Photographer Photographs Her Friends In 2000 And Then In 2017 Again, Shows How Differently People Age
Blink, a day passes, blink, a year, two, ten. Time is an unstoppable force we have to live with and to highlight its passage, photographer Josephine Sittenfeld has recreated the portraits of her college classmates she took in 2000.
During those days, Sittenfeld was a junior at Princeton University. She took portrait photography shots of her friends on medium-format film, and the pictures eventually ended up collecting dust in her parents' closet. But last spring, as her fifteen-year college reunion was approaching, she remembered the cool photos and decided to do a then and now follow-up during the event.
The result is "Reunion," a series of before-and-after shots that have almost the same feel as class gatherings themselves. The photo series shows a fast-forwarded transformation of the individuals rather than a gradual long-term change. "At twenty, I felt something intangible, indescribable, full of energy," Sittenfeld's former roommate said during the friends' reunion. "Only now am I able to describe it—the ultimate sensing of life ahead." In the later shots, people in front of the lens look less resistant to their intimacy. Shoulders back, bodies less tense. Could it be because of the reminiscence of everything that came before, or is it how aging gracefully looks?
More info: josittenfeld.com | Instagram (h/t thenewyorker)
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Ethan, Ellie And Christina
Hey, there's Ethan again! He still looks very different to me. Christina is fighting her natural curls and her face has gotten leaner, but she is quite recognizable.
Ellie looks like she didn't really want to be in the first pic to begin with.
Their face softened with age. Before he had bags under his eyes and her features were too sharp.
Christina *definitely* had a nose job. There is no way it changed *that* much without assistance.
She's an actress, starring in "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" on Netflix - great show! The photographer also did a before & after of her, shown first in this post.
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No, it's Ellie Kemper from the beginning of the list
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Josephine
Jess
I agree with you Jess. Hope 2018 is a great year for all of us!
I really enjoyed this. I love seeing how people age. I'd love to see a follow up that shows aging in people with much harder lives than Princeton grads, though.
I just get uglier and uglier the more I age
These photos should be accompanied by a story. It's amazing how some of the classmates aged so much and others look almost the same. Also those missing people... I do hope they manage to contact them as well and see how they are doing. They were probably unable/didn't want to come but this doesn't necessarily mean they wouldn't be interested in that project.
I am doing this with the little kids in my Sunday School class. They have changed so much in a year and they can see how much they have done so by the pictures I've taken. Children change more rapidly that we adults, but in this series you really can see the difference 7 years makes.
17 years
why are there are so many rude comments on this?
This must be your first trip the internet. Welcome.
Some elicit hope for the future, some dread.
I love this so much! Beautiful photos by themselves, and the project is so interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing what a nice experiment. So many times we just breeze through life it was really engaging to see each and the range of differences or lack thereof in each.
what happened to Connor?
This is super cool to see. Most of them look so much the same! It's like they barely changed, just put on more mature clothes, haha :)
Why are most of them wearing white and/or orange wristbands?
There´s something sad about seeing a person missing on a group photo.
What a lovely idea.
Josephine Sittenfeld, thanks for sharing this. Very impressive.
Im thinking the missing people passed away. The photos give that kind of statement, so if that wasn't the case it should have been noted. Couldn't they have been photoshopped in if they couldn't make it?
All I saw was 2 pages of people who don't say "cheese".
Great perspective!
Interesting how some of you have changed (aged gracefully) ... You all look great for 17 yrs having passed! I am curious about those missing in the pics. Have they passed on ... Or just chose not to participate this time?!
What is with all the orange and white shirts?
These photo's were apparently taken at their class reunion, and the shirt were a gift from the school for the attendees/graduates.
Well done😁 Pictures are a great way to capture moments of the ever moving time train and you've done well in your attempt to do that. Good job
I have the impression that women change less. Maybe because they are more adult sooner?
Really interesting collection, I have to say that I'm a bit surprised at the general lack of weight gain. I graduated in 1987 and most of my classmates (and me!) gained a lot more weight than this shows. Maybe the overall obesity problem in the country is turning a corner?
I don't know why but this reminded me of how in It all the kids got back together after 15 years
Ok then, people tend to get older, time flies by..
Amazing
Can anyone enlighten me why several persons are wearing blouses and shirts made of the same red-white checkered fabric in the 2017 pictures? Men as well as women? Is this some kind of American tradition?
These photo's were apparently taken at their class reunion, and the shirt were a gift from the school for the attendees/graduates.
No not some American tradition lol. Oh wait maybe someone never told me all these years....who knows.
Thanks! It was the only explanation I could think of. Even more curious now. I would love to know.
This is crazy but awesome. I wish I knew what I looked like 17 years ago...
