As We Are Now | Dave Higgins Photography

As We Are Now – 2015

I took many photographs for this project in 2015; this is a collection of some of my favorites from the year. They were taken in upstate New York, Vermont and Texas. You can find more images from this series on the As We Are Now series page.

In 2015 I continued exploring the subject of modern cemetery folk art from a somewhat broader (and hopefully deeper) perspective. I’ve continued my attention on artifacts of human emotion – which could span a range from personal messages to loved ones to tokens bearing some unknown significance.

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(Clicking on any image will open a slide show.)

“As You Are Now So Once Was I” – Texas

Tokens of Love and Loss – Texas

“You Are My Sunshine” – New York

“Wish you were here little buddy” – New York

“Racing To Heaven” – Texas

Cherub With Toy Cars – Texas

Toy-covered Grave – Texas

Infant Graves – New York

Military Graves – New York

Flags & Figures – New York

Flowers & Figures – New York

“Dream” – New York

“Dreaming Heidi” – New York

Texas Scene – Texas

“Angels Gather Here” – New York

“You Were The Best” – New York

“Poo” – New York

Faces of the Passed – New York

Butterflies – Vermont

Name Tags – New York

Beer & Flowers – New York

“The Big Slot Machine In The Sky” – New York

“We Love You ‘Bedroom Mechanic'” – New York

“…On The Other Side” – New York

Autumn Morning – NY

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As We Are Now – 2014

I’ve continued work on this project in 2014; this is a collection of some of my favorites from the first half of the year. They were taken in upstate New York and Texas. You can find more images from this series on the As We Are Now series page.

This series is exploring the subject of modern cemetery folk art – both what is inscribed on gravestones and the artifacts of human emotion left by others, which could span a range from personal messages to loved ones to ordinary objects bearing some unknown significance. This project is also creating a record of how this folk art appears around the time it is created. As a visit to the older section of any cemetery will bear out, time and the elements inevitably take their toll on this kind of folk art.

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(Clicking on any image will open a slide show.)

: “Top Cop” – New York

: Gambler’s Wisdom – Texas

: Drummer For The Band – New York

: “Life Was Wonderful” – New York

: Grave With Mementos – New York

: “Spiro” – New York

: Bottle of Sand – Texas

: “Angels Gather” – Texas

: “…A Lifetime Of Love…” – New York

: “14 Years Here, 14 Years Gone” – New York

: “Ashton’s Love Bucket” – New York

: Skier – New York

: Mower – New York

: Shopping Cart – New York

: Fire Truck & Figures – New York

: Betty Boop With Roses – New York

: “…We will continue our honeymoon.” – New York

: Cookie Angel – New York

: Cats & Bunnies – New York

: Wrenches and Birds – New York

: “Miss You” – Texas

: “We Miss You Grampa” – New York

: “I’ll be waiting for you…” – New York

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As We Are Now – 2013

I took many photographs for this project in 2013; this is a collection of some of my favorites from the year. They were taken in upstate New York, Vermont and Texas. You can find more images from this series on the As We Are Now series page.

In 2013 I continued exploring the subject of modern cemetery folk art from a somewhat broader (and hopefully deeper) perspective. I’ve increased my attention on artifacts of human emotion – which could span a range from personal messages to loved ones to a coffee cup bearing some unknown significance. This project is also creating a record of how this folk art appears around the time it is created. As a visit to the older section of any cemetery will bear out, time and the elements inevitably take their toll on this kind of folk art.

♦ ♦

(Clicking on any image will open a slide show.)

: “Love is like a butterfly” – Vermont

: Angel Cow – New York

: Bird House – New York

: “Blessed” – New York

: “Faith” – Vermont

: Cherub – New York

: Coffee Cup – New York

: “Final Journey Through The Heavens” – New York

: Laptop – Texas

: A Mom’s Message – New York

: #14 – Texas

: Fishing Scene – New York

: “Chopper Chuck” – Texas

: Railroad Scene – New York

: Welder – Vermont

: Comb & Scissors – Vermont

: Riding Mower – New York

: “Fond memories linger” – Texas

: Message In The Earth – Texas

: “A Lifetime of Love” – New York

: Biking Ladybug – New York

: “You Are My Sunshine” – New York

: Mountain Vista – Vermont

: “We Will Meet Again” – Texas

: Traces Of A Life – Texas

: “JODY” – New York

: Tree – Vermont

: “Git R Done” – Texas

: Couple With Rosary – New York

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As We Are Now – 2012

I took many photographs for this project in 2012; you can find 3 sets of them on the As We Are Now series page. This is a collection of some of my favorites from the year. They were taken in upstate New York and Texas.

In 2012 I found myself exploring the subject of modern cemetery folk art from a somewhat broader (and hopefully deeper) perspective. While I’m still very interested in the subject matter itself, I’m more sensitive these days to context – to the settings that may surround the folk art I’m photographing. This project is also creating a record of how this folk art appears around the time it is created. As a visit to the older section of any cemetery will bear out, time and the elements inevitably take their toll on this kind of folk art.

Early 2012 also featured Nikon’s introduction of a special new camera – the D800. Along with its sibling the D800E this camera offers a full-sized 36 megapixel sensor that provides much better resolution than the predecessor D700 – which I had previously been using for this project. It took me months to actually get the camera (it was very popular on introduction), and it then took me a while to get a handle on how to best use it and to find the best lenses to take advantage of its capabilities. This will explain why all of these images were created in the second half of 2012.

As my familiarity with both this project and the D800 grows, I’m looking forward to working further on this series in 2013.

(Clicking on any image will open a slide show.)

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: Notes – Albany, NY 10/11/12

: Motorcyclist – Joshua, TX 11/6/2012

: “We Love You Daddy” – Ft Worth, TX 11/7/2012

: Catskills – Ashland, NY 10/13/12

: “Our Little Man” – Waterford, NY 10/22/12

: “Beloved Daughter and Sister” – Rio Vista, TX 11/7/2012

: Monument and Bench – Ft Worth, TX 11/7/2012

: Parents and Son – Texas

: Lamb Gravestone – Joshua, TX 11/6/2012

: Butterflies – New York

: “Smart, Loving and Enjoyed Life” – New York

: Yankees Fan – Saratoga Springs, NY 7/3/12

: Pickup Truck – Joshua, TX 11/6/2012

: “We Love You ‘Bedroom Mechanic'” – Glenmont, NY 8/29/2012

: “Love You” – Texas

: Flowers – Colonie, NY 9/10/2012

: “Acts 2:38” – Texas

: Metal Cross – Texas

: “We hold in our hearts forever” – New York

: Mustache Hat – Union Hill, TX 11/8/2012

: “Bubba” – Union Hill, TX 11/9/2012

: Detective – Albany, NY 9/13/2012

: Paratrooper – New York

: “The Secret of the World” – New York

: “I Have Loved and Been Loved” – Latham, NY 10/17/12

: “LaVie En Rose” – Waterford, NY 10/22/12

: Loving Couple – Altamont, NY 9/20/2012

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As We Are Now – Fall 2012

In addition to my November visit to Texas, I’ve continued work on the As We Are Now series closer to home in upstate New York. I’m continuing to explore the subject of modern cemetery folk art from a somewhat broader (and hopefully deeper) perspective. While I’m very interested in the subject matter itself, I’m more sensitive these days to context – to the settings that may surround the folk art I’m photographing. Given the time of year, the weather and fall foliage often became an ingredient in this collection of images.

(Clicking on any image will open a slide show.)

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