Reconnecting with Romania: @simonadolea's Nostalgic Film Photography

Born in Romania but raised in Spain, Simona (@simonadolea) struggled with her cultural identity for years. The now 27-year-old photographer became an immigrant at the early age of four when her family moved from Romania to pursue a better life. Since then, she has felt torn between her two worlds, uncertain about who she was and confused about where she belonged.

It wasn’t until 2023 that she finally felt a true sense of peace and belonging after traveling back to her hometown with her fiancé. Among the things she packed for this trip was a second-hand camera that gave her nostalgic photos as souvenirs from home.

In her album, she writes:

I have never felt like I truly belonged somewhere, not in a sad dramatic way, just that I never really cared about thinking "where I'm from". Reconnecting with my roots while sharing my culture and these moments with my soulmate hit different. It made me feel at ease, seen, at home.

"There is almost an unspoken shame that lingers when you feel disconnected with the country you were born in or don't feel like it's a part of you," She further explained to us.

She also shared that it's important not to judge yourself when you're struggling with something similar. Everyone's journey is different, but Simona's visual documentation of her trip may just be someone's glimmer of hope — a reminder that home waits for you.

For Simona, photography was what saved her from a dark period during her teenage years. After initially dipping her toes in the craft using an old mobile phone at 16, she found a purpose that grew stronger as time went on. Eventually, Simona found her way to analogue photography and now holds it close to her heart.

"Film to me feels like a nostalgic moment, a deep sense of having something and not wanting it to sweep away. That's when I know it's time to use it," she shared with Lomography.

Though the skies looked marvelous as the sun set by the lake, Simona’s favorite shot from the album was taken on a difficult day as she had recently discovered that her grandfather had cancer. She shared that her fiancé and her father’s silhouettes felt like a glimpse of light, their shared laughter lifting the heavy weight that she felt at that moment.

Simona also shared her other favorite moments from the trip:

"First, after one long day walking through the medieval streets of Sighișoara with the October's cold crispy air, my fiancé and I went grocery shopping for the night. When leaving, we got hit by the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen with a large flock of birds soaring through the sky. I got lost in the moment and my life felt like a dream.

The second really special memory is definitely visiting Castelul Peleș, a castle in the Sinaia region. In the greenery of the gardens, we locked eyes with a fox and we slowly followed it. We sat right next to it and we looked at each other from a small distance, almost feeling the fox's energy and soul, and how it approved of us being there. I’ve never felt that type of connection with a wild animal like it could read me and I could read him. Choosing to exist in the same space, unbothered. Of course, we took some photos too!"

Through her lens, Simona captured the nostalgia seeping through the streets of Romania. Every corner felt reminiscent of the foggy memories she had there as a child. Though she has been far from home most of her life, having grown distant from the country as the years went by with few to no visits, returning now didn’t feel strange for her at all. In fact, she recalls being bound to it in a different way.

Even though Romania brought Simona closer to her roots, she acknowledges the life that she currently has in Spain and feels a deeper appreciation for her multicultural background.

"Lately it feels like a blessing, being from two different countries, with so much to love and learn from both of them," she said.

We'd like to thank Simona for sharing her story and photos with us here at Lomography! See more photos from her trip to Romania on her LomoHome and follow her on Instagram to check out her amazing film and digital work.

written by francinegaebriele on 2025-03-22 #culture #people #places #community #romania Share Article