CHIMACUM — DJ Bassett, executive director of the Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley, will talk about cemetery and headstone research at a meeting of the Jefferson County Genealogical Society on Saturday.
The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road in Chimacum.
In his address, “Cemeteries & Gravestones: Research, Ethics & Photography,” Bassett will discuss photographic techniques relating to lighting, composition, exposure and color balance, as well as archival storage and documentation of digital images.
In addition, he will talk about gravestone care, cemetery legal and ethical considerations, and personal safety while researching in cemeteries.
“Cemeteries are a history of a people and our heritage,” said Bassett, who has photographed cemeteries and gravestones since the mid-1960s.
For the living, too
“Many people consider cemeteries to be only for the dearly departed, but they are not,” he continued.
“They are for the living to commemorate and contemplate the lives of those who came before.”
Bassett’s professional experience includes more than 40 years as a commercial and fine art photographer and educator.
He has co-owned a full-service photo lab in Jackson Hole, Wyo., as well as a photographic expedition service in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
While living in California, he worked with historical organizations, private historians and individuals involved in historic preservation and genealogical photography to create exhibits, digitize collections and produce fine prints.
Since moving to Sequim in 2002, he has been engaged in the work of several regional historical preservation organizations, including serving as president of the Clallam County Historical Society.
He is also a member and former chairman of the Clallam County Heritage Advisory Board.
For more information about Jefferson County Genealogical Society activities, visit www.wajcgs.org.
