Walking down El Paso Street downtown, a variety of little moments created by each person lives on to create a whole community. Photographer of 10 years Michelle Romero, 36, lives to capture those moments between humans and her city.
Romero’s roots trace back to her father who migrated to the United States from Chihuahua, Mexico when he was 12 years old and her mother who is from Fabens, Texas. Romero was born and raised in Central and Lower Valley El Paso and has remained loyal to the city aside from a temporary move to California.
“[After California] I came back to help my family out a little bit, and then I just stayed,” Romero said. “This is where home is, and I love it here. My friends are here, and I love the community itself, so I stuck around.”
Outside her nine-to-five and quiet life with her girlfriend, lives her love for the camera and the streets of central El Paso.
Throughout life’s ups and downs she says she often pauses and realizes so many people wander through life unsure of their drive or purpose. Photography has not only given her an outlet to explore outside her comfort zone, but also the meaning of her own life.
“I think I really did find a small purpose through photography a while ago—about 10 years ago. After that it kept growing and growing and it turned into a greater passion for me,” Romero said.
What started as taking some pictures of cool moments and objects on her phone, has evolved into her ability to capturing aspects of life and culture on the border’s streets that often go unnoticed.
“Little moments just started happening around me,” Romero said. “I’d keep my eyes peeled and I’d notice things. I just started picking my camera up and taking pictures [of life] and noticed people didn’t really mind either.”
Getting close to people with a camera felt intimidating to Romero at first, but as she grew the confidence to get closer, she realized that she is not just another person walking down the sidewalk, but someone attempting to capture the beauty of her home. She feels like this is one of the ways she is able to connect with people in a unique way and tell their stories without words.
“Sometimes I’ll go up to them and say something like, ‘I really like your dress today do you mind if I take a picture of you?’… It makes me feel good that I’m giving them that feeling of being seen… those are just things that make me want to keep doing photography and push a little more,” Romero said. “Sometimes I won’t even get their picture, and I just listen to them talk for a few minutes.”
She says with the inevitable passage of time, she accepts the evolution of life and of her hometown. Having pictures of the city she loves in a specific moment allows her to bask in her love for it and reflect on the life she’s built.
“People ask me, ‘What is this for?’ And I’m like, ‘It’s just for me. I like collecting pictures of people that remind me of my home and my family. I like collecting moments,” Romero said. “Styles are going to change, people will pass on, things are going to change. There’s gentrification and all these things that happen, and I just want to hang onto certain pieces of that. I want to remember and document and say, ‘This is what the people looked like during my time.’”
Romero’s photos were featured at the Samkee Photo Gallery in Phoenix, Arizona for her exhibition, “Mi Gente, Mi Hogar.” The exhibition features an array of photos of what she holds close to her heart; her home and the people in central El Paso. Although the exhibition is not in El Paso, Romero still feels the importance of taking her talent outside the city.
“I feel like it’s more of an opportunity to showcase what it’s like over here: being a border baby and basically experiencing two worlds… With everything going on in the world, I want to show that we’re all just humans, we’re all people and we’re all trying to get through this thing we call life. It’s a heavy feeling,” Romero said.
She lets her photography speak for itself and lets whoever sees it interpret the life she depicts however they want. She aims to tell a story of the bicultural community she knows and loves.
“I feel like my work shows a lot of Mexican culture and things that are heavily influenced in this type of environment. To me, I’m trying to have a voice through the photos that I take and give the people I capture voices too,” Romero said.
Through her lens, Romero takes the opportunity to celebrate and capture the beauty of life on the border and intends to keep doing so as a keepsake of home for herself and many others.
Jesie Garcia is the Arts and Culture editor and may be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram @empanadaslens.
