January 11, 2008
Picture Day Through the YearsPosted by Bryan
Like many of you, we have an archive of thousands of photos that were taken back in the pre-digital days of photography. I decided to digitize the archive. In reviewing the abundance of photographic McAnally history, I had much from which to choose:
Ultimately, I started by making the scanner a vanity press.
I share these with you now to prove that I once was blond-haired, and so that you (like I) can wonder "what happened?"
Let's start at the beginning of my career as a portrait model:
Date: C. 1973
Age: < 1
Comment: I have no explanation for the slack jawed pose. It would eventually go away, only to reappear through most of my adolescent years. My pediatrician described my head as "Dr. Phil-like" even though Dr. Phil was decades away from Oprahfication.
Date: 1974
Age: 2
Comment: Who knew I'd turn out blond? Alas, it would not last. Yellow and brown were the new black in 1974, even though it was approximately 25 years before that term was coined. I am especially fond of the shag carpet off to the side...it really keeps everything in perspective.
Date 1976
Age: 4
Comment: I may or may not have asked to have duplicates of this photo to hand out as my calling card to the young ladies at the Five Senses Preschool. The cool gaze said, "I'm ready for kiss tag" and the pose said, "Yeah, I know I'm 'it.'"
Date 1978
Age: 5 (I turned 6 after the school year ended)
Comment: While nothing says "classy" like a striped tee shirt, we are back to the brown and yellow because we've already seen its proven results. Blond has given way to darker locks. Apparently, my posture class had not yet taught the lesson about sitting up straight.
Date 1979
Age: 6
Comment: Yes, this is the same shirt as last year. I blame my parents. In fact, the only reason I knew this was first grade was because the shirt hits me higher on the arm than in the previous photo. While we were never rich, we were also never so poor that this would have been necessary.
Date 1980
Age: 7
Comment: Personally, I dig the gray & red. I don't so much dig the front part of my bangs. I remember my Aunt Nancy saying, upon seeing this image, "Aren't you cuter than a bug's ear?" To this day, I do not know if this is a compliment.
Date 1981
Age: 8
Comment: It's funny...I can still remember the terrycloth feel of that shirt. Perhaps it is because I often used it for a towel when I forgot to do my laundry. And yes, I was doing my own laundry by this age. My folks raised me to be independent. I was ironing by the end of the year and driving myself to school by the time I was 11.*
(*likely not accurate.)
Date 1982
Age 9
Comment: I remember thinking, when I saw this picture for the first time, "This is what I'm going to look like when I am a grown-up." I don't know if it is because its the first year I went flannel, or because of the open collar. Or maybe it is because I apparently chose not to brush my hair that day, and somehow identified that with adulthood. Let's see how accurate that prediction turned out....(comparative image stored here).
Date 1983
Age 10
Comment: As you can clearly see, this is when I went into glasses, ironically, because I could not see clearly. I went through about 17 or 18 pairs of glasses in 5th grade, because my brother discovered the cool phenomenon of how these inexpensive frames splintered into three or four pieces upon swift, fist-like impact. I spent a lot of time in '82 in taped glasses. And green and white wide lapel sweaters. Also, I again have no explanation for having "bed head" during my school picture.
Date 1984
Age 11
Comment: Finding a hair brush was not the only way I announced that I had arrived in my Encyclopedia Brown stage of development. The coiffed 'do was accompanied by the incredulous look in the pose, as if I did not have time to pose for silly pictures, not when important mysteries like someone stealing the Widow Henderson's prize apple pie from her window sill. I always suspected Shawn Schwartzrock, perhaps because of his silly last name, but I never successfully proved my allegations.
Date 1985
Age 12
Comment: Out of glasses and into contact lenses, I was finally ready for the '80s. A little neon striping in the black polo was a subtle shout out to Crocket & Tubbs, and the messy hair declared that I was no longer the safe crime-solving sleuth from the year prior.*
(*I was still pretty safe.)
Date 1986
Age 13
Comment:I cannot explain how someone so cool managed to look like such a doofus. Perhaps it was because I was still a year away from learning how to functionally smile. The grooming evidently became a high priority, but if time travel were possible, I would probably go back to 8th grade and take this kid to the mall for a little help.
Date 1987
Age 14
Comment: It was the year I found my smile, so there was no hiding that I had been shackled into braces. My mental imprint was that I wore those metal lip snares for 3 years, but photographic evidence suggests otherwise. This was at the end of this year that I first met Kelli Cotter, and also apparently the inauguration of another Sweater Phase
Date 1988
Age 15
Comment: No more braces, although the sweater looks like it is a memorial garb to the tin grin. I wore this same sweater to homecoming with Kelli, so it was obviously an important element in the wardrobe strategy. Clearly an homage to Heathcliff Huxtable, this sweater showed that you knew where to find me on Thursday nights at 7 PM MST.
Date 1989
Age 16
Comment: It only took twelve years of school and sixteen years of portraiture to discover my good side. The life-long dispute with my hair stylist finally came to an amicable agreement and my determination to look presentable would be captured in this one snapshot. As you will soon see, that determination soon gave way to other influences.
Date 1990
Age 17
Comment: Who is this guy? And why is he showing off the white socks with the black shoes? Obviously, I should not have been permitted to have a photo session with anyone. My best work takes place when the photographer says, "Next! Sit on that stool. Tilt your head. A little more. Not that much. Smile. Open your eyes. Good. Next!" Disclaimer: I have better poses from the selection of senior photos. I just don't happen to be in possession of any of them.
Date 1990
Age 17
Comment: My football picture from my senior year. This one image explains the lack of scholarship opportunities. And my performance that year, to be honest.
Date 1990
Age 17
Comment: My senior track team picture. I was a jumper...can you tell? I also wore a pink hat. A lot. I'm not particularly proud of that, but there's no denying it, either. You do have a nice view of the Yampa Valley behind me, though.
Date 1991
Age 19
Comment: The last portrait taken while in school. This was from my days at Sigma Chi at the University of Denver. The original image is from a wallet-sized composite of the entire group, which explains the fuzzy, grainy resolution. Interestingly, those same words are often used to describe the first years of my college experience before becoming a Christian.
More photo fun to come in the days ahead, but you can visit me at my flickr page to look at these and others in full-size glorious detail.
Look up. Tilt your head. Smile.
Good.
Next!
January 11, 2008 3:32 PM | TrackBack