I was on my own this week, so I decided to take a walk around the nearby Hampstead Cemetery and practice a bit of monochrome shooting. There are a huge variety of tombs and gravestones that I thought would provide a good opportunity for some atmospheric photography, and it was a place I’d been keen on exploring for a while.

I really liked how this bright-white stone sat in somewhat splendid isolation amongst the slightly-overgrown grass.

Some of the headstones are particularly ornate, reflecting the talents of their owners, such as this one for a local organist.

In a similar vein to the Necropolis railway which we’ve discussed before, the chapel inside the cemetery has two sides: one for the believers (Anglicans), and the other for non-believers (anyone else).

Benches placed around the cemetery provide areas for quiet reflection – the whole area maintains a lovely sense of calm, despite not being far from a fairly main road.

Although well-maintained in general, weeds and wildflowers inevitably creep out in many places.

The cemetery also has a dedicated war memorial, situated on its own along a hedge-lined corridor, simple and stark.

I was struck by the way that this ivy had worked its way around the headstone, before itself perishing.

There are hundreds of graves here, and while it may seem an odd place to visit, there are many runners and walkers, enjoying the tranquillity that the cemetery affords.

See you again next week, probably back in full technicolour!