I was in a charming little English town in Sussex named Lewes for a friend’s wedding years ago. I’m not even sure you could call it a town it was so tiny, but there was so much to photograph.
We stopped off at this small stone church that I’m sure was built in the 1300s, not much later. It was a cool day and the light was perfect as it seeped through the windows of the cool stone interior. There were maybe only a few pews on each side of the church. Beautiful, but what I really wanted to photograph, of course, was the cemetery behind it.
As I walked into the quiet, small cemetery, I shot one photo of the side of the church and then this one of the crypt. My film ran out after the second shot, or so I thought. So, I sat on the crypt you see here in this photograph, to reload my camera with a fresh roll of film. In retrospect, that probably wasn’t a good idea as my brand new camera battery seemed to die. My photographer friend generously offered her brand new camera battery and I tried that one. Alas, my camera was refusing to shoot any more photographs on these church grounds or cemetery. This photograph and the other in this portfolio of Lewes are the only 2 photographs I was able to shoot there.
When we got back to our flat, I grabbed yet another fresh battery and STILL, my camera wouldn’t work. It wasn’t until we flew back home to New York that my camera finally worked with a new battery. I’m still perplexed to this day.
Word to the wise: Don’t sit on crypts while photographing in cemeteries; your camera may not make it back alive.
Note: You may buy this photograph by clicking on the photo which will lead you to the gallery with this and the other photo of the church I was able to capture before the death of my camera.
Tricia Chatter 