Date of Graduation

Summer 2015

Degree

Master of Science in Geospatial Sciences

Department

Geography, Geology, and Planning

Committee Chair

Judith Meyer

Abstract

Repeat photography is the process of taking photographs from the same vantage point at different points in time with the intent of matching the lighting, angle, and other features of the original photograph. This research answers the question of whether or not repeat photography can be used as a tool to illustrate changes in the physical and cultural landscape of Yellowstone National Park over the past century. Eighteen photo pairs were created consisting of historical landscape photographs taken between 1912 and 1936 and new photographs at the same locations taken in June of 2014. The objectives of this study were to (1) collect and then select historical photographs of Yellowstone to be used in the study; (2) locate the site of the original photograph, gather geographic coordinates, and re-photograph the scene; and (3) analyze the photo pairs. Changes in both the natural and built landscape were evaluated for each photo site. The photo pairs were compared qualitatively to better understand physical and cultural landscape change in the park and the natural and human factors that cause landscape change. Overlays of historical and repeat photographs were found to be most useful in evaluating cultural landscape change and side-by-side comparisons were most useful in evaluating physical landscape change.

Keywords

repeat photography, landscape change, qualitative analysis, historical geography, cultural landscape, Yellowstone National Park

Subject Categories

Geology | Photography | Physical and Environmental Geography

Copyright

© Kortney Kaye Huffman

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