My First Year Back
I should've never sold my photo camera.
My first camera was pink. A Samsung, digital point and shoot camera that sparked my love for photography starting in 2010, 16 years ago now. Ever since then, I owned some version of a camera, starting with Nikon, then Canon and Sony. After 2020, like everyone else, I became very interested in video, like creating music videos, documentaries and interviews. I loved video so much that I sold the camera that allowed me to capture good photos and videos simultaneously, in order to buy an amazing video camera. My video work was extremely elevated, but my photography disappeared. As the years went by, something was missing and I didn’t know what was.
It wasn’t until early last year that I finally started to realize that I had abandoned my first love, photography. I was so eager to get back to it, but it wasn’t until April 2025 that I finally made my return. I purchased a used Fujifilm X-E4, with an 18mm lens, and I hit the streets.
I had no idea how to work the camera, I felt like a beginner again and I was so excited about that. I felt motivated watching videos on zone focusing, lens choices, composition and more.
Not long after I booked my first international trip, Napoli. My intentions were to create a photo book documenting Ferragosto. I didn’t just want to take pictures, I wanted to have a theme in mind and execute that in the book. While there I made a friend who was also a photographer; we walked all around the city capturing the lively nature of Napoli.
The photos were among the best I’ve taken in my life so far. I felt my passion for creating coming back, and I didn’t want to slow down. Shortly after returning home I booked a new solo trip, this time to Guatemala.
I had pushed myself beyond my mental boundaries, and I was so proud of myself that I needed to continue, so the goal in Guatemala was to not just capture life in Antigua, but to also push myself and hike a volcano.
By the time I was ready for Guatemala, I dove into film photography, thanks to my friend in Napoli who shot entirely in film, you inspired me to slow down and enjoy the process even further.
I captured Guatemala on digital, film and video, oh… and I also made it to the top of the volcano.
By the end of this trip I felt like I was finally myself again. I was out in the streets meeting strangers, dancing and eating with locals, and creating memories that I will never forget for the rest of my life. And if I were to forget, I at least captured it all and have these images to look back at.
I now carry a camera with me everywhere I go and document life around me, the same way I used to in 2010. Every photo on my website and Instagram is from the last year alone, and I am very proud of myself for the work I have created.
I have learned some of the most valuable lessons in my life through my rediscovery of photography. A short lens forced me to get close to people, to be curious, to dance and celebrate life with people I could not communicate with through language. The desire to create beautiful compositions made me see the world in new, exciting ways. I observe more, now every day is art and light has become my paint of choice.
I will never sell my camera again.
- Emmanuel Chamorro García