A heartwarming tradition that spanned five decades has sadly come to an end for Sam Farr, a 78-year-old photographer from Bath, Somerset.
For the past 50 years, Sam has been capturing mirror selfies at his trusted barbershop, Joe’s ‘Giuseppe’s of Bath’. However, due to his deteriorating health, this may be the last snapshot in the series.
The tradition began in 1973 when Sam, armed with his new Rolleiflex camera, decided to take a black and white selfie while receiving a trim from his barber, Joe.
Every 10 years since then, Sam faithfully returned to Joe’s barbershop to capture his ever-present smile and signature haircut.
Over the years, Sam’s snapshots have become a visual timeline of his life. The series includes images from 1973, 1985, 2007, 2015, and now, 2023.
Interestingly, the technology used to capture these moments has evolved alongside Sam. From his trusty Rolleiflex camera to the modern iPhone, the progression of cameras mirrors the passing of time.
Reflecting on his enduring friendship with Joe, Sam shared: “I have always stuck with Joe because if I keep coming back, he might get it right one day. But we’ve been lifelong friends, we know each other’s families.
“The first time I took the photo I had just bought Rolleiflex camera for about £100, a lot of money back then, and I wanted to see what I looked like. I used to take photos for so many people back then but never took pictures of myself, so I decided to snap one and started a tradition.
“He’s been cutting my hair for so long that he’s changed locations three times. I hadn’t even realised it had been 50 years since our first cut until he brought it up.
“Every time I would come in, he would always say ‘oh it’s been 30 years, 40 years’. When we hit 50 years, we thought it would be special to celebrate it. He even gave me a free haircut.”
As a newspaper photographer, Sam was accustomed to capturing moments for others but rarely turned the camera on himself.
Throughout the years, Sam’s hairstyle has remained unchanged, earning it the moniker of an “ageing Beatle” look.
Sadly, Sam’s daughter, Nicky Higby, believes this latest photograph may be his last.
Sam has been battling Parkinson’s disease and other health issues, making it increasingly challenging for him to hold a camera.
In 2015, they managed to take the photo, but this time, they opted for the convenience of an iPhone.
Reflecting on the significance of the tradition for their family, Nicky shared,”The tradition has been lovely for him and us as a family though. Joe has always been a close friend of dad’s and the pictures constantly come up on social media.
“I recently saw a post about dad’s selfies on Reddit which had thousands of comments.
“The lovely thing is they always comment on how happy be looks.
“He’s a very smiley man – except when someone gets his pizza order wrong.”
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Express.co.uk’s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected].
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