Valentin Martinez

Some photographs are born in the middle of pain, yet they also give us a reason to smile. This session with my dad took place a month after my mom passed away. Smiling was still difficult, finding clarity felt just as hard, and it was difficult to feel like everything was okay. But I didn’t want to let any more time pass without taking these photographs with him. The office was a mess, he wasn’t feeling his best, and neither were we. Still, we began piecing together the memories we’ve carried with us since childhood. And somewhere between the maps, tools, and stories, laughter found its way in, too. Because even in the middle of sadness, some memories can take us back, if only for a moment, to happier days. Dad went looking for his white guayabera, the one that helped us remember him as he was back then. We wanted to bring back those little details that made him who he is: his work tools, his expressions, and that very peculiar way he pointed at maps with his middle finger, which always made my siblings and me laugh. As an architect and urban planner, he taught us from an early age how the city flows, and how life does, too. He shared his way of seeing the world with us and passed on his passion for his work, a passion that, in different ways, he has handed down to all of his children. And although this session is still unfinished, there are so many memories left to photograph: afternoons playing baseball at the park, bike rides through Niños Héroes, and trips along the bike paths. Moments that once felt ordinary but now carry a different kind of meaning. Sometimes we think we need the perfect moment to take photographs. But life keeps happening even when we’re going through difficult days. And maybe that’s why these images mean so much to me: we didn’t wait for the pain to disappear before we started remembering. We photographed what we had, as we were, from wherever we could. We laughed, too. We found little moments of happiness, too. Because remembering doesn’t always mean looking back with sadness. Sometimes it means hearing a story all over again, recognizing a familiar gesture, or laughing at those little things only our family understands. And we still have so many memories left to photograph. Soulpic is here to preserve those little moments that, over time, become an entire world of memories.