Capitol Cornucopia, Washington D.C.
© Jason Powell

Looking into the Past: There’s a Little Time Travel in All of Us

Which comes first—the past or the present? The answer to this question may seem obvious. But when you’re involved in time travel (and creativity), the sequence is not always clear.

Jason Powell’s photographs challenge us to think about time. How things change. How they stay the same. How the past and the present fit together. What we remember and what we forget.

Dunker Church, Antietam, Maryland
© Jason Powell

A Theme of Time Passing

Jason makes photographs in the present, but integrates the past.

“The theme of time passing on a man-made landscape is a common one in my work,” he says. “The Looking into the Past project is a way for that to be shown, quite literally.”

He spends hours, days, months perusing the Library of Congress photo archives, lost in history, searching for intriguing reflections of the past.

“I love the library archives so much,” he admits. “They’re truly an unsung American treasure.”

Child as Liberty, Peace Monument, Washington D.C.
© Jason Powell

A Convergence of Centuries

Originally, Jason’s idea was to do then/now diptychs, but he was inspired by Michael Hughes’ Souvenirs project (where a souvenir trinket or postcard is positioned in the foreground of the actual attraction).

LIberty, from the Souvenir Series that inspired Jason Powell
© Michael Hughes

Jason decided to hold the old photo up in the present scene. It worked. An OIC moment of the creative kind. “One look and I was hooked for life,” he says. The format of his series was born.

When he finds an inspiring image in the archives, he scouts the current location to see what may be left of the past (often taking advantage of 21st century technology such as Google Maps or Street View).

Stone House, Manassas National Battlefield
© Jason Powell

If there’s a creative fit of past and present, he prints the photo from the library archives and takes it to the site, choosing a day and time that work with the light and weather of the image.

Then comes the most challenging part of execution. Fitting the “past” exactly into the present, making the puzzle pieces match while dodging tourists and cars. He holds the photo with one hand and shoots with the other.

His number one tip: “When shooting in the street, bring a spotter who can warn you when cars are coming!”

Country Store on Dirt Road, Gordonton, North Carolina
© Jason Powell

It’s About Time

When we look at Jason’s photographs, we not only see the past and present but feel the emotion of history . . . visual nudges to remember how events have had impact. We cannot help thinking about time passing and what that might mean in our own lives.

In some of these images, it looks as if little has changed. The Antietam fields near Dunker Church seem quiet and peaceful but hold the haunting secrets of war.

Carvel Hall, Annapolis, Maryland
© Jason Powell

The streets of Annapolis seem as if they could be a day in September, 2013—albeit a rather deflating day when your neighbor drives up in a car flashier (and 100 years newer) than your pride and joy. (Or 100 years older depending on which time era you have chosen to believe.)

In some of the scenes, much has changed. Towers that were once the icon of a skyline are there no longer—a dramatic change in history and the world.

Whether we receive an overt message from these images or have our imagination inspired by subtle clues, we are made to feel the nature of time passing . . . and of change.

Crowd Watching The World Trade Center Burning
© Jason Powell

Oh, I See

There are many “Oh, I see” moments as we are faced with our own human imprint on the landscape—for better or worse.

When beautiful things are destroyed in the name of “progress,” we feel sadness and nostalgia. When transition or transformation brings enlightenment, opportunity, and adventure, all the better.

With this look at the inevitable nature of change, we perhaps add another dimension to our time travel in the past and present. We envision the future. And what that holds for us.

You can have your own past-meets-present fun with old family photographs, submitting your composite to Dear Photograph.

Jason Powell
© Jason Powell

See more of Jason’s work on his website and Facebook and Flickr pages. His new project continues the theme of past and present—a look at the vanishing mills in South Carolina.

Visit the thriving Flickr community of artists who are Looking into the Past. 

See more of Michael Hughes’ work on his website and Flickr and Facebook Pages.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.