Interesting to see that in most of the photos they seem to have grown confidence, they found themselves and stopped doubting like youngsters often do.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I'm making $86 an hour working from home. I was shocked when my neighbour told me she was averaging $120 but I see how it works now. I feel so much freedom now that I'm my own boss. This is what I do... http://cutt.us/yRC1x
Don´t hijack my comment with bogus, bye.
Wow, thank you so much for this. It shows how people change through life. I guess most of the girls became moms. Their faces have matured so much. So have the guys faces.
Please check out my accessories line! www.shugarushaccessories.com
They all had one thing in common in their second photo's, confidence.
I WAN TO DIE
That was fairly ....... boring.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Yes millenials. You will get old and die.
and yes, we know that.
Upvoting you out of spite 😘
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
wow, she did't what FB wall does..
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Was this your first attempt at speaking English?
God I feel a little bad for laughing but that was hilarious :,I
no. what made you ask this question.?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Couldn't you make this photo series any more boring and pointless?
I really enjoyed this. I love seeing how people age. I'd love to see a follow up that shows aging in people with much harder lives than Princeton grads, though.
I just get uglier and uglier the more I age
These photos should be accompanied by a story. It's amazing how some of the classmates aged so much and others look almost the same. Also those missing people... I do hope they manage to contact them as well and see how they are doing. They were probably unable/didn't want to come but this doesn't necessarily mean they wouldn't be interested in that project.
I am doing this with the little kids in my Sunday School class. They have changed so much in a year and they can see how much they have done so by the pictures I've taken. Children change more rapidly that we adults, but in this series you really can see the difference 7 years makes.
17 years
why are there are so many rude comments on this?
This must be your first trip the internet. Welcome.
Some elicit hope for the future, some dread.
I love this so much! Beautiful photos by themselves, and the project is so interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing what a nice experiment. So many times we just breeze through life it was really engaging to see each and the range of differences or lack thereof in each.
what happened to Connor?
This is super cool to see. Most of them look so much the same! It's like they barely changed, just put on more mature clothes, haha :)
Why are most of them wearing white and/or orange wristbands?
There´s something sad about seeing a person missing on a group photo.
What a lovely idea.
Josephine Sittenfeld, thanks for sharing this. Very impressive.
Im thinking the missing people passed away. The photos give that kind of statement, so if that wasn't the case it should have been noted. Couldn't they have been photoshopped in if they couldn't make it?
All I saw was 2 pages of people who don't say "cheese".
Great perspective!
Interesting how some of you have changed (aged gracefully) ... You all look great for 17 yrs having passed! I am curious about those missing in the pics. Have they passed on ... Or just chose not to participate this time?!
What is with all the orange and white shirts?
These photo's were apparently taken at their class reunion, and the shirt were a gift from the school for the attendees/graduates.
Well done😁 Pictures are a great way to capture moments of the ever moving time train and you've done well in your attempt to do that. Good job
I have the impression that women change less. Maybe because they are more adult sooner?
Really interesting collection, I have to say that I'm a bit surprised at the general lack of weight gain. I graduated in 1987 and most of my classmates (and me!) gained a lot more weight than this shows. Maybe the overall obesity problem in the country is turning a corner?
I don't know why but this reminded me of how in It all the kids got back together after 15 years
Ok then, people tend to get older, time flies by..
Amazing
Can anyone enlighten me why several persons are wearing blouses and shirts made of the same red-white checkered fabric in the 2017 pictures? Men as well as women? Is this some kind of American tradition?
These photo's were apparently taken at their class reunion, and the shirt were a gift from the school for the attendees/graduates.
No not some American tradition lol. Oh wait maybe someone never told me all these years....who knows.
Thanks! It was the only explanation I could think of. Even more curious now. I would love to know.
This is crazy but awesome. I wish I knew what I looked like 17 years ago...
Interesting to see that in most of the photos they seem to have grown confidence, they found themselves and stopped doubting like youngsters often do.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I'm making $86 an hour working from home. I was shocked when my neighbour told me she was averaging $120 but I see how it works now. I feel so much freedom now that I'm my own boss. This is what I do... http://cutt.us/yRC1x
Don´t hijack my comment with bogus, bye.
Wow, thank you so much for this. It shows how people change through life. I guess most of the girls became moms. Their faces have matured so much. So have the guys faces.
Please check out my accessories line! www.shugarushaccessories.com
They all had one thing in common in their second photo's, confidence.
I WAN TO DIE
That was fairly ....... boring.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Yes millenials. You will get old and die.
and yes, we know that.
Upvoting you out of spite 😘
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
wow, she did't what FB wall does..
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Was this your first attempt at speaking English?
God I feel a little bad for laughing but that was hilarious :,I
no. what made you ask this question.?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Couldn't you make this photo series any more boring and pointless?