Boston College Professor Takes One Selfie a Day for 30 Years

Long before selfies were called selfies, Karl Baden was taking them. A lot of them—10,958, to be exact.

A 34-year-old Karl Baden sat in front of a white backdrop and snapped a photo on February 23, 1987. Since then, nearly every single day for the last 30 years, he has taken an identical portrait with neither a shirt nor facial expression. The only time he forgot was October 15, 1991, but you can’t fault him for one slip-up, especially when he soldiered on through a bout with cancer.

Baden still took his own photos in the hospital even as he underwent chemotherapy in the 2000s. “Doing the project was even more important to me during that time,” the Cambridge resident told the Globe.

Now 64 years old and a Boston College photography professor, Baden says he has no intention to end his project, appropriately titled, “Every Day.” The above video features the first 24 years’ worth of photos, and Baden said an updated, 30-year edition is on the way.