Photographying Paris, France - Cemetery Pere Lachaise

Image 1 - Cemetery Pere Lachaise

What to do during a sunny day in Paris?
Many will answer, go to the top of the Eiffel Tower for the 360 degree view of the city, or go for a stroll at the Jardin de Touleries. But for a photographer, these places have little appeal.
When I visited the city this past spring with my photographer friend Kat Lovasi, all we wanted was some shade, contrasts, details, and patterns for us to photograph. Someone suggest us to visit the Cemetery Pere Lachaise. We were unsure at first, but after 2 days photographing the washed out sites of the city, we decided to give it a try


What a smart decision! The cemetery is known as the most visited one in the world, it has some many people walking around the aisles that you don't even feel like you are in a cemetery. Also, there are so many famous people buried there with typical european mausoleums that it resembles an open air museum. 

Image 2 - Many tourists walking through the cemetery aisles

Image 3 - Chopin

The cemetery provide free of charge a map with all the famous people buried there. However, if you arrive at lunch hour, you might need to buy a map on the outside entrance for 5 Euros. I have 2 recommendations. First, steers away from the famous. Their mausoleums are full of flowers, flags, photos, music instruments, and people which completely remove the nice characteristics of this ancient cemetery.  Second, if you would really to visit some of the them, plan ahead via internet. The cemetery is quite large and you will be able to find your way around easier with a previously studied print out map.


I visited Chopin and realized that I was not interested in seeing the famous people, but the everyday people and the art left behind to celebrate their lives and mourn their departures. 

Image 4 - Stained glass image

Image 5 - Mourning Angel in bronze

Many of the sepultures are from en do the 1800 beginning of the 1900, so the amount of bronze and marble statues are astonishing. Also, the stained glasses that survived the times are beautifully done. On a sunny day, the light that reflects through the glasses allows the coulours to pop. In addition, there is no shortage of emotional images.

Image 6 - Sculpture of little girl hugging deceased mother

Image 7 - Stained Glass image

Due to the age of the cemetery, there are many mausoleums abandoned and completely destroyed by the human hand and the effects time and  of harsh weather. Many families did not leave descendants, so the mausoleums do not belong to anyone anymore. It is an interesting contrasts of well maintained ancient, with the decrepitude of some. 

Image 8 - Mausoleum abandoned and destroyed by vandalism

Image 9 - Sepulture abandoned and destroyed by time and harsh weather

I wonder around the aisles, always trying to avoid the large groups with obnoxious guides shouting each detail about the life and death of the famous. On the unbeaten path, I was able to appreciate life by the mourning figures. Also, I found piece and inspiration. I started to look into patters, details, and to create with the art pieces that were given to me. My favourite image from this afternoon at the cemetery is of an untouched stained glass image of Virgin Mary that I took through a broken stained glass and a fence. The juxtaposition of them has given me a colourful and fragmented master piece. I call it My Picasso. 

Image 10 - My Picasso - Juxtapossed image of untouched stain glass with a broken one

Other creative images that I created were: a disrupted pattern on the ground, more stained glasses viewed through gates, form and shadows, and using depth of field to make the contrast of life and death come to life. There are many other creations possible and it has given me many ideas of things that I can do not only at this cemetery but in any other one around the world, or even on churches and other locations in the cities that I visit. 

Image 11 - Creative Pattern

Image 12 - Form and shadows

Image 13 - Stained glass through gate

Image 14 - Use of depth of field to create life and death contrast

I have to confess, I was really emotional during this visit. Once you are alone among so many untold stories, you start to reflect on your own existence. It was a great reflective moment. But there were a couple of sepultures that freaked me out. They were plain bizarre and with lack of taste. For example, when I first saw the maya sepulture, I thought it was a great representation of a different civilization. Until I got closer and saw the design. Am I the only one that sees it?

Image 15 - Mayan inappropriate sepulture

 Another example is this bronze sculpture of a narcissist person. The image is not of high quality, but there was nothing artistic that I could do about it. I was appalled by it. Would the person have requested it, or would the family have made the decision themselves? I wonder...

Image 15 - Narcissist

The possibilities are endless at Pere Lachaise Cemetery. As a photographer, you will have a blast exploring the small aisles full of art, as a historian buff you can discover so many famous people around. Unfortunately, we just had a couple of hours to cover the premises, so if I am ever back to Paris, I know where to spend one of my afternoons.