rephotography

Rephotography is the photography practice of taking new photographs of the same scene, from the same or a closely matching viewpoint, to compare with historical images. By aligning composition, lighting, and subject matter, rephotography reveals how landscapes, cities, and environments have changed over time.

Historically, photographers and researchers used rephotography to study change in the 19th and 20th centuries. A landmark effort is the Rephotographic Survey Project, conducted in the 1970s and 1980s, in which Mark Klett, Byron Wolfe, and collaborators revisited hundreds of locations in the American West, pairing contemporary photographs with their 19th-century counterparts to illustrate shifts in geology, vegetation, watercourses, and development.

Techniques emphasize finding or recreating the original vantage point, using landmarks, map data, and sometimes scale references. Photographers shoot with careful attention to lens choice, exposure, and time of day, then align the sequences in post-processing. In modern practice, digital tools such as GIS, image registration, and overlap analysis enhance the ability to quantify change and compare features across time.

Applications range from environmental monitoring and urban planning to archaeology, cultural heritage preservation, and public art projects. Rephotography offers a tangible, visual method for communicating long-term change and for reflecting on the relationship between people and their landscapes.