She took the same photo of her parents for 27 years, the final one says everything

Saying goodbye to loved ones can be a tender, bittersweet ritual, especially when those goodbyes accumulate over decades. For photographer Deanna Dikeman—known on Instagram as @deannadikeman—documenting these moments became a powerful, long-term project. Over 27 years, she snapped photos of her parents waving farewell in their driveway, culminating in one final image that feels like a punch to the gut.

A 27-year tradition
What began in 1991 as a casual snapshot turned into an ongoing series Dikeman informally called “Leaving and Waving.” Every time she left her parents’ home, she would pause to capture them standing in the driveway, hands raised in a goodbye wave. In an Instagram post shared by @the.pinklemonade, her images spanned from the early ‘90s until October 2017. The collection is currently on display at Réseau L U X (@reseau_lux) in Paris.

“I started in 1991 with a quick snapshot, and I continued taking photographs with each departure. I never set out to make this series. I just took these photographs as a way to deal with the sadness of leaving.”
— Deanna Dikeman

Dikeman explained on her website that it gradually became a ritual for both her and her parents. “It became a story about family, aging, and the sorrow of saying goodbye,” she added.

A heartbreaking turning point
Life took a painful turn in 2009 when Dikeman’s father passed away shortly after celebrating his ninety-first birthday. From that point on, her mother waved alone, with an increasingly sorrowful expression as she watched her daughter drive away. Another shift came in 2017: Dikeman’s mother needed to move to assisted living, so the goodbyes took place at the door of her new apartment.

Her mother passed away in October of 2017, leaving the driveway tragically vacant for that final photo.

Reflections on a profound goodbye
Dikeman later appeared on the Tamron Hall Show via Zoom, where she conveyed the emotional core of her pictures. She said, “Well, for me, I was able to go back and look at the photographs and see the love in my parents’ eyes. Just one look at those pictures and I saw my dad’s gaze and mom’s kind of crumpled face sometimes and I knew how they felt. I knew what I meant to them and I am hoping that I can show the world what they meant to me.”

Emotional responses from social media
Viewers who encountered Dikeman’s photographs shared their own stories and reactions:

• “Incredible! The time is gone, and the love is forever, but those who stay on this side of life carry the suffering,” wrote @r.ckto.
• Another commenter, @nurse.nagila, got teary-eyed: “This brought tears to my eyes because, as a parent, my husband and I always stand outside our home and wave goodbye to our kids and grandkids. My parents now live with us... I know that I should cherish every moment we have left.”
• @mcchitman added, “This is amazing. I wish I could go back and do this with my mother. She blew me a kiss from the garage door every day that I left the house for 33 years. The first time leaving with no kiss goodbye was incredibly difficult.”

A reminder to cherish each moment
Dikeman’s project resonates deeply for anyone who has faced loss or anticipates that final farewell. The quiet act of waving goodbye becomes a testament to love, devotion, and impermanence. Her moving snapshots remind us all to treasure the moments we still have.

You can follow Deanna Dikeman (@deannadikeman) on Instagram for more photography content.