08/20/2026
📸 Yesterday was World Photography Day… and it got us thinking about the pictures y’all be trying to take at funerals. 😩😂
Yes. Those pictures.
Believe it or not, photographing the deceased is not a new practice.
In the 1800s, post-mortem photography became a meaningful way for families to preserve the image of someone they loved. Photography was expensive and uncommon, and for some families, the photograph taken after death may have been the only photograph they ever had of that person.
So photographing someone after death isn’t automatically disrespectful.
Today, funeral photography and videography can still serve a beautiful purpose. Families may want photographs of the flowers, the casket, military honors, meaningful details, the gathering of generations, or even their loved one.
Those images can become part of the family’s history.
But here’s where funeral etiquette enters the chat.
If the family says NO PHOTOS, that means:
No quick picture.
No “I’m just sending it to Auntie.”
No pretending you’re texting while the camera is pointed directly toward the casket. 👀
And definitely no Facebook Live from the third pew.
Please understand that when a family asks for no photography, the funeral home has a responsibility to help protect that boundary.
Which means occasionally your friendly neighborhood funeral director becomes:
Funeral Director.
Casket Guard.
Security Officer.
NFL Defensive Tackle.
Because some of y’all will see a NO PHOTOGRAPHY sign and apparently interpret it as a personal challenge. 😂
And trust me—we see you slowly lifting that phone.
Here’s the bigger lesson:
A funeral may be public, but grief is still personal.
Before you photograph someone’s final goodbye, ask yourself:
Did the family give permission?
If the answer is no—or you don’t know—put the phone down and simply be present.
Some moments deserve to be captured.
Others deserve to be protected.
Live Well. Leave Well.
