Time Capsule Photos: Five friends take same snapshot for 30 years

John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer, Dallas Burney, John Malony, John Dickson

30 years ago, a snapshot kicked of a lifelong friendship.

A group of guys inadvertently started a photo tradition by taking a snapshot of themselves as teenagers during a vacation in 1982. For three decades, they have returned to the same spot to take the same portrait every 5 years. They were 19 years old when the first photo was taken. In June of this year, as 48-year-olds, they took the 7th installment of the “Copco Lake” photo. Click through the tabs above to see the sequence.

It’s an extraordinary story with photography at its core. This tradition of creating a “time-capsule” photo has brought these friends back together for the majority of their lives. CCN‘s interview reports: “We plan on doing it or the rest of our lives, no matter what,” says Dickson. “Up until there’s one guy just sitting in the same pose! Even then, maybe someone will take a picture of an empty bench for us.”

The lapse of time between each photo and duration of the project is unique when compared to the constant frequency with which we capture and share our lives in the age of Facebook. The tradition of taking this photo kept these guys coming back to the same physical spot to hang out together for the last 30 years. It’s a refreshing photography project with the theme of friendship at its core.

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To read the full story on CNN click here

To see the Lake Copco Tradition website click here