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If you’re both a photography fan and history buff, then you might want to check out a platform called re.photos. The website/social network, which launched a couple of months ago, allows anyone to share interactive then-and-now images—so-called “rephotography”—that compare a modern version of a location or subject with an older image of the same spot.
Re.photos is the brainchild of retired computer science professor Oliver Vornberger, and it’s extremely easy to use. Users simply upload both a before and an after photo, then place markers on a few points on the images so that the system knows how to align them.
Speaking to PetaPixel in November, Vornberger said that a student of his is working on improving the platform’s algorithm so that manually placing markers isn’t necessary. Eventually, the whole system should be as easy as uploading a before and after picture, and letting the website do the rest of the work.
In addition to automatically aligning images—taking the hard work out of creating these comparisons manually—re.photos serves as an exploration platform for finding rephotography from other users. Rephotography created by users can be searched using descriptions, username, titles, tags such as date or location, and category such as interior, nature, and people.
To check out the platform for yourself, or upload a few before and afters of your own, click here.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)