Photography and Words by Juan Diego Johns
Model: Ana Sofia Martinez
Location: Medellín, Colombia
I rarely connect with the people I photograph in this way. So often, we become so focused on our own worlds, our goals, our work, and everything we want to build that we forget to stop and simply share a moment with someone else.
But I believe that, as artists, we need those connections.
The session with Sofía was different. We had never met before, yet from the very beginning, we felt an incredible connection. There were many moments when we simply stopped working. We would sit down, listen to music, talk about life, and share our stories, our dreams, and the things we imagine for our futures.
I told her about my dream of becoming a great photographer and traveling the world. She told me about her dream of becoming a great actress and model. Two people, two different paths, and two different ways of seeing the world, meeting for a few hours.
“Two people, two different paths, and two different ways of seeing the world, meeting for a few hours.”
And I think that is one of the most beautiful things about being an artist: having the opportunity to meet other artists, to discover their stories, their perspectives, their dreams, and their ways of feeling. Sometimes, a conversation, a song, or simply sharing a moment with someone can awaken emotions we never imagined we could feel in such a short amount of time.
We had so much fun during the session. At times, photography became secondary, and we simply enjoyed being there.
I think that connection can be felt in the images. Because in the end, I wasn’t simply photographing a model. I was photographing what happened between two people who, without knowing each other, decided to open a small window into their worlds and share it for a few hours.
And perhaps that is what I love most about this series: the photographs were born from something that was never planned—a spontaneous connection between two artists, two dreams, and two worlds that happened to meet for a moment.
