The real power of photography

23/12/2024 – 16:28, that’s when this picture was taken from the windows of my parents living room in Trieste.

We arrived in my hometown Trieste the day before, to visit my parents and spend Christmas with them.

That afternoon we were going to play a new game all together and while we were busy in setting up the table, both my parents almost screamed to us to look outside at the wonderful sky.

As soon as I looked through the window, I went to grab my camera because the view was so special that I had to photograph it.

We were all amazed by such a light and color that we commented together about how beautiful nature can be and then we continue the evening with the nice game and a great dinner, planning the Christmas days ahead of us.

After dinner, I started playing with my new Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 that I bought myself as a Christmas present and I took a picture of my dad and my daughter together on the sofa.

I didn’t know that these two casual, offhand pictures, taken just for the fun of it, without almost any attention, would be holding the memories of the last happy moments we spent with my dad.

I didn’t know then that I was taking the last picture of my father.

The morning after, on the 24th  of December, my dad got suddenly sick and was brought by ambulance to the hospital, where he died three days later, due to a stroke.

We too often underestimate the importance of the present moments that we are living, being always busy in looking at a future that does not exist.

Photography can give us the ability to capture moments, instants of our lives, some may be important while others may seem insignificant.

The truth is that every single instant is important because ultimately, all those instants, one after the other, is all what we have.

The real power of photography is keeping us aware about the precious value of the present.

I will keep taking pictures to honor the present, as long as I will have life.

Buon viaggio, Papa’.