Sad moments can be worth capturing too...

Do you remember this - the photo of JFK's son saluting his Daddy's coffin in Washington in 1963.

I'll never forget the heart-aching picture of Princess Diana's flowers, atop her coffin, from her boys. You know the one I mean. Simple flowers and the word "Mummy." Also, think of the moment the cranes all bowed in homage to Winston Churchill's funeral barge as it headed down the Thames.

Sad moments but history would be poorer without their memory. These, of course, were huge state funerals, and have always been recorded for posterity. But not since Victorian days have ordinary families booked a formal funeral photographer. It does seem to be catching on, though. Today, I was joined by Rachel Wallace from Henley, who is building up quite a business as a funeral photographer. Like me, she feels that we Brits aren't good at dealing with death, handling those in mourning, or letting death be "a part of life", as she put it. And certainly I have been to funerals where the family concerned have been hugely moved by the people who bothered to turn up, and the emotion of the event itself. Yet within moments, it is all over. I think, in many cases, the bereaved might be helped by having a keepsake album. I have been to some tremendous funerals. It sounds weird to say so, but it's true. A lot of love and care can be invested in a funeral, and it's a shame if it disappears forever.