Five guys take same photo for 30 years | CNN

<strong>Copco Lake, 1982. </strong>Five teenagers posed for a photo at California's Copco Lake in 1982 that started a tradition spanning 40 years. The men plan to keep posing for the photo every five years until they die. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson. <em>Photos courtesy of John Wardlaw</em>

Copco Lake, 1982. Five teenagers posed for a photo at California's Copco Lake in 1982 that started a tradition spanning 40 years. The men plan to keep posing for the photo every five years until they die. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson. Photos courtesy of John Wardlaw

Courtesy John Wardlaw

<strong>Copco Lake, 1987.</strong> From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 1987.

Copco Lake, 1987. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 1987.

Courtesy John Wardlaw

<strong>Copco Lake, 1992.</strong> From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 1992.

Copco Lake, 1992. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 1992.

Courtesy John Wardlaw

<strong>Copco Lake, 1997.</strong> From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 1997.

Copco Lake, 1997. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 1997.

Courtesy John Wardlaw

<strong>Copco Lake, 2002. </strong>From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2002.

Copco Lake, 2002. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2002.

Courtesy John Wardlaw

<strong>Copco Lake, 2007. </strong>From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2007.

Copco Lake, 2007. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2007.

Courtesy John Wardlaw

<strong>Copco Lake, 2012.</strong> From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2012.

Copco Lake, 2012. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2012.

Courtesy John Wardlaw

<strong>Copco Lake, 2017. </strong>From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2017. <br />

Copco Lake, 2017. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2017.

Courtesy John Wardlaw

<strong>Copco Lake, 2022. </strong>From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2022.

Copco Lake, 2022. From left to right: John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony and John Dickson in 2022.

Courtesy John Wardlaw

Friends mark four decades in photos

Story highlights

A photo tradition has helped five men maintain their friendship for 30 years

The first shot was taken in 1982 during a summer lake trip

Hairstyles have changed and shirts have appeared over the years

"We plan on doing this for the rest of our lives, no matter what," one says

CNN —

When five teenagers sat down and posed for a picture at Copco Lake in 1982, they didn’t plan on making it a tradition. But that’s what it became.

Every five years for the past three decades, John Wardlaw, John Dickson, Mark Rumer, Dallas Burney and John Molony have been meeting at the California lake and taking the same photo.

The first photograph of the high school friends was just happenstance. Wardlaw, known as Wedge in the group, had a family cabin at the lake where the friends gathered in July 1982.

While hanging out on the deck of the cabin, Dickson, or J.D., set his 35-millimeter camera on self-timer to take a group photo.