One of the things I enjoy most about photography is that every picture becomes more valuable with time.
When we photograph an old railway station, a village high street, or a family home from decades ago, we’re creating a connection between past and present. That’s the essence of “then and now” photography. But there’s another thought that’s been growing on me lately:
Today’s “now” is tomorrow’s “then”.
The street you walk down every day, the local shops, the park, the railway bridge, even your own home and garden are all changing, often so slowly that we barely notice. Yet in ten, twenty or fifty years, photographs taken today could become fascinating records of how life looked in our time.
That’s why I’ve started paying more attention to recording places as they are now, not because they’re dramatic or historic, but because they’re ordinary. Ordinary scenes often become the most interesting historical photographs later.
For anyone who enjoys photo walks, I’ve found it useful to keep a simple record of locations I’ve photographed and revisit them over time. Returning to the same viewpoint every year or two can produce a surprisingly powerful visual story.
To help with this idea, I’ve put together a free “Then and Now Photo Walk Log Book” that can be downloaded and printed. It’s designed to help photographers record locations, viewpoints, dates and notes for future revisits.
You can read more and download it here:
👉 Free Then and Now Photo Walk Log Book
I’d be interested to hear whether anyone else deliberately revisits the same locations over the years. Do you have a favourite local spot that you’ve photographed repeatedly?
