Repeat Photography in Landscape Research by Mark Klett (from The SAGE Handbook of Visual Research Methods) is a detailed survey of rephotography — the practice of remaking a photograph from an earlier vantage point to reveal change over time. Klett, a leading figure in the field through projects like the Rephotographic Survey Project and Third View, outlines two core approaches: precise relocation of an original camera position for scientifically measurable comparisons, and a looser, context-driven method that embeds multiple photographs into a single scene to build narrative and place-based storytelling.
The chapter covers practical fieldwork techniques (from large-format instant film to digital overlay methods), the critical role of lighting and vantage-point accuracy, and case studies spanning Pyramid Lake, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite. It closes with a look at how digital and interactive media — including the Third View DVD’s dissolve and “Time Reveal” tools — expanded how rephotographs can be presented and explored. For readers of GhostViewer (ghostviewer.co.uk), this is essential background reading: the vantage-point and lighting-matching principles Klett describes are the same fundamentals behind rephotography and “then and now” comparisons.
Links
- GhostViewer – see-through-time website. The Rephotographer’s Toolkit: How to Align Then and Now Photos (And Why Your Approach Matters)
- Books by Matt Klett available from Amazon.