Gallery Now Open for The Past is Present Photo Challenge

Welcome to the Past is Present Photo Challenge for World Photography Day August 19, 2011. Old photographs touch a chord with genealogists, and the response to this challenge has been tremendous. For every blogger whose post was submitted, many other bloggers wrote in comments, encouragment, and stories about their own photo efforts. This was a tough challenge demanding creativity, persistence, and an eye to detail.

You'll see that some folks followed the Dear Photograph model, holding an old image in their hand juxtaposed against a modern day backdrop. Others used modern day photo technology to cleverly combine images into one photo. Still others created collages or presented a photo story bringing past and present together. Whatever the medium, the message is still the same: our stories belong to the present as much as they do to the past.

Thank you to everyone who participated. Enjoy!

Geni Webb responded to the challenge "It's not an easy thing to do but it sure was fun" and presents a back-to-school image that combines student and teacher for The "Past is Present" Photo Challenge on Ginisology. Thanks, Geni for kick-off the challenge and getting out the word.

Randy Seaver's post for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Pick Your Past Photos for the Present Photo Challenge helped to spread the news about the Past is Present Photo Project. Randy's selected three photos... and it will be fun to see what he comes up with... one of these Saturnday nights!

Dorene participated in GeneaMusings Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, August 6, 2011 to showcase photos of her great grandmother standing in front of her apartment building in Sandusky, Ohio. It was a tough shot to capture, and Dorene posts her photos at Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay.

Chris Staats at Staats Place was determined to participate in the project, even if she had to get creative with Photoshop. Her post SNGF: Staats Not Gonna Follow [the rules again] pulls together a collage that includes the image of a hand holding one of the photos. Very ingenious.

Karen Seeman at Ancestor Soup brought the past to the present by placing an image of herself with her grandmother and great-grandmother in a present day photo of their old house to make Memories Past... Then and Now.

Jean of Bluegrass and Buckeye Roots featured a past family home tour for her post SGF - a little late, but looking at family houses. Although the images aren't "superimposed," she says, the pages "capture the times together" and isn't that what it's all about?

Valerie enlisted her sister's help for a Dear Photograph style image that she calls "Looking Into the Past" for her post SNGF: Present Photo Challenge at Begin with 'Craft'. Valerie has also used the technique on an earlier post featuring photos taken in cemeteries, and shares her technique tips as well.

Jasia took a trip to a Detroit cemetery to visit the grave of her great grandmother Ludwika. Her Dear Photograph image at Creative Gene is a poignant letter to one day in 1912, remembered "with Love from her great Granddaughter Jasia" at Genealogy Photo Challenge for World Photography Day.

Julie Goucher at Angler's Rest features the graves of her great grandparents in Surrey in Genealogy Photo Challenge - The Past is Present, and shares an interesting note about her grandmother's death and lead-lined coffin.

Kim Adams hadn't heard of Dear Photograph when the Photo Challenge was announced, but soon realized that she had already taken "THE perfect 'Dear Photograph' photo!" featured in One hundred seventeen years later... My answer to the Genealogy Photo Challenge at GeneaMania.

Vickie Everhart is certainly the MacGyver of the Past is Present Challenge. After viewing her beautiful photograph at Sentimental Sunday::Meadows of Heaven be sure to see how she set up the shot at Then and Now on Be Not Forgot.

Kristin combined photos from Google Images with pictures of her family from 1946-1950 to bring her family into 2011 for Past is Present - Springfield Massachusetts 1948 - 1950 at My Cleages and Reeds.

Kay Bauman showcases her grandparents home in Then and Now on Relative Storyboards, and recounts her memories of a a very special place.

Cynthia Shenette showcases two photographs of the Chopin Statue on Heritage Zen in a poignant post entitled Chopin Rising, writing about loss and hope for the future.

and my own entry celebrates a special occasion in Montecito, California with a look through the doorway into the past for Dear Photograph: 35th Wedding Anniversary Edition at The Family Curator.

Thank you, contributors, for meeting the challenge.

More Comparisons: FlipPal Mobile Scanner vs. Epson Flatbed

My recent comparisons of photo scans on the FlipPal Mobile Scanner and my Epson V500 elicited several comments and suggestions. I thought it might be interesting to follow-up on JL's query about file format, with the added twist of correcting the color cast from the FlipPal.

To be as fair as possible, I used the popular photo editing program, Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, with the fully automated Guided Edit commands. I started with two files of the full image scanned last week; both scanned at 600 dpi. One scanned on the FlipPal and one on the Epson V500.

The images were loaded into PSE9 and the Guided Edit window was opened, then the following edits were performed:

1. Basic Photo Edits: Crop raw edges. Save image.

2. Photographic Effects: Old Fashioned Photo (these are applied automatically when the button is clicked):

a. convert to black and white image with Urban/Snapshot button
b. adjust tonality
c. add texture 
d. adjust hue/saturation (un-check Colorize, adjust Lighten to -15)

3. Save in original format (TIF or JPG).

4. Crop tight to show faces and save (TIF or JPG).

5. We now have four new images, two from each scanner showing the same basic edits. I would have liked to post the TIF images, but the files are just tooo huge at 5M and 21M, so I am posting JPG versions of all. I looked closely at all the images, and think the JPGs are still close to the quality of the TIF images. For me, the real difference is in contrast and color. Now that all images have been color-corrected the differences are less obvious. What do you think? Which do you prefer? 

 FlipPal 600 dpi JPG, cropped, edited

Epson V500 600 dpi JPG, cropped, edited
native TIF image too large for web

 

FlipPal 600 dpi cropped edited JPG

Epson V500 600 dpi cropped, edited JPG 

I think the images are all pretty good reproductions of an average family snapshot. One thing to consider, however, is that the FlipPal scanned image required cropping (it did not fill the 4x6 frame) and color correction. The Epson scan was pretty much "good to go" from the original scanned image.

It's good to have options, and I'm glad to have the FlipPal Mobile Scanner available for research trips and visits to relatives. The after-scanning cropping and editing are worth every minute if it gives me access to a new photo or document I would otherwise lose.