An intriguing collection of photographs has captured two eras in one, combining the bloody battlefields of the Civil War with glimpses of modern life.
Thousands of Americans get together each year to re-enact the famous battles of the Civil War and photographer Richard Barnes uses period techniques to achieve authentic-looking images.
But rather than simply offering an insight into what it would have been like to fight in the fields, Barnes likes to make the viewer think again, by throwing in evidence of contemporary life, such as modern day cars or tourists.
A man in character poses while a modern car can be seen in the background
'My particular interest in photographing re-enactments is not to cover them as a contemporary photojournalist might, with a digital camera and a motor drive,' he said. 'But to attempt to make images that have the look and feel of what it would have been like to actually be in the field at the time of battle.'
To achieve this, he uses a large format camera and the same wet plate process employed by photographers of the time.
However, Barnes said he seeks to 'go beyond the nostalgia' of recreating the look of images from another era, and he does this by including intriguing touches like tourists dressed in contemporary clothing, or modern day cars parked on the periphery of the frame.
To achieve this, he uses a large format camera and the same wet plate process employed by photographers of the time.
However, Barnes said he seeks to 'go beyond the nostalgia' of recreating the look of images from another era, and he does this by including intriguing touches like tourists dressed in contemporary clothing, or modern day cars parked on the periphery of the frame.
In this summer 2011 reenactment of the First Battle of Bull Run, smoke from cannon suggests an explosive encounter
Smoke fills the air on this fake battlefield and casualties are seen on the ground
Barnes captures not only those in historical costume but tourists from today to provide contrast
Sweat marks on the photographic plate help set the mood in this view of a reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg
Every year thousands of Americans keep the memory alive by reenacting Civil War campaigns and battles
Photographer Richard Barnes used period techniques to make authentic-looking images that include glimpses of the modern world
A Confederate soldier and a Southern plantation owner strike a formal pose during a reenactment of the 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia
A scene of vendors at a July 2011 reenactment of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, appears historical when photographed on a wet plate coated with chemicals
A man in today's dress brings a glimpse of the modern world to the historic looking images
Barnes says he is interested in the theatricality of taking historical subject matter and objects from one context and re-contextualising them in another
A man plays dead in a reenactment of a civil war battle
Two people can be seen at the top of the rocks in this historic-looking image
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2207344/Civil-War-brought-life-Photographer-uses-period-techniques-recreate-battlefields-centuries-ago-glimpses-modern-world.html#ixzz28YwHySiV
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