In 10th grade history we studied the history of New York City. These studies interested me more than I anticipated; I especially enjoyed looking at old photographs of the city. When I go upstate, there are several historical areas that I walk through that are different from the areas in New York City. For my senior project, I want to work on historical photography across different areas of New York. I want to photograph historical sites, or the current state of former historical sites and the city, and to create a blog where I can compare them to old photos. This is an unpredictable time and I think that looking back will be educational and interesting, but also will provide some calm and reassurance in this time. I also know that history follows trends, so I would love to use these photographs to see patterns in advancement, accommodation for population growth, modernization, and how different places have preserved historical locations. 

My essential questions:

How can studying NY history/documents and photographing it improve our understanding of its future?

 

• How do historical sites change over time vs. how do general areas change over time?

 

This is a project that I have been looking into with Alexa, and it is feasible because we have a place to stay upstate and we are both taking drivers tests soon. This project will give us something to do both upstate and in the city, so we can spend some time in nature but will not be entirely isolated. I know of apps and websites where we can find old photographs, and we can also find books on the history of an area, similar to the one we had in 10th grade.