The years might rush by and we might look different, but deep down inside, we’re still the same people we always were. In our opinion, one of the most interesting trends to sweep the internet is people recreating old family photos. While some people are reenacting the same scenes with the same poses alongside their family members (sometimes even wearing nearly identical clothes), others are snapping photos where they look so much like their loved ones, the similarity is uncanny.
The Bored Panda team has collected some of the most interesting family pic recreations for you to enjoy, Pandas, so scroll on down and upvote the ones you liked the best. And if you’ve ever done anything similar, post a photo to show everyone else in the comment section below. When you’re done, check out our earlier posts about awesome photo recreations right here, here, and here.
Bored Panda spoke about family photo recreations with photographer Dominic Sberna, one of the people whose reenactments have gone viral online. "The photo my sister and I recreated was from her first communion. So, the photo was taken roughly 13 years ago. It was actually her idea to recreate the photo. I can't speak for her, but I'd have to guess it was the veil in the old photo that sparked the idea to recreate the old image, on her wedding day," he told us. Read on for our full interview with Dominic. Bored Panda also reached out to Cody about him recreating his grandfather's photo in Japan. He told us all about how "surreal" and powerful it was.
#1 Dad And Me Feeding Murray. Same Place, Same Croc - Two Photos 15 Years Apart
Image credits: robertirwinphotography
#2 It's All I Wanted For My 60th Birthday
Image credits: madbear
#3 Couple At Woodstock 48 Hours After They Met And 50 Years Later
Image credits: PBS Distribution
In photographer Dominic's opinion, recreating family photos is popular because people seem to love then-and-now pictures.
"There's such a large amount of then-and-now photos of celebrities that I think the desire to see a comparison as to how people have changed trickles down to the everyday person," he told Bored Panda. "I believe that social media and the humor of recreating a photo from childhood is also a major driving force. It's funny to see a grown adult recreating a situation from their childhood because it's so out of place and makes for a really funny photo!"
Dominic revealed that the photo of his sister and him wasn't he only photo he's recreated. He also took a photo of himself on the last day that he was 17 and recreated the same picture on the last day that he was 27. "Maybe I'll keep that trend going," he said. Dominic also revealed that his sister's wedding photo was taken by Country Roads Photography, located in Forest, Ohio.
#4 My Grandpa’s Three Surviving Brothers Coming Together 90 Years Later On The Same Farm, With The Same Exact Bench
Image credits: I_CRE8
#5 My Sister And I Recreated Our First Picture Together
Image credits: blackmachine312
#6 My Dad And I 38 Years Apart, Thought I Should Post It Here
Image credits: Nadname
In Dominic's professional opinion, the biggest challenge in recreating photos is getting the posing and angles right. "This can be difficult for recreating any image, let alone with people involved," he said.
He added that it's vital to print out your photos and keep physical copies of them. "These photos are all digital and online, but it's important to have printed copies of your memories, so that you can have them to pass down to future generations. Plus, by doing so, maybe your future children will one day recreate a photo of you," he urged others.
#7 1967-2019: Same Bike, Same Couple
Image credits: ZhangZheSheng
#8 Recreated My Mom’s Favorite Photo Of Us For Mother’s Day
Image credits: farmch
#9 My Dad And I Recreated A Tender Moment 34 Years Later. 1985 vs. 2019
Image credits: deltaphoenix08
Meanwhile, Cody, who recreated his grandfather's photo in Japan, had this to say to Bored Panda: "When I was younger I became interested in WW2 in the Pacific because I knew my grandfather had been in that theatre of the war. He was a Navy dental surgeon and called himself the 'Jumping Dentist' because he was possibly the only Naval dentist to also be trained as a paratrooper."
Cody told us that after the war, his grandfather was part of the occupation of Tokyo. "The clash of cultures that eventually grew into cooperation and success for both countries was a captivating story to me. And it caused me to dive deeper into the full history of Japan and it’s culture. So when I got a few months before the start of my career I decided on a whim to go and live in Japan for a time, working as a bartender. I did this for many reasons but I think all those reasons grew from the memory of my now-passed grandfather who seemed to live a life of adventure. I wanted to do the same," he said.
#10 Same Wedding Outfits 60 Years Later
Image credits: dskeezy05
#11 Father And Daughter 13 Years Later. 2006 vs. 2019
Image credits: jasmijnvwvd
#12 My Sister Got Married Over The Weekend, So We Recreated This Gem From Our Childhood
Image credits: DominicOH
Before leaving, Cody got every photo of his grandfather's from Japan and digitized them. "I spent a very long time attempting to find any photo that aligned with the present before I left, but had little luck. Most photos were unlabeled or only had vague descriptions. Even more problematic was the fact that most of Japan when he was there was still destroyed by the war. However, some of the Japanese people I worked with helped me in my quest. The only photos of hundreds that they recognized was the Imperial Palace in this photo."
When Cody got the chance to go, it was literally his last day in Japan. "I didn't know if the spot was inaccessible to the public or if I could find it at all because the palace is quite large. But when I spotted the building in the distance, there were some pretty indescribable feelings. I had so many other adventures while I was in Japan, too many to relate here, but that moment was surreal. It was like seeing someone you know across the platform in a train station. You know you’re both coming from and going to different places but the miracle that you managed to cross paths here seems to validate your entire journey."
