Krista has loved visiting cemeteries since she was a child. Her extended family lived just behind this one. When asked about her experience in cemeteries she mused, “There is something wonderful about reading the stones and witnessing the last, loving tribute to someone who is gone.” The memorials she creates are from various sources. She has used film, digital photography and also notebooks to record inscriptions. Mowing the rows at the cemetery and then uploading the photos from her computer is her favorite source method. She’s glad that there are multiple ways to contribute to Find a Grave. In Krista’s words, “It’s about caring enough to memorialize someone and preserve them in history… It’s beautiful, really.”

Krista and her spouse, Tommy, do great work at the cemeteries. They use a flash set to light up the headstone at the exact moment the image is captured. Check out these before and after images of the headstones!

To achieve these amazing results, Krista and Tommy mount their flash on a telescoping monopod and hold it about a foot away from the side of the stone. This allows the light from the flash to strike flat across the surface at the same moment they snap a photo. Some other methods of casting light on a headstone are using a mirror, foil, bright LED flashlight or choosing the right time of day according to the angle of the sun. 

Krista and Tommy, our accolades to you for your extraordinary work in cemeteries. We are so glad that you are Find a Grave members and appreciate all your efforts in recording and memorializing those that have passed.

We welcome your suggestions for Volunteer of the Month. If you’d like to submit volunteers for consideration for future months, please send an email with details of their work to feedback@findagrave.com.