Not many family photo albums start with images of the Twin Towers on fire. But for Nick Haymes, it made perfect sense. “When 9/11 happened,” he says, “I realized life was very short.” At the time, he was living in New York, trying to build a career, while his friend, colleague, and future wife Lina was dealing with the aftermath of her previous marriage. “It made us realize we should probably get together and start a family. It was this huge historical event, but on a very small scale, it also shaped my relationship with my wife and children.”
Chronograph is a photography book that spans from those terrorist attacks to the present day, following the journey of Haymes’s two sons, Philipp and Lawrence, as they grow from drooling babies into young men. We get a front-row seat as arms get broken, beloved pets die, and hairs start sprouting from armpits. The ordinary side of life – verrucas, messy kitchens, Lina cleaning out an ear with a cotton bud – is captured in the same way as birthday parties and rites of passage.
Lawrence would joke: ‘You photograph me when I’m crying rather than dealing with it’
“Because we lived in this tiny, 800 sq ft apartment in Manhattan, you don’t miss a thing, all the ups and downs, all the mood swings,” says Haymes. “There was no door slamming, because there was nowhere to go!”
Indeed, we are not spared from seeing the children at their least flattering: “We used to have a running joke where Lawrence would say: ‘You’re the only parent that would photograph me when I’m crying rather than deal with the issue straight away,'” admits Haymes, “but I like to think I was attentive. It was a funny balance because the camera was always around, but it seemed to work.”
There are also multiple shots of the boys naked – not just running around the house as young children but as they transition into adulthood too. I suspect most teenagers would not be cool with this, but Haymes insists he had their approval. “They don’t have an issue,” he says. “I’ve been lucky enough to have some very nice photographers in my household at various times, so they’re aware of the creative process.” He shrugs: “There are bigger themes in the book than child nudity. That was just a part of our daily life.”
Besides, when Philipp and Lawrence reach their teens – all bleached hair, tattoos, and stubble – they work out an ingenious method of rebellion. Instead of sulking or turning away from the camera, Haymes says his kids smiled and put their thumbs up, knowing that the last thing their dad wanted was a posed family portrait. “That was basically their way of telling me to clear out of their lives,” he says.
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Haymes hoped to study art but ended up dropping out. “I took way too many drugs in my 20s and had a bit of a breakdown,” he says. After couch-surfing in London for a bit, he found work in a photo studio, eventually assisting Jürgen Teller. In 1999, he packed two cameras into a bag and decided to try his luck in New York. It was here he met Lina, a Jewish refugee who, as a teenager, had moved to the US with her parents from Ukraine – then part of the Soviet Union. She was working on a magazine and gave him a commission that allowed him to get a visa and stay.
Haymes’s own difficult transition from youth to adulthood is perhaps what draws him to his subjects. Between Dog and Wolf captured his road trips across California and Oklahoma with a group of young skateboarders. Follow-up Gabe TM unfurled over many years hanging out with Gabe Nevins, the teenage star of Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park. Unexpectedly, Haymes found himself chronicling Nevins’s homelessness and addiction in the wake of making the movie. Dancing on the Fault Line, published in 2024, was another mammoth excursion, following teenager Love Bailey and her exte
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the article about Nick Haymes photography project I Didnt Miss a Thing
General Background
Q What is the project I Didnt Miss a Thing about
A Its a longterm photography project by Nick Haymes where he documents the everyday intimate lives of his two sons as they grow up Its not about big milestones but the small messy and mundane moments of childhood
Q Who is Nick Haymes
A He is a photographer who has turned his camera on his own family Instead of looking outward for subjects hes focused on the domestic and personal world of his sons
Q Why is the project called I Didnt Miss a Thing
A The title reflects Haymes goal as a father and photographer He wants to be present for all the small details of his kids livesthe verrucas the homemade coffinsso that he doesnt miss out on their childhood
Q Is this just a family photo album or is it something more
A While it is deeply personal its also considered an art project It challenges the idea of what important photography is by showing that the mundane moments of family life are worthy of serious artistic attention
The Photos Content
Q What kind of photos are in the series
A The photos are raw and unpolished They include things like closeups of verrucas kids building a coffin for a dead hamster messes on the floor and other unglamorous but authentic moments of childhood
Q Why photograph things like verrucas and a hamster coffin
A Because those are the real moments of a childs life They are the things that are actually memorable and define a childhood even if they arent pretty Haymes captures the reality not a sanitized version of it
Q Are the photos posed or candid
A The photos are overwhelmingly candid They look like snapshots taken in the flow of daily life which gives them a sense of authenticity and intimacy
Q Is the project about being a parent or being a photographer
