In 1979, decades before the creators of Instagram and Facebook were born, Jamie Livingston created a diary of his life through the lens of a Polaroid camera. He called his project Photo of the Day and gave it rules: No do-overs, only one photo per day. POD became Jamie's obsession, and he vowed to keep it up until his death or the death of the medium, whichever came first. Eighteen and a half years later, Jamie died, leaving behind 6,754 Polaroids in sequence.
Since then, Jamie's daily ritual has captivated the attention of millions to become a looking glass for our times.
You can follow the POD day by day, 40 years later on Instagram. To find a specific day, check out all the photos in one place courtesy of Hugh Crawford.
For more information or to inquire about licensing the POD, contact Linda Schaffer.
Jamie lays out Polaroids on the floor, March 31, 1983.