The Albany Rural Cemetery is a place of beauty, tranquility, respite and repose. Expansive and sprawling, it unfurls in gently rolling hills and little stretches of woodland. It is ancient and steeped in history (it is the resting place for President Chester Arthur) and the crumbling sections and fallen fences in some areas lend it the weight and gravitas of centuries. No other place puts the essence of time in such stark relief than a cemetery.
This particular cemetery has provided the dramatic backdrop for many photos over the years, particularly those found in the ‘StoneLight’ project. I’ve spent many creative hours seeking out spaces here, always finding sources of inspiration, tableaus that spark other branches of ideas.
When it came time to find backdrops for The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale, the Albany Rural Cemetery was forefront in my mind for two very big shoots – the spring freshness of this Purple Puff piece and this dreamy, delicious, queer and dear post. It was the perfect prancing ground for the fairy’s tale being told. I also wanted to shoot a winter scene here, which brings us to the background story that ended up overshadowing the entire Divine Diva Tour experience, as it’s the story that still gets told to this day when nothing else from this project remains relevant.
One of the main reasons I kept coming back here was the relative quiet and unpopulated nature of the space, particularly in the secluded, off-the-beaten-path sections I could drive to along winding and largely untraveled little roads. There were occasional walkers and visitors, but it wasn’t difficult to avoid them in the more neglected areas. It made posing in a big puffy purple dress possible without prying eyes. (Or posing in what I wore for the powder blue winter landscape I am about to show you.)
For that shoot, I waited until the golden hour, which came early in the winter – around 4 PM. I entered the gates and turned down the volume of whatever music I had playing – my little way of showing respect to the surroundings. I’d worn the particular costume for the shoot in the car, which was a ridiculous faux fur coat, a lace skirt, some ruffled bloomers and lace stockings, and a faux fur hat that matched the coat. I hadn’t bothered to bring along another change of clothing because I only intended to get a few quick pics and return home. I even had insane make-up on to go with the scene, and a crazy wig of platinum blonde ringlets. The gates disappeared behind me as I drove further in, as did the sign of the cemetery hours that I had never taken notice of, and soon I was flouncing about in the snow and capturing the winter scene you see before you.
By the time the sun was down, I’d gotten the shots I needed, squeezed the silly ensemble back into the car, and drove back out the way I had come in, only now the gates were closed. Closed and locked. Having never stayed later in the day, I had no idea that the cemetery closed and locked up at any time. To the left of the driveway out, right near the gates, I noticed the caretaker’s little house, and a car in the space beside it. I was about to get out, when I looked in the mirror, saw the clown make-up, and realized I was in a crazy get-up of powder blue fur and lace that would simply not allow me to leave the vehicle. I did the only thing I could do: leaned on the horn briefly, in as friendly a way as I could muster, so whomever was inside might press a button and let me out.
And nothing happened.
I was locked in the Albany Rural Cemetery, I had no cel phone, and most importantly nothing appropriate to wear if I even managed to get the police to arrive. When you see how I looked, in the next post, you’ll understand the predicament a bit better.
…{~To Be Continued~}…
~ The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale ~
- Pink Frilly Fairy: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
- Homage to Herb: Part One, Part Two and Part Three
- A Purple-Hued Interlude
- Style & Panache: Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.
- Purple Puff Confection: Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.
- A Blue-Hued Interlude
- Fuchsia Fabulousness: Part One. Part Two and Part Three.
- Bad Boy Bangs: Part One, Part Two. and Part Three.
- Vanity Under Where: Part One, Part Two. and Part Three.
- Sugar Plum Ballerina: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
- A Pool Frolic: Part One, Part Two. and Part Three.
