Colombia Street Photography

Colombia Street Photography

I love street photography and I have been doing street photography for the last 5 years or so. I find that it complements well my wedding photography. It is a good way to practice my skills and document some of the countries I visit. Colombia was a natural choice for me as I had been wanting to visit for a long time. My mum was born in Bogota and she moved to Peru when she was 11. I have an aunt that still lives in Colombia, in Medellin. I had only met my aunt once in my life, about 20 years ago,  so it was a great opportunity for me to visit her during the trip. I loved meeting her and it was very helpful too. She was able to put me in touch with local people who showed me around.

I had a perception of Colombia based on my childhood in Peru and it was completely wrong. Neighbouring countries for sure but very different. I arrived in Bogota and slew out the next day to Medellin where I spent 5 days. In Medellin itself I visited a few areas, including Comuna 13, an area sadly made known for the violence in the years of the Pablo and the narcos. It is now a peaceful area (at least during the day) and I felt safe there. Wilfer, who was introduced to me by my aunt, was in hand to tell us where to go. He also took us to Guatape, a town know for the lovely decorations on the houses and then to Santa Fe, an old colonial city in Antioquia.

Cartagena and Mompox

I Flew to Cartagena, which is a lovely town in the Caribbean side of Colombia. It is truly beautiful and I spent a couple of days visiting the old town and the beach. Everyone is very friendly and helpful and I was amazed by the contrast and difference with Medellin. A good friend, Kristian Leven, who is also a wedding and street photographer, suggested that Mompox  (or Mompos) could be a good place to visit. A Unesco Heritage site, Mompos is deep in the country and a fairly remote area. It took us 6 hours drive to get there from Cartagena, with road that were getting smaller and more difficult to drive on. When I got there, I wondered whether it had been a good decision. It was a great decision, the place is beautiful and again the people where incredibly friendly and a fantastic place to do street photography.

2018 Colombia Street Photography trip / workshop

I am currently organising a 2018 Colombia Street and Travel photography trip in either November 2018 and.or February 2019. Please let me know if you are interested by sending me an e-mail or via the contact form and I’ll add you to the newsletter. All photos taken with Sony a6300 + 20mm 2.8 lens (30mm equiv.).