ST. LOUIS — If you missed out on this story, get ready for a good laugh.
The Zaring family, who have ties to north central Ohio, recently had some professional portraits taken, and… well, I guess you could say their photographer exceeded all expectations in the editing process.
Here’s what Pam and Dave Zaring posted to their Facebook on Jan. 12:
As Pam mentioned in her post, this was NOT a joke. Too funny!
After discovering that this family has ties to the Mansfield area, we at Richland Source decided it would be appropriate to reach out directly.
We reached out via Facebook Messenger and the Zarings, who have been flooded with messages and media requests from all over the world, took a day or so to respond.
“Sorry for the delay. I can’t keep up with anything and have not been able to even see most of the message requests,” Pam Zaring responded. “It makes me happy to hear from someone from my hometown! I’m happy to answer any questions you have….”
OK, great! Here we go. (The following answers are direct quotes from Pam Zaring.)
Q1: A little background first – how are you guys connected to this area? Have you lived here before, and/or do you have family and friends in this area still?
A1: I am actually from Mansfield, Ohio, born and raised. I attended Mansfield Senior High. I have only lived here in Missouri for three-and-a-half years. I was a full-time substitute teacher and the head coach of varsity girls soccer at Lexington back in 2012. My family lives in Mansfield and in Lexington still. Dave is from St. Louis, so he has no connection to Richland County.
Q2: What was your reaction when you first saw those pictures?
A2: I was the one who received the package in the mail and was SUPER excited to finally get something in the mail since we had been waiting for so long. Our photo shoot was in early May, and I just received the pictures on Thursday, Jan. 11. When I opened the pictures from the disc on my computer I think I actually might have screamed. Not in horror, but shock! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I started laughing hysterically and at one point I think I was even on the floor holding my stomach. Dave came into the room and his response was equally as big. We just kept putting our hands over our mouths in complete shock! It didn’t even seem real.
Q3: When did you first realize this story was going viral? What was your initial reaction to how popular they became? Any funny stories that came as a result from the internet fame?
A3: I was the one who posted the Facebook post the following day, because Dave and I knew we had to show our friends and family so they could share in our laughter. I posted it privately to my friends and family and my cousin asked me to make it public. I made the post public so she could share it to someone who wasn’t on my friends list, and by the time I arrived home from picking the kids up, it was already making its way to being viral. I had emailed the photos to my mom who was visiting from Mansfield so she could see, and when I finally got to talk to her on the phone on my ride home I laughed so hard I don’t even think she could understand what I was saying.
The funniest stories we have as far as going viral are the comparisons out there and the memes that have come from this. My husband was compared to Larry the Lobster from SpongeBob and a thumb with a face drawn on it. Our youngest, Connor, was compared to the MAD character. I’m not familiar with all of the characters, but the best one is the Seinfeld episode.
Q4: Have you been in contact with your photographer since the pictures went viral? What has been their reaction?
A4: We have not been in contact with the photographer since the photos have gone viral. We hope she is well during all of this chaos. Her name is out there now, but we have been very protective of keeping her private and keeping her from being exposed. This has never been about the photographer who took our photos. We are genuinely thankful for the laughter and joy she has given our little family. We have no ill will and are not upset with her in the slightest for giving us these photos as a final product.
This post was meant to be shared among my friends and family, and most importantly, it was meant to be enjoyed WITH us.
Q5: Do you plan on having new family pictures taken?
A5: The photographer did offer a reshoot with our family at no cost, but we respectfully declined her offer. We have been overwhelmed with generous offers from photographers literally all over the world. We are lucky enough to have been in contact with some extremely talented people locally and look forward to finally have family photos for our home. We most certainly will continue to enjoy the silliest thing that has ever happened to our little family.
Q6: Will you frame these photos and/or use them for your Christmas cards this year?
A6: The pictures will remain in our home and will continue to provide joy! Thanks for your time and for reaching out. My heart is always in Ohio and will always be my home!
As of today, over 400,000 people have shared Pam’s Facebook post and joined the Zarings in laughter.
There may be a lesson here too: Some people certainly would have been upset if this happened to them (and rightfully so, perhaps). They would have left the photographer a scathing review, asked for their money back and called it a day.
But for the Zarings, intentionally or not, they used their “misfortune” to bring a half million people joy and laughter. The internet can be a beautiful thing.
