Photographer Paul Scambler recreates Weekly Courier photos for Then and Now series

I researched old photographs from the Weekly Courier, to see which photographs I might be able to recreate, and see how much the view may have changed.

I had found lots of interesting old photos of all around Tasmania, and it was difficult to choose which ones to rephotograph. I had to copy the photos from the old bound editions and collate the information in order to start recapturing versions of those images.

I had three days of travelling, so armed with the folder of prints and a list of locations, a camera bag, and of course bakery snacks for the road trip, I was ready to hit the road and find some old treasures.

The biggest challenge was finding the exact spots that the photographers had stood. Back then, photographers would have had limited lenses - probably 35mm and 50mm lenses - attached to the traditional 5x4 inch Speed Graphic press camera. This meant that in order to match the same perspective, I too had to shoot with a 35 or 50mm lens.

Here are some from the series that stood out for me.

The image of some little girls playing in the Trevallyn Reserve was my favourite. I managed to find Margaret Laver, who was actually one of the girls in the original photo. She was amazed that I had a copy of the photo and that I wanted her to stand at the same spot, and use that shot as my feature piece for the project. Unfortunately, the roof to the rotunda is no longer, and the view of the river basin is interrupted, but at least the pine tree was still there.

This photo of the Exchange Hotel, at Beaconsfield, appeared on December 19, 1907. I couldn't quite organise the vintage cars, but managed the correct angles and left my car out front so it didn't look to sparse. many photos in the Weekly Courier had the photographers' cars in them, something that Phillip Biggs and I like to do as well.

Zeehan, on Tasmania's West Coast, was a challenge. I had to line up parts of the buildings with each other to get the same aspect. With the camera set on a tripod and the old print as a guide, it became easier to see where the photographer stood. The roof lines have changed and the awnings have been removed, but the footpath is still as wide.

For curiosity, I roughly blended the two images together.

Mathinna, in the Fingal Valley at its peak in the late 1890s, sustained a population of more than 5000, including a large number of Chinese miners. It was the third-largest town in Tasmania at the time.

Finding this house was easier than expected, with the house at the end of the main street, and the window and door still easily recognisable from the old print. I couldn't find a dog or the current resident to pose for me, but the building had character. I felt that you could be taken back in time very easily here. Even today, the four panel doors are still attached.

Churches are usually easy to find - they have either been redeveloped into houses or still being used as a place of gathering and worship. The church at Perth was another building that could still be photographed from the same position. I achieved this by lining up the roof over the top of the front door with the windows.

Lucky for me when I came to stand in the street, the tree allowed me to see through to the roof. It's a shame that the old picket fence isn't still there, and that I couldn't find anyone to lean against the fence.

My advice to anyone wanting to do something similar is to challenge yourself. Go and find some old photographs, try to reshoot them by standing in the same spot, and then you too can be amazed at the changes that have occurred that we sometimes don't notice.

Here are a couple more of the Weekly Courier images and my revisited versions from 2005.

Weekly Courier, May 6, 1906. The Post and Telegraph offices at Strahan.

The Examiner, August 16, 2005. The Strahan Post office

Weekly Courier, March 11, 1909. The Anglican Church at Perth, Tasmania.

The Examiner, July 6, 2015. The Anglican Church at Perth, Tasmania

Weekly Courier ,August 4, 1910. Roman Catholic Church, Zeehan.

The Examiner, October 29, 2013. Roman Catholic Church, Zeehan.

Paul Scambler - Senior Photographer