Have you ever revisited a location that you photographed a few years earlier and compared the shots you took then with the new ones? A few weeks ago, I visited Bennington, Vermont, for the first time in several years and did just that. I also got a few new shots, like the one above, in places I hadn’t been before in Bennington.
I organized a meetup with my local photography club because I remember how much I enjoyed photographing the historic buildings in Bennington the last time I visited. The first stop was the Old First Church, which has been around for over 200 years. The last time I visited, in 2010, it was just a few months before I purchased my wide angle lens so I had to stand back a ways to get the whole church in the shot.
The church has a yellowish cast to it, due to the color treatment I gave it. In 2013, I used a wide angle lens to get in close.
Next, the Old Walloomsac Inn. Around since before the Revolution, the Inn has fallen into disrepair since it became a private home in the 1990s. My understanding is that the locals and visitors would like to see the building restored to its former glory, but the owners do not want to make any renovations. I gave the Inn a spooky treatment when I went in 2010.
This time, I went with a lighter treatment and a wider angle. The vegetation adds a different feel to the photo as well.
Next, I love capturing the juxtaposition of the Walloomsac Inn’s state of disrepair with the Old First Church up the road. Another spooky edit in the 2010 version.
And in 2013, a wider and more realistic interpretation.
I’ll leave you with a final shot of a new spot I photographed.
The bottom line: don’t pass up an opportunity to rephotograph a previous location. It’s fun to see how your style has changed since the last time you were there!
