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Then and Now 📷 🏡

December 01, 2020

By: Lee LeFever

I write books and run a company called Common Craft. I recently moved from Seattle to a rural island. Here, I write about online business, book publishing, modern home construction, and occasionally, dumb jokes.

The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain.


I’ve taken thousands of photos of the house project, mostly from my phone and drone. In isolation, they look like any other house photo, a point in time without context. One can only get so excited about 2X4s.

But there are other ways to make the photos interesting and one that I’ve been thinking about is “then and now” photos that track the house’s progress over time from the similar locations. Below, I’ve included two locations that will give you context that will hopefully make them more interesting.

The first set of photos was shot with a drone facing northward. The island in the background in Waldron Island, which has a handful of permanent residents, but is off the grid.

The second series is taken facing south.

To close things up, here is a scene from today’s painting adventure:

That’s Andrew at the controls. I’m the lighting assistant.

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On most Tuesdays, I share a story from my life on Orcas Island and a recommendation for something I love. I'm interested in how to design work and home for lifestyle, livability, and fluffy dogs. Learn more.

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