April 11, 2012

Earthquake photo mash-ups

Posted by Austin Elliott

San Francisco-based photographer Shawn Clover came up with a creative project: not only did he re-create classic photos of the 1906 earthquake’s destruction from the same vantage points as the original shots, but he’s blended the old and new together in surreal, oddly amusing, and moderately alarming photo stitches.

"Two girls stand before the partially destroyed Sharon Building in Golden Gate Park while students work on their art projects inside." Photograph blend by Shawn Clover. More can be found at http://shawnclover.com/2010/10/01/1906-2010-the-quake-blend-part-i/

From the photographer’s website:

Where was the exact spot the photographer stood? What was the equivalent focal length of his camera’s lens combined with the film medium? How high off the ground was the camera? Where was the sun in the sky? Everything needs to be precise when layering two photos on top of each other.

Have a look at the whole collection:

Shawn Clover – The Earthquake Blend

The fascinating perspectives capturing the destroyed “then” and the recovered “now” would make a superb earthquake awareness campaign, don’t you think?