Two weeks ago I had a chance to retrieve some old family photos. (And when I say old, I mean really old.)
It was exciting to hold those pictures in my hands and to see a part of my past that I didn’t get to know, but that inevitably flows inside me.
One of the pictures I had, in fact, dates back to 1906 and is a portrait of my great-great-grandfathers, the parents of my paternal grandfather’s mother (I know it’s a mess to understand when it comes to degrees of kinship but be patient!).
Photography is a bridge in time able to put us in touch with those we haven’t had the chance to know. I don’t know how many of you have seen the movie Pixar Coco (if you haven’t seen it, I’m sorry but there are spoilers), but I think it perfectly sums up what I mean. The film, in fact, is set during “lo dias de los muertos” where the souls of those who are no longer there return to earth to be reunited with their loved ones, as long as they still have their memories and display their pictures in an altar in the house.
Photography is the means to remember, not to forget them and at the same time learn to know more about ourselves, understanding from whom and where we come from. Through it, we can reconstruct our history.
I truly believe that these images are invaluable, and since they obviously bear the signs of time, I decided to dedicate myself to them with care, making scans of them and trying to give them a second life.
Below you will find the results of some photos that I have digitally restored.
But what I want to tell you before closing, is once again to take care of your memories because they will always be a safe haven to return to, they will always be the house that you will build for yourself.
