Arts & Entertainment

Re-Photographing Historical Images Around Temple Terrace Turns Hobby Into Exhibit

Brian Weinstein scans photos that he wants to re-photograph, goes to each location, and meticulously checks to make sure he is taking each re-photograph from the same vantage point and at the same angle as the historic photograph.

Bryan Weinstein has always enjoyed photography.

He takes pictures of places he visits while vacationing with his wife, Michelle, and has even sold them at local art festivals.

But for the last few years, the civil engineer, who also likes history and architecture, has tried to come up with a way to turn his sporadic hobby into a more frequent activity.

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“Somewhere along the line, I just came up with the idea of looking at buildings and seeing if they still exist,” said the 2000 graduate of Tampa Bay Tech, who now lives in Brandon.

In the past year, Weinstein has re-photographed more than 100 historic photos around Tampa and Temple Terrace, including the Temple Terrace Estates administration building, the original Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club building, the Greens Keeper Residence, Temple Terrace Highway and the Club Morocco Pool. These Temple Terrace re-photographs are on display at the throughout the month of September. Each re-photograph is displayed next to the original historical photograph.

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Weinstein calls his project Tampa Changing. His idea is simple, but it makes a statement by showing how the area has changed over time, and how it has stayed the same.

“I see people just looking at the display case,” said librarian Tammie Harris, who organizes the library’s exhibits. “I think especially the people who’ve lived here for a while really appreciate it.”

Weinstein gets most of the historical photographs from the , which is within walking distance of Tindale-Oliver and Associates, where he works on Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa. The Hillsborough County Public Library system has many historical photos taken by the Burgert Brothers, family photographers who took photographs throughout the Tampa area from the late 1800s to the early 1960s.

Weinstein scans photos that he wants to re-photograph, goes to each location, and meticulously checks to make sure he is taking each re-photograph from the same vantage point and at the same angle as the historic photograph. In some cases, he goes back multiple times to get everything exact, which makes the differences and similarities easier to distinguish.

“Trying to get them where they overlay perfectly for me adds to the value of the photographs,” he said.

The library display is Weinstein’s first experience putting his photos in an exhibit, but he did show them to the Tampa Preservation Society in May. He’ll do the same for the Temple Terrace Preservation Society on Oct. 6 at the group’s 7 p.m. meeting at the , 210 Inverness Ave. The public is invited to attend.

“It’s right up our alley,” said Tim Lancaster, president of the Temple Terrace Preservation Society. “…I really like the idea of it.”

Additionally, the Tampa Bay History Center is selling Weinstein’s re-photographs in its gift shop.

“It’s really catching on much quicker than I anticipated,” Weinstein said.

On his website, TampaChanging.com, Weinstein displays his re-photographs and re-photographs that others have taken in Tampa. He invites everyone to submit his or her own re-photography as he wants the Tampa Changing project to be a collaborative effort. He even explains his methodology and problems he’s encountered while trying to re-photograph historic sites.

Weinstein said his goal is to showcase the beauty that exists in Tampa’s historic buildings. And, the project is an opportunity for him to turn his love of photography into an art form.

“This is like a creative outlet,” he said.

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You can email your re-photographs to Weinstein through his website, and he will post them in his gallery. You can also email your Temple Terrace re-photography to ashley.reams@patch.com, and we’ll post the photos on Temple Terrace Patch, too.


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