Forgotten Frames: Rediscovering My Family’s Old Film Photography Archives
I recently uncovered a set of old film photographs from my family’s archives—images taken long before I ever held a camera. These frames captured glimpses of Vigan City, an unknown event in a bar, the everyday movement of Sta. Mesa, and the streets of San Roque in Mandaluyong.
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
Alvin Reyes
10/12/2025
Though I did not take these photographs, looking at them feels strangely personal. They remind me that photography has been a part of my family’s story for generations—a quiet thread running through our lives. Each forgotten frame is more than just an image; it is a piece of memory, a reflection of places, people, and moments that shaped who we are.
As I held these prints, I couldn’t help but wonder how many more forgotten frames are out there, tucked away in albums or boxes. Each rediscovery feels like meeting a part of my history that I never knew, yet instinctively recognize.
These photographs inspire me. They remind me that for my family, and for myself, photography is more than a pastime—it’s a lifeline. A way of holding on to fleeting moments, of connecting the past to the present, of remembering that our stories deserve to be seen and remembered.
Rediscovering these images makes me grateful—not only for the memories they preserve but for the way they reaffirm why photography continues to be central to my own life today.
