A man chronicled his life via Polaroid photos, taking a shot every day for 18 years.

Jamie Livingston, a photographer, began taking pictures with a Polaroid camera in 1978 at Bard College. He noticed he'd taken a photo a day, and had the idea to continue the series by taking one image a day. He kept the photos organized by date and categorized them in Polaroid boxes kept in suitcases according to reports.

Livingston took a photo every day until his untimely death in 1997. He died of cancer on his 41st birthday.

The photos chronicle his life and what was happening around him. They include pictures of friends, strangers, buildings, occasions, mundane things, papers, and various images of daily life. The colorful and provocative series, perhaps made more poignant by his death, shows the frivolity of his youth all the way through is battle with cancer. Documented are the staples and bandages of where doctors cut out cancer, the loss of his hair due to chemotherapy, and his ultimate bedridden death in the hospital.

No dialogue accompanies the photos, short of dates, but posts on mentalfloss.com, where an article about the photos first emerged, emphasize a connection to the photographer, as people say they can relate to his life visually.

When put together as a set by friends in 2007, the photo took up 120 feet of wall space at 8 feet high. Hugh Crawford and Betsy Reid put together a public exhibit and website using the photos called PHOTO OF THE DAY: 1979-1997, 6,697 Polaroids, dated in sequence. The exhibit was at Bard College, where it all began.

To view the photos go to photooftheday.hughcrawford.com.