Life is constant movement, evolution, and change. When routine tries to convince us that everything remains the same, a new gaze, a fresh perspective, a feeling of surprise, or the discovery of new meanings in something familiar completely shatters our expectations. Nothing is static or immutable, and of course, our mind is pure evolutionary effervescence.
I could talk about all the subtle but highly significant changes that have been taking place within me during this recent stage connected to photography. However, I will focus on the most evident one: I have stopped searching in favor of pure, meaningful encounters.
In recent months, despite how much I have enjoyed photography, especially the exploration and discovery aspects, a persistent signal kept echoing in my mind, warning me that something was wrong. The feeling of constant searching, the unease of trying to find the perfect subject to photograph, and the pressure of returning home with some good “catch” would cover the entire experience with a bitter and uncomfortable veil. The whole journey felt conditioned by the tyranny of the photographic shot: if you don’t take a picture, the experience isn’t worthwhile.
Obviously, this idea is absolutely wrong, but it took me quite a while to free myself from its grip. The change was gradual, and the results emerged from a natural process rather than from a conscious struggle. Little by little, photographic anxiety gave way to other states, other feelings, and above all, other values. Letting go started to become the natural condition for my trips and walks with the camera.
As a result of this new way of living the experience, I have found myself photographing elements that naturally appeared in the landscape, without searching for them, without forcing the subject. An old dovecote surprised me while traveling along the Ruta de la Plata, and in the most natural and intuitive way, I felt there was a good photograph waiting there. And it often happens that, to find what we are looking for, we simply need to stop searching.
