ABSTRACT
MIG cultural landscape specialists have developed and used repeat photography methods for a range of site types and scales, from remote national park sites to distinctly urban park settings. This chapter explores how and why repeat photography (also called “re-photography”) was used for three different sites, each with complex, interwoven cultural and natural histories: the South Park Blocks in downtown Portland, Oregon; the White Pass Unit of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in southeast Alaska; and Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon. Each project used different methods of repeat photography to expand knowledge and understanding of complicated sites for site managers, project designers, stakeholders, and the public. Specific methods used and developed by MIG for repeat photography include traditional “side-by-side comparison”, “hybridized, layered visual social media”, and “blended composite” photographs. These methods contribute to the evolution of repeat photography as an adaptive and flexible tool used by practitioners of urban planning, cultural and historic preservation, and landscape architecture and design. The chapter includes a brief history of repeat photography and recent developments in archival practices and technologies that suggest its strong potential to evolve and remain a relevant tool in the future.
