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Snap Shots: by Harry Flashman
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Documenting the neighborhood
Pattaya Bay circa 1991.
You may think that your particular neighborhood has nothing interesting in it.
So why photograph rows of shop-houses, for example? Because it is interesting to
know what was there before you came to live there.
It is considered part of progress that old buildings are knocked down to make
way for another expressway, even though some may not agree. However, no matter
which way your opinion slants, the subject ‘progress’ makes for a great photo
project.
The great thing about this project is that not only does it make you ‘work’ to
produce a particular image, but the final images are eminently marketable. Even
if taken with a point and shooter. Interested? You could even make money out of
this!
All you have to do with this project is to show the progress that has occurred
in any area - particularly the region that you live in - for example, Bangkok,
Chiang Mai or Pattaya suburbs! The concept is simple - contrast a “now” shot
with what was there before. Sounds too easy? Well, it is not quite that easy!
There are a couple of snags.
Probably one of the hardest aspects is getting the “before” or “then” shots in
the first place. This will take some scrounging around, particularly in this
region of the world, where not much stock was placed upon the particular moment
in time. Buddhism tells you that all of life is change - so why get excited
about recording the moment.
However, one of the greatest sources of the “then” images are postcards -
particularly tourist market postcards. These were generally of reasonable
photographic quality and depicted the subject from a good angle.
So where are they? This is where you begin asking all the Thai people you know
if they have any old photographs or postcards. After that, look in second hand
shops, the dusty back corners of old Chinese chemist shops, funny old stores in
outside of town - anywhere. But you do have to get these images first. Remember
that you can always have photographs scanned these days and you do not need the
negatives. So all you have to do is borrow, if you cannot beg or steal! Do not
worry about image quality, because no one expects old photographs to be
pristine, in fact a little bit of fading and staining looks good in the final
result, particularly the sepia tints.
Next part of the project is to find the original area that was photographed and
work out where the shot was taken from. The concept is to get as close as
possible to the original, so that the difference between the “then” and “now” is
just the progress. This does mean looking critically at the original and working
out if it was taken by a wide angle lens or whatever. If the shot is more than
50 years old, it was probably taken with a “normal” 50 mm lens, so try that
first and look critically through your own viewfinder, while looking at the
original as the reference.
Of course, some will be easy, like Pattaya Bay taken from the Naval Lookout at
the top of Pratamnak Hill. Others, like the Nipa Lodge will be harder - just
what angle did they take it from? It is also good to try and duplicate the time
of day. Late afternoon or morning? Look at the shadows and you can work it out!
Now having done all your homework, go out and re-take all those shots from
yesteryear. Again, be very critical with yourself. You do want to be able to see
that this is a re-take of the original. Near enough is not good enough. Some
pictures may be too confusing if there are no landmarks and you will have to
reject some of them, unfortunately, but you will score some gold!
These new ones are worth having printed as at least 10"x8" and mounted side by
side with the faded originals. This is what makes them so interesting (and so
saleable). Believe me, these will sell! Everyone wants to know “life as it was”
- it’s up to you to do it first in your neck of the woods (before they cut down
the trees)!
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