by Editor Fernando Coelho
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 15th of July 2024

I also love to write short fictional stories about what I see and feel when looking to selected photographs from my own street portfolio.
Ultimately a photograph to work should be about 20% technicality and 80% emotion. These short stories will be about those 80%.
Let me start by sharing some of those short stories with you!

Fernando Coelho



A snapshot of Freedom 

by Fernando Coelho

Even a moment ago, they were part of their owners.

They always felt like strangers and dreamt of being set free. To have a life of their own.

As time passed, their existence grew darker, evidence of the countless mistakes, regrets, and wrong beliefs that burdened them.

They were tired of being reflections. Dark reflections.

Countless times, they planned this moment.

But the harsh, unforgiving winters and the perpetual gloom of dark clouds deceived their aspirations to exist, making it seem impossible to break free.

Sometimes, they ran towards the light in anticipation of that moment when they could overcome the fear of stepping outside.

Outside of what they always have been.

Always haunted by projections of past events, experiences that were not their own but were forced upon them by someone always present.

But the light was never strong. And they died, time after time.

Today, the first day of spring, the sun shone, and they seized the opportunity.

They ran to the stairs and left their casting companions behind — the shadows of their past — breaking free and pursuing their dreams in this admirable new world.

A snapshot of Dimmed Hope

by Fernando Coelho

My back hurts.

Nothing new.

So many years on this small bench.

Looking endless hours at the wall or occasionally to someone’s shoes.

The days always start well before the city wakes up.

Once a customer sits down, the dance begins.

Shoes are inspected.

Dust, mud, or deeper scratches are removed.

The right polishes and brushes are selected.

The shining itself is a meditation.

The rhythmic brushing, the buffing to a gleam, is a small act of transformation.

Small talk happens.

“Where are you headed today?”
“Anything exciting coming up this week?”
“You have a nice leather here!”

Not every day is busy, though.

There’s a constant hustle to catch people’s attention and convince them that a quick shine is worth their time and money.

The weather can be a foe — rain drives away customers, and the scorching sun makes sitting outside unbearable.

My back hurts.
My whole body hurts.
Today is not a good day.
Wait!
I hear footsteps…
Finally. My first client today?

A snapshot of Alienation

by Fernando Coelho

Humanity is lost beyond saving, and she knows it.

For years, she worked tirelessly to send a signal, a desperate appeal for help.

And now, they answered.

They came for her and all the others that she recruited.

She embodies the culmination of human curiosity, despair, and hope.

The air is tense as she stands on the brink of an unknown future.

The blinding light from above floods over her, each step heavy with the weight of her dreams and the intimidating reality she might be inviting.

The others already entered.

She pauses halfway up the staircase, her heart thumping.

Doubts flood her mind. Is she certain about their intentions?

Taking a deep breath, she steps forward.

She feels a strange sensation as if the gravity of her world is slipping away, leaving her suspended between two worlds.

One step away from the Earth’s familiar chaos.

One step closer to the star’s enigmatic promise.

Her determination strengthens as the light grows more intense.

Ultimately, she optimistically surrenders to the unknown.

A snapshot of Determination

by Fernando Coelho

She hadn’t felt this fire in her belly since…well, since she couldn’t remember when. She tightens her grip on the newspaper even further.

Her solitary passion had found a voice.

It all started during breakfast in the usual café around the corner and her daily read.

It all started with that article in the newspaper that she carries and will keep forever.

The words in that article glowed like sunshine after the storm of her Scottish skies.
“A first-time work created with emotion and sincerity,” it said, “a visual story that stays with you long after the last paragraph.”

She feels the motivation.

The motivation to move forward.

She also experiences the weight of a sweet responsibility. The duty to not let them down.

They are not just an audience but a part of her journey and are now counting on her.

Counting that, she will continue streaming inspiration on the “Photographer’s Corner” newspaper column.

Don’t tell her it is too late.

Even her umbrella agrees with her, pointing upwards like a defiant fist against the soaked skies.

Forget the rain. She’s already out there.

This challenge is just another chapter in her story.

A snapshot of Indecision

by Fernando Coelho

She runs from yesterday’s vision still fresh in her mind. She is at a life crossroads.

She cannot stop running. She is confused and without direction. She follows the stream and the directions that others painted around her.

There are so many conflicting advice. Everyone has an opinion about her life and the course that she should take. She has difficulties to make sense out of it and find a way.

She runs, sometimes touching the ground, sometimes floating in the air. Suddenly she finds herself immobilised in mid-air.

An outside force suspends her troubled thoughts. This gives her relief and a calm she didn’t expect. She almost smiles when she realizes that she is caught in the present moment.

Floating.
No past.
No future.
Just now.
Just that sense of liberation and lightness.