I got my start with a company that produced full-size architectural details, and eventually ended up in the pattern shop making molds and doing R&D. I experimented with traditional plastering techniques and designing a process to create a Corian-like finish, making white portland cement look like Arkansas limestone.
Later, I got to reproduce a cherub head from the 1925 Rich's Department Store and the top half of a figure from the 1905 Terminal Station, both in downtown Atlanta. Some reading at the Kenan Research Center turned up proof of the latter's origin and I learned how to do research.
While getting a degree in software development I learned about creating software for Palm handhelds. City Walks started in 2003 and took a year to complete. It was originally tile-based and each map set was a separate executable; the next version used slippy maps, and the final version was a single viewer and installable map sets. I built a Windows-based map editor in 2005 after getting a request to create a Detroit map set; the editor allowed anyone to create their own maps and compile them for use in the viewer.
The project's focus was to encourage users to get out and start exploring–I used it as an excuse to explore Birmingham, Alabama. This trip inspired me to start exploring cities after I retired from software development.
My first software job was creating virtual environments for Exposure Therapy. My first major project was creating a 9/11 simulation for PTSD research. I had to study how the World Trade Center towers were put together so I could rebuild them and, later, bring them down again. I got good practice in creating a building from photos, as floorplans and blueprints were not available.
In 2007, I started my first virtual reconstruction project–Auschwitz Birkenau. I had visited the year before, and the idea was to make exploring easier; it had taken me three flights and a train ride to get there–and it had snowed the day before I visited. It would also allow the visitor to see the site as it is today and as it was when the construction was complete.
Then I found an architectural competition for a real-time walkthrough of historic buildings. I chose La Tourette monastery and, like before, reconstructed it from photos. It included both the interior and exterior, sound effects, music, and a mini game to encourage exploration.
The original competition website is gone, but I saved a local copy of the results on October 22, 2007; I found it eighteen years later and this is a pdf version.
Stereo cards were another way for people to visualize the world in a different way; I remembered View-Master reel sets from touristy places and I aimed for showing depth.
I have a small collection of original stereo cards with dates from 1896, 1897, and 1904. These are two actual photos mounted on a curved cardboard rectangle. It's a nice look but a lot of manual work.
My stereo pairs were taken with a single camera, using handmade slider rigs. The easiest way to make them was to match them in the Gimp along with a border, export them as postcard-sized jpegs, and have them printed at Moo.
My reconstructions switched from being interactive walkthroughs to rendered scenes. The buildings could be taken apart to show their construction, or shown with different lighting, or as animations to show the entire building.
In 2015, I sold my house, got rid of most of my stuff, and moved to Louisville Kentucky--a city and state I had never visited. The idea was to start exploring and documenting anywhere that sounded interesting.
I'm still recreating new buildings and figuring out new ways to illustrate them; it's easier than sketching and there's so many different visual styles.
In Atlanta, I'd been doing bespoke walking tours for friends: Oakland cemetery, Westview cemetery, Downtown, the Gulch, and movie locations. I started exploring Cave Hill cemetery the second day I was in Louisville and began working up a tour two months later.
However, there hasn't been much interest in personal tours, so why not let people do them on their own? I cobbled together some html, javascript and css to create a Baedecker-inspired, single-page, read-on-your-phone, guided tour.
I've created 11 of these so far. My favorite bits are figuring out the routes, picking the Points of Interest, and using GPS for coordinates and distances.
Videos are another way for people to see places they might never visit, so I gave it a try. I had years of reference photos, but no actual video, so the best option was that Ken Burns style.
I tweaked the poster process from the stereo card days and got something that looked more like a graphic novel. So, with the Gimp for visuals, Audacity for the audio, and Blender for the video editing, I had my first video.
In case you haven't seen enough...
What wakes me up in the morning is exploring, finding the good bits, and then figuring out ways to share them. It looks like no one medium works for everything, and I'm still hoping to find one–or a technique that uses all of them. Why? Because the world is a visually interesting place and I'd like to have people notice more of it.
Over the years I've explored 38 historic downtowns in seven states and 53 historic cemeteries in five states. There are more architectural details Instagram and Flickr: