Keith Moskow was excited to bring his family to Squibnocket Beach one day in the summer of 2008 because this time they had a special guest.

The guest was a one year-old girl named Ava, whom Mr. Moskow and his wife had begun fostering just eight months prior. On the beach, Ava played in the shallow water with the Moskows' teenage sons, her feet splashing in the waves and a yellow pacifier bobbing up and down in her mouth.

Mr. Moskow had brought his camera along to capture the moment. For one photo, he placed her on a large rock located on the shoreline. In the picture, Ava’s legs dangle several feet off the ground and she wears a curious expression as she looks out to sea.

The next summer Ava was still a part of the family and Mr. Moskow once again took her to Squibnocket Beach to take her picture on the rock. This time Ava wore a red, white and blue swimsuit and looked straight at the camera.

In 2014.

Keith Moskow

In 2014.

Keith Moskow

At the time, Mr. Moskow had no idea how much longer this would last as Ava was still in the foster care system. Then, in 2010, the Moskows were able to adopt Ava. In the photograph that summer she looks her most playful, confidently climbing the rock’s steep side on her hands and knees. Her brown hair is bleached by the sun, and she wears a big smile as a wave unfolds nearby.

“I refused to wear clothes,” Ava says with a laugh while recently looking at the photo series.

“Ava was into everything,” Mr. Moskow says. “She was very active.”

Knowing that Ava would now be a part of the family forever, Mr. Moskow began a long-term project, inspired by Nicholas Nixon’s photo series titled The Brown Sisters, which portrayed annual portraits of his wife and her three sisters over many decades.

Mr. Moskow’s series includes a photograph of Ava at Squibnocket Beach each summer for the past 18 years, the most recent one taken in August. In the series, viewers watch Ava and the landscape change over time.

In Ava’s preschool and kindergarten years, the portraits are joyful. She often stretches her hands to the sky, fingers spread wide or straight out like a ballerina about to pirouette.

As she enters elementary school, the photos reflect more contemplative expressions, the rock offering a seat for her to ponder.

Eventually, her playful poses shift as she matures. In 2020, she is almost as tall as the tip of the rock and stands beside it timidly with her hands in her pockets. The beach had instituted a rule where nobody could climb on the rock, and Ava was scared of breaking the rules.

Subsequent photos reveal a new tone.

This summer.

Keith Moskow

This summer.

Keith Moskow

In high school, Ava said she struggled with maintaining her mental health and faced challenges in school. She began to resent taking the photo, and the images reflect this. She no longer stands on the beach and instead positions herself several yards away or even in the parking lot. Her arms are folded and her face portrays a scowl.

“Life has its changes,” Ava said, reflecting on those years. “People go through a lot... and eventually you overcome it.”

The rock, too, isn’t its full self. The peak that Ava danced on as a kid barely surfaces from the water surrounding it. After several storms, Squibnocket Beach underwent major renovations, including a parking lot reconfiguration. The rock was now mostly submerged, situated further out in the water. 

In the final photo taken this summer, Ava is 18 years old. There’s a distinct switch from the year before as she poses confidently, her eyes looking directly at the camera, squinting slightly. She wears a bohemian-style patterned dress, and her skin glows in the sun.

“I feel more at home, like I can be myself more,” Ava said. “I was like, okay, might as well take this photo. I’m not in a place where I wasn’t happy anymore.”

That day she was playing on the beach with her two young nieces. After taking her solo picture with the rock, she let them join the tradition. They flank her on either side. She recalled telling them to smile. A smaller rock is also in the frame, situated in front of the original rock, which remains further out to sea.

Mr. Moskow has been going to Squibnocket beach since he was a young kid in the 1960s. He finds it interesting from an environmental perspective how the photo series demonstrates the ways nature, and people, evolve over time.

“Some years the beach is silky sandy,” Mr. Moskow said. “Other years are much more rocky... but that’s all part of life.”

The full 18-year series.

Keith Moskow

The full 18-year series.

Keith Moskow

Ava graduated high school last spring. She now works in childcare, helping other kids navigate life’s ups and downs. Her advice for them is to focus on what they love, such as spending time with animals or making music.

“Just keep your head up and keep going,” she tells them. “Don’t fall into those holes of darkness — try and find the light.”

Ava said there will be another photo next summer, and the summers after that. To Mr. Moskow’s delight, she said one day she may continue the tradition with kids of her own.

Her voice softened as she reflected on how she has grown since foster care.

“I was so cute and tiny,” she said looking at the first photograph. “And I was put with a great family.”