Summer camp nostalgia: Heartwarming images capture vintage scenes of kids roasting smores, swimming in the lake and saying tearful goodbyes
Summer camp nostalgia: Heartwarming footage captures vintage scenes of kids roasting smores, swimming in the lake and saying goodbye in tears
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Days spent surrounded by nature under a warm sun, making new friends and taking time to learn new skills are part of the magic of a summer camp.
Photographer Mark Steinmetz captured moments like this for 11 years while working in summer camps across the US from 1986 to 1997.
From the shores of Massachusetts’ Cape Cod to the dazzling mountains of North Carolina, Steinmetz’s moving images depict vintage scenes of American summer camp life – roasting smores, swimming in the lake and writing letters.
Steinmetz says the photos are timeless. Summer camps haven’t changed that much, so many viewers can relate to them wherever or whenever they went to summer as youngsters.
‘At the summer camp you have sleeping bags and cabins. There’s not much difference between them in 1990 and 1965,” the photographer said.
βI like that time too. A sort of severe maturity sets in around eleven years of age. When a small child laughs or cries, it has no real resonance, while when someone between the ages of eight and twelve has these emotions, there is something poignant about them.
βWhen they grow up, it’s just not the same anymore. A lot of these pictures are about the predicament you get into a certain situation as a kid. In one photo, these girls, who have been so horrible to each other all summer, are now breaking up – and the depth of their love just comes out. It’s almost unbearable.’
A youth takes a nap while eating his dinner. Steinmetz says the photos are timeless. Summer camps haven’t changed that much, so many viewers can relate to them wherever or whenever they went to summer as youngsters. ‘At summer camp you have sleeping bags and cabins. There’s not much difference between them in 1990 and 1965,” the photographer said
Saying goodbye to new friends you made at summer camp can be a tough challenge. In one picture, these girls, who have been so horrible to each other all summer, are now breaking up β and the depth of their love just comes out. It’s almost unbearable,” the photographer said
As the day draws to a close, a youth takes a moment to catch up on some reading. Steinmetz says, βI love that time too. A sort of severe maturity sets in around eleven years of age. When a small child laughs or cries, it has no real resonance, while when someone between the ages of eight and twelve has these emotions, there is something poignant about them. When they grow up, it’s just not the same anymore. A lot of these pictures are about the predicament you get into a certain situation as a child’
Learning to fish at a summer camp is a tradition enjoyed by children at summer camps in the US
A young girl takes a dip in the water as the sun shines during a long day with friends
Steinmetz’s photographs capture the heartwarming moments at summer camps in Massachusetts and North Carolina
A young girl watched as she took a moment to rest her eyes
There, boys seem bewildered as they read a magazine together
A young girl smiles as she looks out the window of a bus
Steinmetz gives a behind-the-scenes look at the world of summer camp as kids learn new skills and make friends (imagine a girl heading out to take some photos)
Traditional activities include walking, fishing, cooking, dancing, sports and letter writing (pictured is a girl crossing a bridge with her sleeping pack)
A young boy caught in a moment of tranquility, surrounded by trees and small plants
Four kids covered in foam line up for fresh water
A young boy sitting on the edge of a bed shines a flashlight into Steinmetz’s camera
The hardest part of summer camp is leaving (pictured shows a young boy looking glum while on a bus)
“It’s wonderful to be in nature: to see the stars at night, to feel the morning dew, to feel the cycles of the day,” said Steinmetz (a young girl taking a walk on an empty road)
One of the most enjoyable parts of summer camp is sitting around a hot fire and roasting marshmallows