It began in 1982 with a shaggy-haired group of 19-year-olds, a jar containing a live cockroach and a collective desire to look ‘dark and mysterious’ for the camera.
At the time, John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and JD Dickson were merely five American high school pals from the sun-drenched coastal city of Santa Barbara, Southern California. They were enjoying a final freewheeling summer at a family cabin on Copco Lake, situated in the far northern reaches of California near the Oregon border. They did not know they were launching a tradition that would survive marriages and career shifts.
Forty-two years later, the ‘Five Year Photo’ has become a global phenomenon, proving that while hairlines may recede and waistlines may wander, true friendship is remarkably photogenic.
The original 1982 snapshot was pure happenstance. Gathered on the deck of Wardlaw’s grandfather’s cabin, JD Dickson set his 35mm camera on a self-timer.
“For some reason, we all chose to have dark and mysterious expressions on our faces,” Wardlaw recalls. “I’m sure we all thought we were being really cool.”
In the centre of the frame, John Molony held a Folgers Instant Coffee jar. Inside was the group’s unofficial mascot: a live cockroach named ‘Belves’ they had caught and decided to keep as a pet, feeding it butterscotch candy and keeping it company with a photograph of actor Robert Young.
Though they didn’t know it then, every detail of that afternoon, from the way Dallas Burney held his knee to the placement of the jar, would become a rigid template for the next four decades.
It wasn’t until five years later, in 1987, that Wardlaw suggested they recreate the shot. By 1997, the ‘vow’ was sealed.
“We didn’t plan it, and didn’t make a vow to keep it going until it was done four times,” Wardlaw says. “By the time it was 1997, we vowed to keep doing this no matter what.”
The world first fell in love with the quintet in 2012 when their story was featured across popular news outlets. The reaction was seismic with more than 50 million views and a flood of emotional messages. At the time, they were 48 years old, and the 2012 photo marked a significant change: after decades of wearing shirts to hide what they called their ‘beefy goodness,’ they briefly considered going shirtless again to match 1982, before deciding some traditions were best left in the 80’s.
“The reaction was almost 100 per cent positive,” says Wardlaw. For the men, viral fame was a wake-up call. “When the story got a lot of Press in 2012, we realised how rare it was, and it made us stay in touch more.”
The most recent 2022 gathering was the most poignant yet. As the men reached their 60s, the tradition faced its first real threat. Dallas Burney revealed that he had undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his left lung just months before the shoot.
“I was a little worried about making it,” Burney admitted.
The technical precision of the shoot has also intensified. What took 30 seconds in 1982 now takes a half-hour of ‘moving that shoulder back’ and digital ‘video assists’ to ensure every slouch and leg-cross matches the original.
Today, the logistics are harder. Only JD Dickson remains in Santa Barbara; the others are scattered as far as New Orleans and Oregon. Reaching the lake now requires 12-hour drives or cross-country flights.
Yet, as they enter semi-retirement, the bond has only deepened. For the last three summers, they have gathered at the cabin just to spend time together, even when it wasn’t a ‘photo year.’
“Online people are saying, ‘I wish I had friends like that’,” Wardlaw reflects. “I actually think it’s changed me a little bit – to appreciate life and friendships more.”
The ‘Fantastic Five’ are already looking towards the summer of 2027 for their 10th official portrait. And, while they joke about a future where only one man is left in the frame, or perhaps just an empty bench, their legacy is already developed.
Mr Dickson said: “We plan on doing this for the rest of our lives, no matter what.”
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