Today, a fellow Goucherite Ly Nguyen posted a blog entry on Facebook that got some people talking about postmortem photography. This used to be a very common practice, but in 2009, a lot of people think it's creepy and morbid.
For my manuscript, I interviewed a woman who volunteers for an organization called www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org She is a photographer who takes pictures of babies who have died during birth. The photographers who volunteer for this organization are amazing. They are providing a valuable service to families who are in the deepest depths of grief.
I encourage everyone to go to their site to check it out. Please watch the video on the About Us page. Turn the sound on your computer up and listen to the lyrics. Have some tissue at the ready. I promise it is not gross or disturbing. It's actually very tasteful and beautifully rendered art photography.