Tripod Holes

[mmerig]

Here is a thread on repeat photography of natural (i.e., non-urban) landscapes. There may be another or others like this; if so, then this could be joined with it. Others can post their photos as well, of course.

My background is in vegetation ecology, so I re-take images with that purpose in mind, for people that are interested in the particular scenes, or more commonly, the overall landscape and on-going processes that the scenes represent.

But this is a photography site the last time I checked, so to make it more interesting for photographers, I will post my re-take first, people can critique it anyway they want, then after a while I will post the original scene. I would be happy to explain anything I can about the scene to those interested, but generally I will just say where it is and when it was taken, and what I used. The originals could be from several photographers, dating back to the 1870's. Some of the original photographers were professional photographers, some were not. I will try and pick out the more scenic, aesthetic ones, but could stray from that if it seems worthwhile.

What we can learn from this is how different photographers viewed the landscape, their style, what their relative skill-level was, and how well (or not) I captured the re-take.

So here is the first one:

Unamed lake and ridge along the Buffalo Plateau, near Marston Pass, in the Teton Wilderness in NW Wyoming. September 4, 2018.



On 4 by 5 Ilford Ortho Plus, with a 135-mm Kodak WF Ektar, 1/65 s at F16. The image is cropped a little to match the original, which had a 44-degree horizontal field of view. Scanned from a print on Ilford MG IV Deluxe glossy RC paper, #2 filter.

[joem]

Nice image, should be an.interesting thread.

[Two23]

Would like to see more. I've been doing some similar stuff in South Dakota. I use period correct lenses and am shooting both wet plate and dry plate. My three favorite photographers are FJ Haynes, WR Cross, and Stanley Morrow.


Kent in SD

[DHodson]

Interesting thread - looking forward to the original

[mmerig]

Here is the original. See post #1 for the re-take from 2018.




Thomas A. Jaggar 117. US Geological Survey, September 4, 1893

Jaggar used dry glass plates in a whole plate camera for this image, one of several in the NE part of what is now the Teton Wilderness, designated in 1964 (I have re-taken 15 of them). Except for occasional horses and mules, most of the Teton W., including this area, has never been grazed by livestock -- a rarity in the western USA.

High clouds prevailed during Jaggar's photography.

The timing for both images were within 45 minutes (mine was earlier, due to logistics)

The changes over the last 125 years are subtle. In 2018, ice patches are smaller, there are a few more trees, and the formerly barren foreground has more vegetation (mostly Parry's rush and woodrush sedge). The terrain is all Wiggins Formation, (Eocene), which is mostly an andesite breccia. Two separate, huge icecaps moved over this terrain during the late Pleistocene glaciations. The 1893 image reflects the end of the Little Ice Age (ca. 1300 to 1870).

T. A. Jaggar was a geologist with Arnold Hague's survey. Hague was an eminent geologist, best known for his work in and near Yellowstone National Park. In 1912, Jaggar went on to start and manage the Hawawiian Volcanoe Observatory.

[mmerig]

Would like to see more. I've been doing some similar stuff in South Dakota. I use period correct lenses and am shooting both wet plate and dry plate. My three favorite photographers are FJ Haynes, WR Cross, and Stanley Morrow.


Kent in SD

F. J. Haynes is one of my favorites too.

Could you post some of your repeat images here as well?

[Jimi]

Very interesting, please continue!

I've always enjoyed "then and now" photographs. I assume the original dry plate is blue sensitive since the sky is blown out?

[mmerig]

Very interesting, please continue!

I've always enjoyed "then and now" photographs. I assume the original dry plate is blue sensitive since the sky is blown out?

Yes, the original dry plate is blue-sensitive, but puffy clouds can show up on the glass plates that Jaggar used, but the skoes typically look "blown-out". The lack of strong shadows indicates stratus clouds, and pictures later in the month, after about a 10-day break, show fresh snow.

[mmerig]

Here is another one -- this time, and from now on, I will post the original and my re-take together.

Rockfall northwest of Dorwin Peak, Gros Ventre Mountains, Wyoming



Eliot Blackwelder 156, August 17, 1911. Eliot Blackwelder Collection, American Heritage Center. University of Wyoming



August 17, 2017

On 4 by 5 Ilford Ortho Plus, with a 121-mm f8 Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon, 1/7 s at F22. It was very windy during photography, and my friend Thomas Allison kept the kit from blowing away down the cliff. The image is cropped to match the original, which had a 48.5-degree horizontal field of view. Scanned from a print on Ilford MG IV Deluxe glossy RC paper, #1 1/2 filter.

In dominoe-like fashion, a block of Bighorn dolomite has fractured and fallen away from its source cliff at left. The primary jointing of the rock is parallel to the view direction, towards Steamboat Mountain at right-center view. A walk through the rockfall revealed only bedrock, water, and ice. Trees (subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce) have increased on the plateau at left -- likely due to post-fire recovery.

Eliot Blackwelder was a prodigious exploration geologist, typically working in remote country on his own or with a few young assistants. In NW Wyoming, he worked-out the glacial stages and described and named many of the prominent geologic formations. He was also the first to discover intact stromatolites (fossilized Cambrian algal heads). For many years he was the head of the geology department at Stanford University.

Blackwelder's camera is somewhat of a mystery. I have seen the original prints, and they are about postcard sized (3.25 by 5.5 inches), but his notes refer to a 4 by 5 camera and a "small Kodak". In 1911, he probably used a Kodak 3A folding pocket camera, in postcard format (3.25 by 5.5). This camera accepted glass plates, but his field notes indicate roll film, and an exposure of 1/100 s at f5. Given the field of view in the print, the taking lens was close to 150 mm, but the Kodak catalog for the 3A has a 6.5-inch focal length lens (165-mm).

[Willie]

Your own Reohotographic Survey project. Some others have done this type of work as well.

Mark Klett is probably the best known with a few books out showing his efforts.

https://arthistoryunstuffed.com/reph...eing-the-west/