Megan Eagles captures a strange kind of beauty documenting the UK funeral industry

Since we last caught up with Megan Eagles, the photographer has moved through many different subjects and styles in her photographic work: “I feel I’ve grown a lot as a photographer. I've been diving into more meaningful and complex topics while also building trust and gaining more access with sensitive subjects,” she shares. Having previously documented Londoners’ furry friends, her new and more serious intrigue into the subject of death has spurred on her latest series — a set of images that sits worlds apart from her portraits of the past. “But I still have a soft spot for a fluffy cat,” she adds.

This current photo story: Last Offices, stemmed from a “long-standing morbid curiosity of mine”, she tells us. “I’ve always been intrigued by the anachronistic window displays of funeral directors I’d encounter while walking down various high streets. To me, the funeral industry — alongside laundrettes and ferries — seem to occupy a unique, timeless space… I was captivated by the mystery of what lies behind the scenes.”

Fascinated by a profession that has been “largely shrouded in mystery” due to the cultural taboo around death, the photographer set about documenting three different family-operated funeral businesses, from the inside. Megan captured every angle of their work — from “attending funerals, preparing the deceased, embalming, maintaining coffins and vehicles to the bureaucratic and logistical aspects” all whilst “striving to be unobtrusive and respectful” in the many quiet and private moments. “My time in the mortuary was particularly striking,” she says, “as I had never been around the deceased outside of a funeral setting before. Although initially nervous, you do end up adapting quickly.”

Not only does the photo story depict some of the archetypes of funeral services in the U.K: A dove ready to be released, a display of flowers, a box of tissues, it also poses a window into the more unseen, industrial sides to a world of death: grave digging, mortuary freezers, an embalmer’s tools. All frames that made Megan reflect on the fact that, “ultimately, death is just another aspect of life, a business like any other”, and this series was, in many ways, a cathartic opportunity for the photographer to “find beauty in the banality of death”.

Through the project Megan uncovered that, in many ways, working as a funeral director is “akin to working as a sociologist; it offers direct insight into community practices and traditions [...] These professionals navigate some of life’s darkest moments, offering crucial support during times of grief.” Now that the rise of cremations in the UK is somewhat diminishing their role, many of whom “have been part of their communities for centuries,” the photographer says, Megan’s images stand as a kind of testament to their work.

Speaking on her future plans for the series, Megan says: “I would love to expand this project to include perspectives from funeral practitioners of various religions. This would broaden the narrative and offer a more comprehensive view of funeral practices across different cultural and spiritual contexts.” Many of the reactions to the project have “mirrored societal attitudes” with some people intrigued, and some more unsure of the photographic subject, she says, but rather than holding conversations at arm’s length, the photographer concludes, “I really believe in opening up discussions around death and that is something I aim to do by working on this series.”