Oil Springs

This video seemed appropriate for today's adventure. We traveled to Oil Springs, site of the first oilfield in the state of Texas. The Handbook of Texas Online has a short article on the history of Oil Springs. You can read the article here.

Fortunate Road Closure

I spoke to the police a few weeks ago about the possibility of making photographs in the middle of the road.  They weren't too excited about it and suggested that we try to make those photographs on Sunday mornings when there is not any traffic. As I was driving to work on Monday, I noticed a road block on Main Street.  I stopped to ask how long the road would be closed.  "Three or four days", they said.  I thanked them for closing the road because it was almost exactly where we needed to be to recreate a photograph.  So, we set up right in front of the detour to make our re- photograph.  

The Re-Photographer's Eye

A behind the lens look at what re-photographers see in
"the process". 


Framing the image in the ground glass viewfinder of the view camera.
Look closely to see the recreated photograph flipped and reversed.

Refining focus on the ground glass with a loupe.  

This is a fairly easy task.  Taking a photograph of it however, is not.

Looking through a light meter to set the proper exposure.
Also you can play CIA Spy Camera Guy with it.

   

Different lenses provide different focal lengths.  Selecting the proper lens length is critical to accurately rephotograph a subject.  

Can you see the firetruck in this picture? Look for its bumper.
Then find the group of re-photographers for a chance at cash and prizes.

Columbia Center

Yes, that is a toilet with a tripod leg in the foreground. This is just one of many examples of our dedication to the project (actually, the restroom was spotless and preferable to some of our previous locations). The photo for this location required us to shoot from a small, second story restroom at the Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center.

South Fredonia

While much of the neighborhood just south of downtown has changed drastically, we were pleased to find this unassuming house still standing in its original location. The historical photo was taken from the middle of South Fredonia St. facing north. We experienced a slight alignment problem with the porch between the original and our recreated photo. It seems that the house is sitting at a higher elevation than it was in 1909. We theorized that this could be due to the fact that all the other houses closer to Banita creek were condemned in the 1970's due to flooding.  This house may have been spared because they were able to raise it up several feet.

Downtown Festival

Our goal for this location was to recreate a photo of a downtown fair taken in 1910. The original photo was shot from the second floor of the building on the northeast corner of Main and Church. The Blueberry Festival provided the perfect opportunity to capture a contemporary version of the original scene.


We encountered one minor, yet terrifying, obstacle in the process. That's not a staircase, it's termites holding hands. Neither words nor photographs can adequately express how jacked up these stairs were. I only walked up them because I was afraid the girls would make fun of me. On the bright side, skydiving, bungee jumping, and snake charming now seem trivial.

Hitchcock's Nightmare

We arrived at the two-story building on the southwest corner of Main Street and Pecan Street to recreate a photo of the north side of the downtown square and Main Street.  We had been notified that there were "some" dead birds in the building.  What we saw when the doors were opened was enough to make me consider faking an illness and going home for the day.

I wondered, "How could a creature be so stupid to enter a building and not be able to find a way out?"  Then I remembered the first time I went to an IKEA...