Record Photography
Jul 24, 2012 18:50:55 #
I know we mostly take photos for what you might call "artistic" reasons, but does anyone take photos as a record? Obviously pictures of our family and pets and so forth, in other words the personal type of photo, are record photos, but what about other things?
Some time back in the early eighties I took a photo in the Dorset sea-side town of Swanage when I was on holiday with the family. Last year I took another photo from more or less the same place. It is interesting to look at how much, or little, things have changed in 30 years. The interest lies in looking back all that time.
So, should I be taking lots of photos of my home town and so on for future generations to pore over? If so, I need to include cars, buses. shops etc. All those things that make old photos interesting.
So, back to my original question - does anyone take photos to form a record?
Some time back in the early eighties I took a photo in the Dorset sea-side town of Swanage when I was on holiday with the family. Last year I took another photo from more or less the same place. It is interesting to look at how much, or little, things have changed in 30 years. The interest lies in looking back all that time.
So, should I be taking lots of photos of my home town and so on for future generations to pore over? If so, I need to include cars, buses. shops etc. All those things that make old photos interesting.
So, back to my original question - does anyone take photos to form a record?
Jul 24, 2012 19:33:05 #
rocar7 wrote:
I know we mostly take photos for what you might ca... (show quote)
Not really... although, I did video tape my home as it was being built. I guess that's a record. However, I do see a value in this type of photography---I guess I just figure someone like you will keep a record of such things for the rest of us. :-)
Jul 24, 2012 19:45:02 #
I've just started a side project on this topic. I'm photographing iconic businesses in the area. For instance we have this famous diner called King's Chef. It's a purple castle. My goal is to record these different business or areas and then go back and do the same in 10 or more years. I got the idea from our local history museum. They had a display from one photographer who started his project in 1880 and took images of the same areas every 10-15 years. It was really interesting to see the changes.
Jul 24, 2012 19:59:22 #
At my age, I'd be glad to take a record photo of anywhere and be here thirty years to do a followup.
Seriously, I have gone back to some places and found unpleasant changes.
Most people are familiar with Ansel Adams "Moonrise Hernandez New Mexico." image.
I went there in approximately thirty years after the 1945 shot and was astonished with the scene. The church was completely surrounded on one side by a construction yard and a drive through dairy. On the back side, the adobe houses were replaced with some terrible run down stucco homes. The grave yard was not visible. I was going to climb up on the rise opposite and take a photo but it was too depressing to contemplate and not worth the effort. Santa Fe (Might have been Taos) had grown out and enveloped Hernandez and the Hernandez we love to look at was gone forever. I had driven by the iconic scene and not recognized it.
Seriously, I have gone back to some places and found unpleasant changes.
Most people are familiar with Ansel Adams "Moonrise Hernandez New Mexico." image.
I went there in approximately thirty years after the 1945 shot and was astonished with the scene. The church was completely surrounded on one side by a construction yard and a drive through dairy. On the back side, the adobe houses were replaced with some terrible run down stucco homes. The grave yard was not visible. I was going to climb up on the rise opposite and take a photo but it was too depressing to contemplate and not worth the effort. Santa Fe (Might have been Taos) had grown out and enveloped Hernandez and the Hernandez we love to look at was gone forever. I had driven by the iconic scene and not recognized it.
Jul 25, 2012 10:58:42 #
MCHUGH
Loc: Jacksonville, Texas
I do take some but not as many as I should. When I was in business I had a collection of negatives that the previous owner had taken just for record and in commercial jobs he had done for customers. The files went back 50 years and was often a source of extra income for me as well a great public relations for locals. I supplied decorations for many business out of that file.
Jul 25, 2012 11:02:30 #
myts10
Loc: SE Ohio
t is a project that I have been thinking about. A couple of weeks ago I saw a book titled Images of Zanesville my home town. Most were taken in the 30's and 40's. I would like to find those locations and take the same shot. Be like continuing the historical record.
So as to your question, Yes. Do it.
So as to your question, Yes. Do it.
