Funeral Streaming, Videography and Photography Blog
Guides and real funerals I have streamed, filmed and photographed across the UK. How the services work, what they cost, and what the days actually look like.
Funeral Live Streaming · Funeral Videography · Funeral Photography
Celebration of Life at the London Rowing Club, Putney
Richard’s celebration of life was held at the London Rowing Club on Putney Embankment, looking out over the Thames.
I provided the funeral live streaming and the AV support in the room — cameras, microphones, support for the live musician, and the family’s photographs on the club’s screen. People sitting by the river and people on the other side of the world were watching the same afternoon.
664 devices joined from 27 countries.
That is what a celebration of life can be when the person’s life was larger than one postcode. The room in Putney was full. The rest of Richard’s story was in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Australia, the United States, Kenya, New Zealand and across Europe.
Celebration of Life Services
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Funeral AV Support
The London Rowing Club
The club sits on the Embankment. It is a hall on the water, not a church: a wide room, windows onto the Thames, a stage end for speakers and music. It had to work as a room people were sitting in, and as a stream for everyone who could not get to Putney.
I arrived four hours early as a venue like this needs the cameras placed correctly, the sound checked with a live musician, the family’s photographs and tribute film running through the club PA and screen, and the stream tested on more than one network before anyone important walks in.
For this Funeral broadcast I set up two cameras and three dedicated microphones. Bonded 4G/5G ran it, so the stream did not depend on the venue Wi-Fi. In the room I stayed with the AV throughout — the musician, the tributes, the photographs — so the family were not managing a laptop on the day.
The Service
There were tributes, music and singing. One of the messages came from a friend on Everest, sent from 8,849 metres up, after he had climbed it for Richard. That is the kind of moment a celebration of life can hold. It is also the kind of moment that is wasted if the people watching in another country cannot hear it.
The afternoon moved between laughter and tears. The stream had to carry both. A single camera at the back of the room would have given you the hall. It would not have given you the speakers, the musician, or the feeling of the river through the windows.
Who Watched
664 devices logged in from 27 countries, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Ireland, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece and the UK.
Some people watched live. Others used the same viewing link afterwards. There is no charge for guests to watch, and the recording is there for anyone in a different time zone.
This is why families book a proper stream for a celebration of life. The people in the room matter. So do the people who knew Richard well and could not stand on Putney Embankment that afternoon.
Celebrations of Life in London
I cover memorials and celebrations of life across London — clubs, halls, churches, riverside rooms and private venues. Funeral Streaming, AV, photography and videography can be booked together or on their own.
Funeral live streaming starts from £650. The wider celebration-of-life page is here: Celebration of Life Services
Call or text 07772 509101, or use the contact page.
Memorial Photography and Videography at Pitzhanger Manor, Ealing
This memorial was held in Soane’s Garden Room at Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing — a restored Regency villa with garden light coming into a small, formal room. It was a celebration of a young woman’s life, led by celebrant Ruth Graham, with speeches from people who knew her, live piano, and a tribute film played during the afternoon.
Me and my team photographed and filmed the day. The tribute film, made from photographs of her life and music the family chose, ran on a screen in the room.
Soane’s Garden Room
Pitzhanger is a great venue. It feels welcoming: large windows, natural light, and a garden beyond them. The tables, tea, cake, flowers and a family friend playing the piano in the background made the room inviting.
I photographed from the edges as the family greeted their guests. That is what funeral photography is for — the moments that pass quickly. An embrace at the door. Someone pausing over the cake. And the quieter points where the loss is recognised and shows on people’s faces.
The tribute film
Part way through the afternoon the tribute film I had put together for the family was shown. Photographs of her life, set to music the family had chosen. People laughed and went quiet in the same few minutes.
The speeches told the room who she was. The film put her face back in front of them. I make those films so they can be played during the memorial and kept afterwards.
Photographing the memorial
I started before guests arrived — the flowers, the layout, the light — then photographed people coming in, the speeches, and the conversations after.
Some pictures cover the main parts such as the celebrant, the speakers, the film, the piano. Others are much more intimate, and often the ones missed or not remembered by the family on the da: a look between friends, the location, the details, the garden through the window. Both are part of the whole story.
Funeral photography starts from £750: Funeral Photography
Filming it for her daughter
The videography kept the voices. Speeches, piano, the tribute film playing in the room, the feeling of the afternoon. Her daughter will not remember the running order. One day she want to hear the people who stood up and how they talked about her mother.
That is why families book a film as well as photographs as both approach the same event in very different ways.
Funeral videography starts from £750: Funeral Videography
Memorials and celebrations of life
I cover memorials like this across London — manor rooms, clubs, gardens, churches and private houses. Photography, videography, tribute films, live streaming and AV can be booked together or on their own.
Call or text 07772 509101, or use the contact page.
“My dear friend George Richmond, the Director of Photography for the Marvel movie Deadpool, took on the responsibility of selecting a videographer for my husband's funeral. He chose you out of everyone he looked at, and I am immensely grateful for that decision.
Your work is truly remarkable - from the beautiful opening shots to the impeccable sound quality and the finer details throughout. The way you captured the vibrant blue sky was touching, especially since my husband had such an affection for blue skies. My heartfelt thanks for everything you've done.”
— Lady M ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️