"The past captured with modern photography!" Topic

Well, in a way.

While I was waiting to get my hair cut at my favorite local place this morning, I happened to spot a copy of the May 2012 issue of National Geographic to read. This is what the cover looks like:

Inside is an article about American Civil War battlefield art and the newspaper correspondent-artists that accompanied the armies (Winslow Homer, Alfred Waud, and others). Their stories and artwork has always been and continue to be a fascinating subject to explore, but what really caught my attention was the photographs of a modern-day photographer named Richard Barnes.

Accompanying ACW reenactors and photographing them, he didn't use the latest photographic technology to capture the action, but instead used the same tools and techniques that 19th Century photographers would have worked with, men such as Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner. The result is a truly amazing and accurate recreation of the look and visual impact of Victorian-era battlefield photography.

But, Mr. Barnes goes one step further: not only does he capture the shadowy and somewhat haunting aura of those period photos, but he also includes modern, everyday objects in the pictures (a truck, portable toilets, etc.) for a fascinating mix of the present and the past! The link below will take you to what Mr. Barnes achieved.

link

Yes it was a fascinating issue and well worth the read.

I remember thumbing through the Nat Geo and coming to the B&W photos section without any warning. I at first thought the pictures were period ones, and then I saw the vehicles and went "what the?…" It is a very cool approach….

Read that issue. Pretty decently done.

This is really nothing new. There have been photographers using original techniques and equipment at reenactments for decades. They are so popular, you have to set up an appointment before you even get to the event. Although I have to admit that most of them take every effort to keep the modern stuff OUT of their pictures :) I have several beautiful ambrotypes and tintypes.