Name
Rachel Wallace
Age
Permanently 49
What is your job title?
Funeral Photographer
What does your job involve?
If I am not in my office editing, marketing etc I will be photographing a funeral service. This requires discretion, sensitivity and respect. I photograph the mourners before and after the service and I also photograph the service quietly and discreetly. I always look for the positive and uplifting moments of which there are actually, many, even in the most tragic services. I create a Memory Book of images (and CDs afterwards if required) which I bring personally to the client afterwards. In so doing they can talk about the day, the deceased, the mourners and afterwards show it and talk through it with others, easing their pain. It is also a useful tool for those who find it difficult to talk with the bereaved about the deceased. The Memory Book acts as a keepsake, a record of those at the funeral (often generations), and a closure to the deceased’s life. I photograph other things for my work but my passion is for funerals as I believe it really can and does help people to grieve. I photograph with my heart to help heal others hearts.
Does your job require qualifications?
Not required but it is helpful to be a member of a Photographic Institution such as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) or Society of Wedding and Professional Photographers (SWPP). I have an Associateship with the RPS and SWPP and also a Post Graduate in Photography from St. Martins School of Art
What is the best thing about the job you do?
Helping people to grieve, and showing them the positive things from the funeral service of the person they have loved and lost.
What is the worst thing about the job you do?
Seeing people’s grief.
How do people react when you tell them what you do for a living?
Surprised and interested.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?
Photographing landscapes and horses, reading avidly, archery, piano playing, horse riding.
