Beyond yesterday: Present from the Past

Not all gifts come in beautifully wrapped boxes with carefully applied bows. Some gifts are not even readily apparent. Such was the gift I received in late 1997, when I was asked to photograph some of the students in my children’s school to be sold to their parents at the upcoming school fundraiser.

And so I began. I spent a good portion of next four months in the school photographing the children. I almost always used my zoom lens because it afforded me the opportunity to be a bit removed, out of the fray, almost like a fly on the wall. This unique position permitted me to observe the students in “real time” working and playing; being privy to those truly candid school moments that we, as parents, can only dream of seeing. After a few days, the children hardly noticed me and I was able to continue to capture them in an open and unhindered manner.

The fundraiser was so successful that I became the de facto school photographer and had the distinct privilege of photographing students for two more auctions (in 2001and 2003) along with countless other school events over the next eight years. In the process, I was afforded the opportunity to document, through my viewfinder, the growth of hundreds of students.

In 2013, while reorganizing my office, I came upon cases filled with the contact sheets and negatives from the auction projects. It seemed only natural and almost fated for me to continue the documentation that I had begun back in 1998. Curious to see how those young students continued to grow and evolve in my absence, I decided to revisit a small group and capture them in the present.

Beyond Yesterday is the culmination of that visual experience; a priceless gift that I share with you now.