Rephotography is the act of repeat photography at the same site, with a time gap between the two images; the so-called “then and now” view of a particular area.
Some of these images are pretty casual in terms of their artistic expression, usually taken from the same viewpoint but without trying to recreate the same “vibe” of the original shot. Others, however, are produced very precisely. Either way, they provide very interesting insights into the passage of time and its effect on the world.
Hands down, the best online archive of such pictures is the subreddit r/OldPhotosInRealLife. Natural wonders, urban settlements, you name it, it has it all. Continue scrolling to check out the most popular recent posts among its members, and be sure to check out our earlier publications on the subreddit here, here, and here when you’re done, too.
#1 1980s And Nowadays, Forestation By Hikmet Kaya In Turkey
#2 Tiergarten, Berlin (1945 & 2021)
According to The Difficult Knowledge Project, a University Of British Columbia initiative led by Dr. Amy Scott Metcalfe, rephotography developed in the natural sciences to demonstrate environmental change, such as erosion or receding glaciers, and has been applied to fields such as sociology to show social change, usually in the built environment (e.g., towns and cities).
Rephotography can also be applied to, for example, the campus or school setting as a way to discuss organizational change and other aspects of the environment.
#3 Haarlemmerdijk Street In Amsterdam, Netherlands (1971 And 2020)
#4 Boston – Elevated Highway Moved Underground, Replaced With Green Space. (1990s V. 2010s)
#5 1910 Great Flood Of Paris
“Much like many other subreddits created here on Reddit, this subreddit spawned from a comment thread in another unrelated subreddit where a set of images was posted,” the moderator of r/OldPhotosInRealLife, u/Npbugati, told Bored Panda in an earlier interview.
“A friend of mine from high school (who has since deleted his account) originally created the subreddit and added me as a moderator. The first post on the subreddit can be found here and is the image that spawned its creation.”
#6 This Is A Photo My Great Grandfather Took In Youngstown In 1951 And A Photo I Took Yesterday
#7 Roman Theatre Of Cartagena (Province Of Murcia, Spain) 1991 vs. 2021
#9 Kharkiv, Ukraine 2015 And 2022
According to u/Npbugati, their role as moderators is usually pretty hands-off. “We want to allow the community’s upvotes to provide most of the encouragement to keep posts high quality,” they said.
However, in some cases, the mods inevitably have to get involved for everyone’s sake.
#10 Minami-Sanriku (Japan) 2011 vs. 2020
#11 Poznań Old Square – Ww2 vs. 2021
#12 1946 vs. 2021 – Poznań, Poland
#13 Besikli Cave Tomb In Hatay, Turkey
“Sometimes, we will have posts that encourage some user to act out in the comments or become overly political or rude. In times like these, we will step in and moderate as necessary to keep the comment section positive,” u/Npbugati explained.
“As I am a software developer, I have created a ‘ghost’ bot of my own that monitors every post and every comment made on the subreddit, scanning for potential issues and even specific keywords, and will create custom reports for us,” they added.
#14 A German Aa Battery In Aasenfjord, Norway. A Transparent Screen With A Photo From The War Is Placed So You Can See What It Looked Like When New
#15 Positano, Italy A Century Apart (1920/2022)
#16 Butchery Lane, Canterbury, In 1895, 1920, 1992 And 2022
#17 1916 vs. Now- Verdun Battlefield, France
This bot, however, does not have a moderator status, so its “identity” is a complete secret and its actions are invisible.
For the moderator, it’s the historical, architectural, and even scientific aspects of rephotography that keep them passionate about taking care of the entire community.
#18 1000 Year Old Toghrol Tower In The City Of Rey, Iran. First Photo Taken In 1840’s
#19 Redlands Fire Department Group Photo 1958 And 2012 @ Intersection Of 35 Cajon St, Redlands, Ca
#20 Manhattan In 1851 And Today
#21 Avril Lavigne’s First Album Shoot 2022 vs. 2002
“I of course think that it is important for us to have a great understanding of history and its [effect on] how we function today. I also … find the preservation of these ancient buildings and structures … very interesting to look at and research more as they are posted.”
Even if someone hasn’t directly experienced the subjects of these photos in one way or another, the mod thinks these comparisons are still worthwhile to explore.
#22 1878 – 2022. Tetons. Not Much Has Really Changed In This Photo. But I Still Think It’s Neat
#23 Gooderham Flatiron Building, Toronto (1895 vs. Today)
#24 Fascism To Kebabs, Durham 1934 V 2020
#25 Ent To NYC And Had A Free Day So I Visited Some Iconic Album Cover Locations
#26 Torun, Poland
#27 Baroli Temples, Baroli, Rajasthan, India. Built 10th Century Ce. Sketch From 1850 And Picture From 2018
#28 Roman Forum (Rome, Italy) Before 1864 vs. Today
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