Your server is a bit slow this morning (morning where I am), I only get a red x ... and I moved your photo to the General Gallery since apparently all you want is some general remarks on it. You seem to be happy with it, you like it, as you say. So why put it into the forum that is designed for some very specific, maybe even harsh critique, hm?
You spotted a very intresting subjected here, but it leaves me wondering "what is her name" "Was it a child? young lady?" (Can't tell without the birth date) and I don't really feel a 'connection' other than some curiosity. Obviously you don't want to be the one removing the grass which adds the character and obvious 'age' to the image, but perhaps a higher up angle? The tones and colours are very appealing - but I wouldn't mind seeing some more information.
Well, I like the colours, lighting (from the side, throwing shadows and giving definition to the carved writing), and the fact that some grass grew through the stone to create a bit of a mystery here. I quite like NOT to know who this person was, other than that this is a very old grave from over 100 years ago (you would NEVER find graves as old in Germany any more unless the buried person was [or: were?] a well-known someone - composer, writer, politician, something like that). So I understand why you like this photo yourself, Pyrex, and why your friends stop at it when they go through your albums. But I don't feel it has anything "morbid" to it. It is a grave, yes, but ...
My primary interest in the image is the color and lighting. I intentionally angled the shot to block the last name and give only the first. I kept that zoom because i wanted the greater detail in the stone, and that there wasn't anything of interest outside of that frame, it was a big stone with small writing. This is a very old cemetary, and this was certainly not the oldest stone, but I was drawn to it because of the odd placement, and really the fantastic mason work, especially for the time period.. that was entirely done by hand, and it's completely flawless.. I found much an appreciation for the skill. I've always found this particular cemetary to be oddly quiet and creepy, I intend on returning to take some more pictures at sunset... unfortunately this particular stone was difficult to make "interesting". I will try and choose a better subject next time.
I'll definately return and give this one another shot.. maybe even 2 (actually more like 35, but I'll delete those and never mention them ) If I'm not mistaken, she was born 1793, 85 years old.. and thats amazing for the time period, however this cemetary comprises mostly of aristocratic land/slave owners so it isn't outrageous that she could live to such a ripe old age. Some of the locals have defaced the stones due to the departed being slave owners, or maybe had some sort of an epitaph denoting it. There are also some real sad stones which obviously belonged to some sort of pauper that merely have a cross and nothing more.. being unable to provide the undertaker with the needed funds. There are some amazing stones of the mason's (very large old old following in the area) which are ridiculously huge.. so big they were difficult to photograph.