#13 Me And My Grandpa In Medical School 70 Years Apart (Equally Sleep Deprived)
Image credits: Neuromancy_
#14 My Wife And Daughter The Day Our Daughter Moved In For Foster Care vs. Today, Five Years Later, Two Years Post Adoption
Image credits: whatagirlygirl
#15 40 Years, Folks. 40 Years. It Happens To All Of Us Sooner Or Later
Image credits: throwaway8286521
Those of us who paid attention in biology class will remember that children inherit genes from their parents. They get one set of genes from their dads and the other set from their moms. Depending on what combinations these genes match up in, family members can end up looking very similar to each other. (Or barely anything alike!)
So while some of us are able to recreate photos of our loved ones quite easily, others have to rely more on clothes, props, and posing to get the energy just right.
We’re living in an age where nearly everyone seems to have a smartphone with a gazillion-pixel camera. So taking a family portrait or a goofy selfie is incredibly easy. However, just because we can take fun family photos, it doesn’t mean everyone wants to.
#16 My Father Holding Me As A Baby vs. Me With My Newborn Son
Image credits: mrn00bton
#17 My Dad's First Day At School In The 70s, And Now 50 Years Later
Image credits: Zulphat
#18 My Deceased Father And I At The Same Age, 24 Years Apart
Image credits: the-untz
Some family members feel shy and avoid having their picture taken because they may have self-esteem issues or they’re ashamed of how their bodies look. Personally, I’ve always had issues with having my picture taken because I look like an utter goofball in them.
According to St. Vincent’s Behavioral Health Center, people who are afraid of having their picture taken might have some sort of social phobia. Their advice is to become desensitized.
At first, try taking your own photo with a time-delay camera, then have a family member or a close friend take your picture from a long distance. Gradually, reduce the distance until you feel fully comfortable. Remember to try and keep your mind occupied with other things while you’re being photographed. Eventually, you’ll be taking part in family photos and recreating old pictures so well, you’ll rival the best of ‘em!
#19 60 Years Apart. Going Home From Service 1959 And Going Home From Chemo 2019
Image credits: lorubis3
#20 40 Years Later
Image credits: bitbot2000
#21 18 Years Later
Image credits: __toritilla
#22 My Grandfather And I In Tokyo, 73 Years Apart
Image credits: Dauntless1
#23 My Parents In 1975 And Again In 2020. They’ve Been Married And Playing Music Together For Over 45 Years Now!
Image credits: rxhunnel
#24 For My Mom’s 60th Birthday, My Brothers, My Cousin And I Recreated A Photo From My First Day Of Kindergarten
Image credits: tyree731
#25 My Sisters And I Recreated A Classic Family Photo From 1985
Image credits: heyarkay
#26 Me In My Snoopy Sweater In 1981, My Son In The Same Sweater In 2017, And My Daughter In The Same Sweater In 2020
Image credits: Polytetrahedron
#27 My Grandma And Dad 1966 And 2020
Image credits: Jamescovey
#28 My Mother And Father. Photos Taken 51 Years Apart
Image credits: shaka_sulu
#29 Me And My Son, 24 Years Apart
Image credits: kadillac76
#30 Picture On The Left Went Viral Recently. 33 Years Later The Same Protagonists Recreated It
Image credits: Attila Manek
#31 I Found This Polaroid Of My Dad Shortly After He Passed A Year Ago. I Finally Recreated It Today
Image credits: Moojdart
#32 My Parents By Their Tree In 1975 And Now In 2016
Image credits: MorganGanem
#33 My Friend And His Grandpa, 65 Years Apart
Image credits: Daveite
#34 Me Holding On To My Girl At My High School Graduation In 2002. I’m Holding On To Her Even Tighter At Hers In 2020
Image credits: mammacarrie
#35 My Dad Holding Me As A Baby vs. Me Holding My Newborn Son
Image credits: DasMech
#36 My Sister And I Did A Series Of Throwbacks - This Is Definitely The Best One. Circa 1994 vs. 2015
Image credits: anneontherox
#37 Me And My Cousin. 2005 And 2020. It Was Much More Difficult To Take The Picture Now
Image credits: Moosegang52
#38 I Looked Through My Mom's Photo Album To Find That She Took This Picture At Schönbrunn Palace During A College Trip In 1991. I Took The Same Picture In 2017
Image credits: benjamin-he
#39 Me And My Twin Bro Made It To 30
Image credits: emperorminge
#40 My Four Brothers And I In 1997 vs. 2017
Image credits: Scared_By_A_Smile
#41 To Celebrate Our 50th Anniversary, Wife And I Recreated Our Wedding Pic. She's Wearing The Same Dress
Image credits: billwrtr
#42 My Dad And Me At The Exact Same Spot On The Isle Of Heligoland 1977 And 2018
Image credits: Sebbot
#43 26 Year Old Recreation. Me And My Twin On Our 30th Birthday. Our Most Embarrassing Photo
Image credits: _mcmanus_
#44 My Wife And Her Mom At 6 Months - 1989, My Daughter And My Wife Today
Image credits: 5hred
#45 Dad Holding Me Circa 1987. Me Holding My Son 2020
Image credits: Trebas
#46 I Was Digging Around On Ancestry And Found A Photo Of My Husband's Great-Grandfather From World War I. I Had To Do A Side-By-Side Comparison
Image credits: Jonlyda
#47 We Recreated Our First Halloween’s Costumes 20 Years Later
Image credits: Jogoya
#48 15 Years Later And We Still Have That Mall Photo Shoot Swagger
Image credits: malencross
#49 Donkey Kong Country!
Image credits: gregisoutofstep
#50 Me And My Grandad, 55 Years Apart. He's A Heart Surgeon, Me - A Neonatology Fellow
Image credits: taffarel00
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