Oct 16, 2012
A family’s picture per year, 1991-2009
Photographer Zed Nelson says of his project “The Family”…
[In 1991], the wife of a friend was nine months pregnant, and I had an idea…to photograph them together, on the same day every year, forever…. Every year, at the same time, against the same backdrop, under the same lighting. This way there are no distractions, only the miracle of growth and the changes of time and age.
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
I’m not sure whether the “forever” aspect of this project is happening, since the 2009 pic is the last one he’s posted, but regardless, it was a good run.
* * * * *
profoundly simple
wow, lol, too funny to describe..for the parents and that boy..
Maybe its because of having a teenager, but it strikes me that from the time he became a teenager, they never smiled again.
Awwwwwwww so cute family :)
WOW, Things Change as time MOVES ….LOL
Why do these people strike me as the “we don’t own a tv” and “we’re vegan” sort of people?
I get that vibe from the woman’s clothing.
especially her shoe choices!
This is astonishing. No matter how many years go by, this woman never learns how to dress herself.
my thoughts EXACTLY!!!
That is so incredibly rude. Seriously, I do not understand why people like you think comments like this are ok. I know you’re just going to be like “wow overreacting much” but… if you think about it, I’m really not. That’s a horrible thing to say, and you gain nothing by saying it.
You’re right. She is smoking hot, and has a sense of fashion that belongs on the Paris runway. Feel better now?
I think she has an awesome style. She reminds me of Joon from “Benny and Joon.”
They look so…happy?
At least she let go of her “frumpy clown” style in the late 90s… yikes.
Mom hasn’t smiled since 2001. :( The parents do look particularly glum in the later years. I wonder if they’re still married.
I find it kind of sad to watch the normal weight baby turn into an overweight kid. He looks healthier in the last photo, though, so that’s good.
I don’t think he ever looks unhealthy….there’s a few pictures when he’s younger that he looks a bit chubby, but by the time the 2004 picture comes around, he’s slimmed out a lot.
I don’t think he ever looks particularly over weight. He has that chubby look that boys tend to get right before they hit a growth spurt, but never unhealthy.
Was it also specified that the mom had to dress like a clown?
man, these are grim.
I like 1993 & 1998. If you can’t pick out good shoes… then don’t wear any! (great policy for shoes… bad for clothes)
She needs a gig on “What Not to Wear”!
I hope you went back to bed for some much needed sleep. You’re an incredibly cranky a**.
I got a kick out this, the mother actually has the same fashion style as my mother-in-law.
in each photograph there is something that will make you say, “wow! Look at that!”
Look at the pain on the mother’s face in 2003.
It´s because of the boy’s shirt.
She looks better as a brunette…but parents aging gracefully. Son looks content. Well done.
Similar: http://www.zonezero.com/zz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1292%3Athe-arrow-of-time&catid=8%3Aessays&lang=en
i think they are really cute. quite amazing watching the kid growing into a big boy.
and it stopped at 2009 maybe that’s when their son went to college so they dont see each other a lot?
Incredible how the fathers face changes from ’91 to ’92 and from then on he was not as happy… and don’t get me started on what happened after 2002. How unfortunate, and how moving. The mother’s spirit vanished. She’s not the same wacky lady from the previous pics. I hope this is a misrepresantation of their family.
I dunno, the mom seems pretty fashion current…she’s dead on with current hipsters and I’m pretty sure that the early 90s styles were considered pretty normal for the time period. I actually more enjoy seeing the boy’s very clear phases through puberty that you know a lot of kids went through, trying to look tough or like this or that identity…kinda interesting to see how he goes through it. And the dad, who’s pretty much decided that a button down and pants are all he needs, more power to him :)As for the expressions…wouldn’t doubt that part of the stoicism is intentional.
90′s style of frump yes but not what non-frumpers wore. except for 1996 when she managed to pull it together just once.
To watch the parents age is incredible. Such a big change in such a short space of time.
What a lovely idea! Wish I’d thought to do this.
I started thinking about why they would have stopped taking photos and the first thing that came to mind was that someone died.. and I started tearing up. They’re a nice looking family.
He would’ve been 18 by 2009. Maybe went off the college and they just stopped doing it.
Very moved! Cherish the time and wish you happiness.
Looks like mum and dad had a rough patch in 95, but was over in 96, however the change in hair style and color, and the (brief) update in fashion leads me to believe that the crisis had only just been averted.. After that she returns to her horrifying style of dress that I’ve seen described here as “hipster”. After a while it seems as though the son and father share the same body language while mum is just an outsider, a third wheel in the picture. Also, it doesn’t look like she smiled in most of these, so maybe she was just a somber individual.
Did the family not own an iron, so much wrinkled cotton…
Looks like the kid from Two and a Half Men
I just really want to meet that kid today and rub it in his face that he was wearing a Limp Bizkit shirt.
What a wonderful idea! I wish I would of had pictures taken every year as our Family grew! Loved the photos, stop picking on their clothes and commenting on there frame of minds. They are the only ones standing in their shoes! :)
This inspire me… amazing! Why didn’t I thought about the same. An annual family picture of just the whole family.
The thing that stood out to me the most was mom’s super quirky style. Loved it! In 1996 she was going for hipster and she didn’t even look like the same person. lol. There’s a similar story of same photo taken every year done by five friends. They took their photo for 30 YEARS: http://www.wegotkidz.com/stumble-saturdays-five-guys-take-same-photo-for-30-years/
they look so sad in most of them, seems to have had some bad years.
The idea of the project is good. Not many of us must have thought of doing something like that. It must feel good to go through all the years passed by, when you look at all these pics at one time; think of the memories related to those days, those years.
Very cool and very brave of the parents.
Really brave of the parents! Love the idea!
I like how mom and dad are in Vans in 1991 (first photo) and the son is in Vans in 2009 (last photo).
The mom has great style!
I’m not reading the other comments..just thought I’d post how cool this is…Great keepsakes for the family. I love how the mom has so many different looks..hair clothes..it’s like having documentation of what worked what didn’t…love it!