I have some very personal thoughts about the etiquette of visiting Cemeteries and about what I should and shouldn't do there. I am using this page to share some of the guidelines I have developed. Since this is a developing thing for me, you can expect changes here over time. The Association for gravestone Studies has some suggestions for anyone who is interesting in Gravestone Rubbings at this link.
Following are some thoughts I have developed:
1. A cemetery is personal space for someone. Someone's loved one is buried in this ground and therefore I always proceed with respect.
2. I only enter OPEN cemeteries. Some cemeteries publish their open times. I respect those times. If the cemetery appears to be closed to the public then it probably is. I don't go in. Some cemeteries are very old and one I went to had a very old gate with no lock. The gate was very rusted and entering might have caused damage. I shot my pictures from the outside.
3. Change nothing! I have seen many things in a cemetery. I leave everything as it is. Many cemeteries have people who mow and otherwise manage the grounds. I leave the changes for them to make. They have permission. There is one exception, my mother's grave. I feel free to bring flowers and to clean the stone carefully.
4. Respect others who might be there. I don't take pictures of people visiting their family stones and I don't take pictures of active funerals. That is in my mind private space.
5. I never do anything to damage a gravestone. Many stones are hard to read because of damage or wear. If I can't read it that is my bad luck. I do the best I can to shoot a photograph. Photographs do no harm as far as I know. Sometimes I can read the stone from the photograph when I couldn't in person.
6. Cleaning or rubbing old stones takes extreme care and much knowledge (see the link above.) It also requires permission. Generally if the Cemetery is open to the public then pictures do not require permission. Always look for posted restrictions in any case.