There are two people running r/PastAndPresentPics — the founder u/NateTrib as well as the moderator and CSS u/enfrozt. Luckily, both of them were kind enough to answer a few questions for us.
"If you sort the subreddit by 'Top' you'll notice our most popular pictures are from 2 years ago, 7 years ago, and 4 years ago," u/enfrozt told Bored Panda. "The subreddit has been around for a long time, and some of our front-page posts were from quite a while ago."
"Recently there was a post that I'm really fond of," the moderator added. "It features a past-and-present picture of a person that is a cub scout to eagle scout. Really cool to see them grow and still have the same outfit."
According to u/NateTrib, the fan favorites are photos recreating a past photo where the person tries to nail every aspect, including the background, the pose, and the outfit.
"Shout out to my dad who still had his same shirt 25 years later when we did a family Christmas photo recreation!" u/NateTrib added.
"The subreddit is pretty niche so when someone takes the time to do a legit Past And Present Pic, the community definitely shows them love!"
#6 Me As A Baby Wearing A Ridiculous Wig vs. Me At 21 With The Hair I Ended Up Growing
Currently, the subreddit has 62.2K members. u/enfrozt thinks people are so interested in/entertained by other photo recreations because we all have a soft spot for nostalgia. "Whether it's walking down the road of your childhood neighborhood, the smell of your mother's homecooked food, or eating an ice cream from the shop near your house that tastes the exact same as when you were young, memories from the good times can spark positive emotions," they explained. "I think the older we get, the more we reminisce about the 'good times,' the fond memories of growing up."
The moderator thinks this quote from Andy Bernard is very fitting when talking about r/PastAndPresentPics: "I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them."
"Partake in a hobby, learn a language, practice an instrument, visit a country," u/enfrozt said. "It's never too late to do that one thing you've been putting off, make every day matter."
#14 My Parents Took Pictures Of Us Asleep In Weird Positions When We Were Kids. We Recreated The Photos As Adults, But Just Look Like A Bunch Of Drunks!
u/enfrozt highlighted that the subreddit has infrequent posts, but the ones it does are usually really good. So it's not about quantity but quality. "I think the subreddit is a perfect sweet spot between a small enough community to not attract too many trolls, and large enough that we get content. Our little corner on Reddit has a great community."
If you're lucky to have any old photos lying around, the moderator highly suggests to try and get your family and friends together and reenact your pictures. "You can create some new memories from the old ones," they added. "See where you are today from where you came from and have a laugh or two while doing it!"
#15 From A Ten Your Old Cub Scout To A 27 Year Old Eagle Scout (Even The Hat Is The Same. Go Braves!!!)
#17 My Wife And I During A Dance In Sixth Grade And Then On Our Wedding Day
#19 For My Mom’s 60th Birthday, My Brothers, My Cousin And I Recreated A Photo From My First Day Of Kindergarten.
#20 I Came To This Courtroom With My Class In Kindergarten. Today, 14 Years Later, I Finished My Internship With The Judge In The Same Courtroom.
