1906 + today, earthquake photo mash-ups

(USA) It’s hard to imagine today that 106 years ago, much of the city we know now was a broken wasteland of rubble and charred wood. The 1906 earthquake, and its subsequent fires, destroyed much of San Francisco and killed thousands.

Photographer Shawn Clover created “photo mash-ups” of the ruins with the modern day cityscape, in hopes of going beyond the typical setup of “then and now” photos. The project began in 2010, with the second installation out a few weeks ago.

To capture the image as the original photographer did, Clover said on his website that he tried his best to analyze exactly where the photographer stood, how high off the ground he held his camera, the time of day he took the photo and then tried to match a focal length.

The result: cyclists about to plummet into sinkholes. Pedestrians walking precariously close to charred lumber. Cars blocked in by dead horses.

And to think we thought the potholes were bad.

Check out the full, two-part collection here.

http://blog.sfgate.com