Noah Kalina is a New York photographer who has had exhibitions all over the world and worked for some of the most influential companies and publications. He also takes a photo of himself looking into the camera with a neutral expression every day, and it’s this simple project that has become his most celebrated work.
Kalina decided to pick up this habit at age 19 on January 11, 2000, taking the photos with a camera with a reversible viewfinder. In 2006, the project, titled Everyday, went viral for the first time, to the point that it was spoofed on The Simpsons and major companies were contacting him to make appearances and share the idea with them. He went on to give an update in 2012. But behind the scenes, he kept up the habit, and this week, he marked an incredible 20 years of daily photos.
Noah Kalina, a photographer from New York, combined 20 years of photos of himself into a video
The video updates of his Everyday project are the only three videos on his Youtube channel
In addition to watching how time changes the photographer’s face, and the cycle of hair growing and being trimmed again, we can see transitional periods in his life as he goes from taking pictures in small, dark apartments, to a spacious studio with lots of natural light.
Since Everyday went viral for the first time, it has inspired similar projects, especially as taking selfies has become a more familiar cultural concept. Some kids have started young, documenting how they’ve matured from their early teens to adulthood. Others have set out to show specific changes, like a transgender man who took photos for years to demonstrate the effects of hormone replacement therapy on his appearance.
Kalina, though, is likely one of the only selfie artists with the dedication to make it to the milestone of 20 years. But once you’re in the habit of taking a photo of yourself every day, why stop? He says that he plans to continue taking photos of himself “until the day he dies.” We hope to see the occasional update about the photographer every decade until he becomes the first known person to take a photo of himself every day for 50 years.
Commenters were amazed by the photographer's dedication
