Cemetery Photo F.A.Q.
Are the photos on this site copyrighted?
Yes. Please contact the site administator to see about obtaining permission to get a copy or use these photos if a photo does not have a email address watermarked on it. (Those are photos that the site administrator actually photographed. I'm in the process if adding a watermark to those photos.)
Photos that have been submitted by other people will have their email address watermarked on them. You should contact them directly for permission in that case.
What if I don't know where my ancestors are buried?
You will need to obtain this information before contacting us. We are not usually able to get this info for you due to several reasons, the most common of which are: not all cemeteries will provide it to strangers due to privacy concerns and some cemeteries charge for the information.
Not sure where to begin? Try getting a copy of the individual's death certificate or obit. This often will have the name of the cemetery where they are buried. We cannot do this type of research for you, we are already swamped just taking the photos. We have compiled a list of resources to help you with your search.
What if I have more than five people in one cemetery I want you to take photos of?
Depends. If there are only five plots in the cemetery you want us to take photos of, list the name of one person in the plot in the regular fields and include the other names in the notes field. You can do this for each "Ancestor Information" Section.
If they are buried in seperate plots, contact us directly to inquire. If we have time to take more photos, we can let you know then. Be sure to include how many graves you need photographed in the cemetery and which cemetery. It usually is easier for us to take multiple photos in one cemetery all on the same day and we do try to fulfill larger reasonable requests if we can.
What if I have more than one cemetery I want you to take photos at?
We fill requests on a first come/first serve basis and as time permits. You can submit more than one cemetery (just go through and fill out the form again for each one) and we will email you and let you know if/when we can fulfill your request.
Why are all the cemeteries not listed on the request form?
We only list the cemeteries for which we have a regular volunteer. Photos in cemeteries which are not on the list may have been filled by special request or may have been submitted by non-regular volunteers. Would you like to volunteer to take photos?
Do you need any more photographers?
YES! Please fill out the Volunteer Availability form and let us know which cemeteries you are willing to go to and how often.
If you can only go to one special cemetery that is right by you and can only do that once per month, yes, we still want you. Some of us run all over the city a few times a week but we don't expect other volunteers to be as insane. :)
Why do you do this?
We like that nice, warm, fuzzy feeling of helping people. You can do it too! We encourage you to volunteer at Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness or Cook County ILGenWeb Genealogy Look-Up Volunteers and Researchers. You don't have to be a photographer to volunteer, you can offer do genealogy look-ups in your area instead. See web sites for details.
How will I receive my photos?
There are several options.
- Email - Photos are emailed directly to you. Photos are usually reduced so as to avoid bandwidth issues (or putting your email account over the limit) unless you request otherwise.
- Online Web Site - Photos are uploaded to a web site and held for at least 30 days. You must go to the site and save the photos to your hard drive yourself. You will be sent a link when the photos are uploaded. (The 30 days starts from when the link is sent to you, not from when you place your request.)
- Floppy or CD via Snail Mail - We will copy the photos to floppies or CDs and snail mail the disks to you. You will be expected to reimburse us for material costs and postage. Please include your mailing address in the comments field.
How much do you charge?
We don't when we deliver the photos online to you either via email or web site. For floppy disk or CDs, costs vary depending on how many disks are needed and which shipping method you request (USPS Regular 1st Class or Priority Mail).
How often will you take photos for me?
We can only take photos as time and weather permits. If we are unable to take photos for you within a reasonable amount of time, usually within 1 - 4 weeks, we will contact and let you know so that you can look into finding someone else to do so.
What type of film do you use to take photos?
We don't. We use digital cameras. Resolution of photos depends on the volunteer that takes your photos and the delivery method. Minimum resolution is 640x480 although higher resolutions are common. If you need a certain resolution (for example, if you want to print photos or order prints), please specify in the comments section.
OK! I've read all the F.A.Q.'s now...
Fantastic! Would you like to request a photo?
