‘There My Little Eyes’ by Guillermo Franco is a deeply personal exploration of street photography, capturing fleeting moments of everyday life through the medium of black-and-white photography. This book, a fusion of Guillermo’s street photography with poetic and critical texts, offers a deeply introspective journey into the art of looking — where the act of observation takes precedence over the mere act of seeing. Drawing inspiration from photographers like Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Guillermo constructs a visual narrative that is both personal and universal, emphasizing intuition, patience, and the poetic potential of the mundane.

At the heart of ‘There My Little Eyes’ lies Guillermo’s distinction between seeing and looking. Guillermo distinguishes between seeing — a passive act — and looking, which he describes as an intentional, imaginative process that builds personal narratives. The book starts with texts, firstly by Rodrigo Fierro, then by Juan Travnik, followed by María Paulinelli. These texts establish a philosophical and critical foundation for Guillermo’s work. The poetry of Gastón Sironi serves as a structural element, reinforcing the interplay between image and language that deepens the book’s contemplative nature.

The book also explores time and memory through Guillermo’s use of analog photography. The notion of the ‘latent image’ — a photograph that exists in the mind before being developed — suggests that Guillermo’s photography is as much about anticipation and recollection as it is about the moment of capture. He often waits hundreds of days before developing his film, allowing time to shape the meaning of his images. This philosophy stands in stark contrast to the instantaneous nature of digital photography and social media, where images are consumed and discarded at an accelerated pace. This deliberate delay by Guillermo adds a layer of mystery and introspection, transforming each photograph into a meditation on memory and perception.

Guillermo captures urban life with a sense of wonder, often highlighting the humor, irony, and beauty in ordinary encounters. His photographs reveal an intuitive playfulness, echoing Juan Travnik’s observation that Franco possesses a childlike ability to be surprised. This perspective aligns his work with the tradition of the ‘flâneur’ — the wandering observer who collects fragments of human existence with curiosity and sensitivity. Guillermo’s unfiltered documentation of life aligns with the tradition of classic street photography, yet his photographs lean into poetic ambiguity. Shadows, reflections, and juxtapositions play a crucial role in his compositions, inviting the viewer to interpret the significance of each captured moment rather than prescribing a definitive meaning.

Additionally, ‘There My Little Eyes’ resists the conventional categorization of photography as either documentary or artistic. Guillermo’s work exists in a liminal space where reality and imagination converge. His process recalls the practice of Henri Cartier-Bresson, who famously walked the streets sometimes “taking photographs” without film, training his eye to perceive without the immediacy of documentation. “Every so often I emulate it, I walk through life with an (analog) camera without film, and I look; I look and I press the shutter, I press it and I vibrate, I vibrate and I breathe, I breathe and I live.” Guillermo’s images are informed by a deep internalization of his surroundings — his gaze becoming the true subject of the book rather than the photographs themselves.

‘There My Little Eyes’ is a poetic meditation on the nature of photography, memory, and everyday life. Guillermo’s use of black-and-white analog photography, combined with a thoughtful selection of texts, creates a book that is as much about looking as it is about seeing. His approach challenges the viewer to slow down, to engage deeply with images, and to embrace the unseen layers of meaning embedded in the ordinary. By doing so, he continues the legacy of great street photographers while carving out a distinctly personal vision — one that values patience, intuition, and the quiet poetry of daily existence.

‘There My Little Eyes’ is more than a photobook — it is a meditation on time, perception, and the art of looking. Guillermo’s black-and-white analog photography, combined with poetic and philosophical reflections, creates a work that challenges conventional photographic discourse. By prioritizing intuition over immediacy, patience over production, and observation over documentation, Guillermo redefines what it means to engage with the world through photography. His photographs exist in a space where reality and imagination merge, allowing the viewer to construct their own meanings. In an era of visual overload, ‘There My Little Eyes’ serves as a tribute to the lasting impact of slow, thoughtful photography — an invitation to see beyond the visible and into the poetic depths of everyday life.

We now move from the reflective nature of Guillermo Franco’s book to a conversation with the artist himself.