RIT Professor Merges Past with Present in Photography Book

Fans of photography and European culture are being treated to a "double take" on historic Italy. Willie Osterman, associate professor of photography at Rochester Institute of Technology, shares visual reflections of yesterday and today in his new book Déjà View: Bologna, Italy.

The book provides a tour of Bologna through historic photographs, some dating back more than 100 years, and images taken by Osterman of the same subjects from exactly the same locations. The photos are placed side-by-side to provide viewers a comparison of past and present. The photographer’s painstaking attention to detail is apparent from one page to the next.

"Using the old photographs as a kind of map for locating the places where the earlier images were taken was a task in itself," says Osterman. "Waiting patiently for the right lighting conditions and, in some cases, a similar arrangement of people only added to the challenge."

The 135-page book features 92 pictures in its 9.5" by 11" format.

Osterman is imaging arts coordinator for the master of fine arts program at RIT’s renowned School of Photographic Arts and Sciences (SPAS), part of the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences. SPAS is among the premier photography schools in the country, with degree programs in biomedical photography, advertising, fine art, imaging and photographic technology, imaging systems management, and photojournalism. The College of Imaging Arts and Sciences’ MFA photography program is ranked No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report.

Déjà View: Bologna, Italy is being distributed by Cary Graphic Arts Press, the publishing arm of the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at RIT. More information can be found online at http://wally.rit.edu/cary/carypress.html.