Every city has a historic district filled with notable homes, beautiful gardens and exemplary architecture. In my younger days I would purposely walk about ten blocks to and from my my art classes at VCU in Richmond, Virginia. The more I walked the Fan District the more architectural detail I noticed, something I refer to now as “in-sight.” In-sight is taking the time to look up and around to see things we would normally miss in our hectic lives, the vignettes that make for great photography.

Perhaps the Historical Photomerge process above will help your historic district or neighborhood in restoration or revitalization efforts. Please contact me. I would love to explore the possibilities with you.

I love to shoot vintage vehicles whether the are car festival showstoppers or museum showpieces. Recently I had the good fortune of coming across this vintage Ford parked in front of a historically restored Rexall Drug storefront. I believe both are circa late 1920s.

With the restored car, architecturally restored storefront and some photographics intrigued viewers might wonder, “Is this old or is this new?”

Many small towns across the Midwest are enjoying successful “First Fridays” monthly events. On the first Friday of each month local and regional visitors gather to explore a town for the first time or reminisce about growing up there. The event series brings regular foot traffic to merchants like downtown merchants and restaurants.  First Fridays are even more popular when they include a festival such as ice sculpture carving contests, cruise ins, car shows and cook-offs. First Fridays make a perfect “staycation.”

High dynamic range (HDR) photography and other modern photo styles are great for destination tourism marketing of small town / city events.

Visiting the Air Zoo is an incredible, sensory-rich experience. The professionally lit exhibit spaces are decorated with breathtaking murals and feature an impressive collection of aircraft, amusement rides, a 4-D theater and much more. In my opinion, the Air Zoo provides a better overall educational and entertainment experience than the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian with the exception of scale and size of collection.

This photo illustration started with high dynamic range (HDR) photography. Other photo enhancements were added to recreate a sense of discovery and exhibit space drama.

For more information visit the Air Zoo Web site.

This architectural treasure at 101 N. Main St., Elkhart IN was opened in 1905. Fortunately the building is still standing today. It is currently the home of a PNC Bank branch.

Historical Photomerge is my spin on the traditional “then-and-now” photo concept. Normally you might see photos of the same location side by side, sometimes from slightly different angles. Historical Photomerge seamlessly weaves together a historical archival photograph with a modern one to produce a thought provoking image.

Historical Photomerge is ideal for a smartphone or cellphone walking tour. Images are also useful for historic preservation by showing both the history and future potential of an endangered property.

The Bucklen Livery (horse stable) was originally located at 117 E. Lexington Ave. Several businesses occupied the space including a bowling alley before it was demolished in 1979. The location today is a private parking lot.

Historical Photomerge is my spin on the traditional “then-and-now” photo concept. Normally you might see photos of the same location side by side, sometimes from slightly different angles. Historical Photomerge seamlessly weaves together a historical archival photograph with a modern one to produce a thought provoking image.

Historical Photomerge is ideal for a smartphone or cellphone walking tour. Images are also useful for historic preservation by showing both the history and future potential of an endangered property.

Every town in the United States has at least one museum with historic treasures worth preserving. The RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana features an incredible collection of vehicles arranged in a chronological timeline that takes visitors from the Great Depression through each world war all the way to modern times.

This high dynamic range (HDR) photograph was taken with no additional lighting or flash, combining multiple exposures to produce a striking image.

For more information visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame Web site.

Recently I had the pleasure of working alongside Paul Yoder of LP’s Custom Painting. Paul has years of restoration experience in museums and historic homes. While prepping to repaint several areas of the historic Ruthmere mansion Paul uncovered several paint layers and wall patterns. These reveals gave an exciting glimpse into the past. He created new stencils and plans are underway to reproduce the patterns around the ceiling line.

The hard to reach locations and lack of lighting made the reveals very difficult for the museum client to capture with a point-and-shoot camera. They asked me to come document the original patterns and various wall colors. The end result was crisp, more true-to-color photo documentation.

More information
LP’s Custom Painting
Paul Yoder
28520 CR 50
Nappanee, IN
(574) 773-3345

This historic home was designed by architect E. Hill Turnock, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright. The Beaux Arts (Fine Arts) style was not a very common style for residences in the United States making this house museum a treasure.

The layers of renovation inside a historic property are as captivating as the architectural detail on the outside. This home built in 1848 has gone through several style transitions. The current restoration project is carefully peeling back one layer at a time. Photographing the restoration process itself can provide some fascinating images and important documentation.