Ruby Every Fall
Through a montage of illustrations, collages and text, Jim Goldberg creates an intimate portrait of the complexities of growing up, infused with his daughter's collaboration, curiosity and occasional rebellion
I photographed my daughter, Ruby, on the first day of school every year from her first day of kindergarten through her final year of college.
The beginning years were easy—a game of sorts. But as she grew older, that changed. At times it became a,“ I-hate-that-we-have-to-do-this” routine. Some years I just took one quick Polaroid. Other times, I made collages. I knew I wouldn’t capture the whole of Ruby, or the complexities of growing up. But I tried, one day, every year.
Like other important firsts, a first haircut, or word, or lost tooth, or bloody nose, the act of documenting these first days had a ritual quality for she and I both. What you don’t see in the pictures is what Ruby saw: me, behind the camera, aging too, and in awe of watching her mature.
"I wrote pages and pages about how much I love Jimmy for this book, but I don't know what I can say to anyone who isn't him. He's the greatest part of my life and I am speechless"
- Ruby Goldberg
The photographs that make up this book were indeed a collaboration between the two of us, no doubt infused with Ruby’s curiosity, complexity, and occasional rebellion.” – Jim Goldberg
The book Ruby Every Fall is part of the final, limited-edition set in Nazraeli’s Six By Six collection and is available for purchase here.
