Why would you reminisce at old pictures, when you can recreate them instead? One day all the way back in 1991, professional photographer Zed Nelson from London had a fantastic idea.
He decided to take a picture of a family, every single year for the foreseeable future.
One of Zac’s friends was expecting a baby, and he thought it’d be a great idea to create a time-lapse photography set.
“I began this project 25 years ago,” he said. “The wife of a friend was nine months pregnant, and I had an idea, based on time-lapse photography, to photograph them with their baby soon after the birth, and then every year, from then on, forever.”
The photographer used an almost scientific approach to make sure that the differences and growth in the pictures would really stand out. Every single year, the same photo is taken under the exact same circumstances, with the same lighting sets, and with the very same backdrop.
“This way there are no distractions, only the miracle of growth and the changes of time and aging,” the photographer proudly mentions on his website.
This project started in 1991 but has grown into quite the remarkable photo set. Over these 25 years, you can really see how much this family has grown and it’s wonderful and mesmerizing to look at.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at all these great pictures that were taken!
1991
The first reference picture shows us two happy parents and their newborn baby boy. How adorable!
1992
Both mom and dad look a little bit more classy, and their little boy no longer needs a chair!
1993
Look at the smile on their faces!
1994
While dad is looking great in his shirt and jeans combo, mom reminds us that polka dots were definitely a thing. As for their toddler, he’d rather go shirtless instead!
1995
In their fifth picture together, the boy seemingly is a little bit grouchy…
1996
But luckily, all three of them have huge smiles on their faces in their next picture!
1997
Even though this picture was taken more than twenty years ago, the sandals still look really dated!
1998
It’s amazing how their boy has changed over the years, and these pictures are great to spot the differences year by year. This year, all time of them decided to go shoeless.
1999
A lot of changes this year! Mom and the boy have cut their hair short, and dad is rocking some sweet glasses now.
2000
All smiles in this picture!
2001
Ten years later, and all three of them are laughing. Just look at how tall this ten-year-old has become!
2002
The parents are dressed up real fancy, and the ‘little’ boy is now almost outgrowing his mom.
2003
Their facial expressions are somewhat funny and surprising, which makes for a pretty unique picture in the series.
2004
Just take a look at how tall this young man has become! To put things into perspective, take a look at the size difference of their shoes.
2005
It looks like the entire family had agreed to wear black and jeans that day.
2006
With the previous year being mostly black, the family of three has decided to go with some lighter clothing this year and it makes for a great contrast.
2007
The glasses are back! But that’s not the only thing, because as you can see, the young man in the middle has changed his hairstyle for a more mature and unique look.
2008
We can see the first signs of facial hair starting to develop.
2009
It’s safe to say that the young man in the middle has really grown up and is ready to lead his own life.
2010
Talk about another hairstyle change!
2011
Look at mom wearing that bow in her hair with such grace and style! But the most important change here: glasses for the young man! He’s starting to look a lot like his father now.
2012
It’s hard to decide which one has changed the most over the past few years! Overall, the difference compared to last year isn’t huge, although mom is rocking a new hairstyle once again.
2013
None of them have really changed all that much this year.
2014
Look at all three of them being so well-dressed!
2015
The last picture in the series! It’s clear that this time-lapse photography project was a brilliant idea. Just take a look at the first picture and compare these two – to see the changes develop year after year is definitely special.
The photographer and this family definitely aren’t the only ones who’ve had this fantastic idea. These four sisters, for example, took a picture together every year for 40 years.
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