Jul 25, 2012 16:14:20 #
Moonrise Hernandez New Mexico."
Has anyone else ever read about the post processing that Ansel did to the negative of that shot? very interesting and should stop the debate about the way we process today with computer programs.Probably wont haha.
Has anyone else ever read about the post processing that Ansel did to the negative of that shot? very interesting and should stop the debate about the way we process today with computer programs.Probably wont haha.
Jul 25, 2012 19:13:33 #
Adams has a shot of Mt Mckinley with a bolder field in the foreground. A friend drove all over that area off Hwy 395 in his 4x4 looking for that boulder field and could not find it.
His conclusion: Double printed.
If Ansel was alive had Photoshop 6, he'd be a pig in slop.
His conclusion: Double printed.
If Ansel was alive had Photoshop 6, he'd be a pig in slop.
Jul 25, 2012 19:23:33 #
I have thought about it here recently. I had a friend who commented on some photos that were displayed on facebook. Apparently someone who is a friend of hers(I know the lady too, but not friends on facebook. She also happens to work for our history museum in town)found a whole trashbag full of photos from the 70's. Several of them were different shots of main street in my town. It was really neat to look at all the businesses and signs that used to be downtown. Now most big things like stores have moved out west of town. So I thought maybe one day when I can get a DSLR camera I would try to go around town and take some shots of main street and maybe some businesses and churches and stuff. Maybe then I could donate them to the museum. Things seem to change fast around here and it would be good to have a side by side of how the town has changed. In 30 years it might be good to have them to show how much the town has changed over a total of 70 years if you include those "old" photographs they found in a trashbag.
Jul 25, 2012 21:37:45 #
rocar7 wrote:
I know we mostly take photos for what you might ca... (show quote)
Sure. I've taken pictures of my car and the other car when involved in a fender bender. The drivers license of the other driver. I've taken pictures of many projects involving the transformation of a stock Jeep CJ7 into an off road worthy piece of transportation. I take pictures of things as I take them apart so I can put em back together. I take pictures of stuff I see in stores so I can remember what it was that I might want more information on before I purchase it. I've taken pictures of the inside of my house for insurance purposes. I've take video too. I've taken pictures of my camera equipment for insurance purposes too. I take pictures of people that look suspicious if I think I can do so without being noticed. No sense in putting myself in harms way if the person is up to no good. I've taken pictures of other photographers I meet because it helps me to remember their names. Many more reasons that I make image records.
Jul 26, 2012 00:07:22 #
rocar7 wrote:
I know we mostly take photos for what you might ca... (show quote)
I urge everyone to take photos of their home town. Qur Historical Society had a program about 10 years ago and we ask people to bring in any old photos they had from years ago of the town. We have lost a lot of the old buildings, so we copied them all for our arcives. We received hundreads. So keep shooting those old buildings and the barns. We are loseing them very fast.
Jul 26, 2012 00:12:15 #
glojo
Loc: South Devon, England
Great idea and it is surprising how little Swanage has changed. I love looking at old photgraphs for this very reason
Jul 26, 2012 03:52:27 #
Dr Rae wrote:
I've just started a side project on this topic. I... (show quote)
I think that's a great idea. Too often we walk down a main shopping street in our own town and notice a new shop, then can't remember what was there before. Things change all the time. Digital photos are so easy to take, and keep, that we should make the most of the opportunity of recording the changes.
Jul 26, 2012 05:35:45 #
francesca3
Loc: Sausalito, CA
Yes, that has occurred to me lately, too.
Your photos are proof of how things change, and the Smithsonian has hundreds of thousands of photo records in case you are interested in seeing how things have changed, you can access their photos.
Your photos are proof of how things change, and the Smithsonian has hundreds of thousands of photo records in case you are interested in seeing how things have changed, you can access their photos.
Jul 26, 2012 05:44:59 #
francesca3
Loc: Sausalito, CA
jeep_daddy wrote:
quote=rocar7 I know we mostly take photos for wha... (show quote)
Clever you. Lots of great reasons to use images to make records of things.
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