags leaves a bad taste within the mouths of many internet users. However, disrespect is not shown through all photos on social media.

“I couldn’t really help but take photos at the wake,” said Tracen Gage, an Instagram user who took photos at a recent funeral. “Everything was so nice and I’m a photographer, I couldn’t help it.”

Gage had recently attended the funeral of his grandmother where he had taken photos of the wake. Even though he sees no issue with what he did, he says his issue lies with a recent hashtag popping up across many social media platforms. He feels the term and hashtag “funeral selfie” is disrespectful.

“When I was tagging the photos, I saw ‘#FuneralSelfie’ and that’s just insane,” said Gage. “That’s so disrespectful to the dead and everyone else who’s grieving.”

Gage is not alone in his thinking. Kevin Reid, owner of Reid Funeral Home in Leamington, expressed concerns for the families who may find someone taking selfies during visitations.

“My concern is for the family of the deceased. If the family has an issue with what is happening, we would attempt to put a stop to it,” said Reid.

There are respectful ways to go about taking photos during a funeral service. However, selfies are not one of the recommended methods.