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Photograph your family in the same spot every year

The first photograph was badly lit, taken in a rush before work, thumb half over the lens. You stood against the same wall, the crack still running up near the drainpipe, and did it again the next year, and the year after that. Someone else held the camera each year, whoever showed up — a neighbour, a passer-by, once a delivery driver. No captions, no comparing shots as you went. Ten years on, laid side by side, the crack looks taller, though it never moved. You did.

Practical

Cost
Free
Best time
Any time of year, but pick one date or occasion and repeat it exactly
Difficulty
Easy
Time it takes
About ten minutes each year
What people get wrong
People change the spot slightly each year, moving closer or further from the doorway or tree, which ruins the comparison. The other common mistake is not deciding on a fixed date in advance, so five years pass before anyone remembers to take the second photograph.
With
A group

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