On April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco and the coast of Northern California. Fires across the city broke out, ravaging the city for several days. As a result, about 3,000 people died and 80% of San Francisco was destroyed.
The earthquake and resulting fire are remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States alongside the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The death toll from the earthquake and resulting fire is the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California’s history.
In an ongoing series entitled The Earthquake Blend (part I, part II), San Francisco-based photographer Shawn Clover decided to blend pictures from the devastating earthquake into present day shots of the same locations.
Clover explains:
“To put these photos together, I first create a catalog of historical photos that look like they have potential to be blended. Unfortunately most of these photos end up on the digital cutting room floor because there’s simply no way to get the same photo today because either a building or a tree is in the way.
Once I get a good location, I get everything lined up just right. My goal is to stand in the exact spot where the original photographer stood. Doing this needs to take into account equivalent focal length, how the lens was shifted, light conditions, etc. I take plenty of shots, each nudged around a bit at each location. Just moving one foot to the left changes everything.” – Source: ShawnClover.com
Below you will find highlights from the parts I and II of this fascinating series. Be sure to check out the entire galleries on Shawn’s official website! Part I, Part II
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