Kontakt Photo Missions #04:
CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA
May 3rd, 2022 – In February of 2019 I decided to escape the Canadian cold and visit Colombia with a friend of mine. We flew to the capital Bogota and then took a short flight to Cartagena to spend our first few days on the coastal port city. Another friend from Toronto had moved to Santa Marta the year before and we were planning on visiting her there after. We flew in late and took a cab to our rental in Bocagrande and woke up to the ocean air and shining sun. We went into the historic old town and were immediately hit by the textures and vibrant colors inside the walled city.
Fruit vendors and their carts were all over town selling fresh and ripe product. Colourful flags and umbrellas hung over streets and alleys. This was one city I didn’t experiment with any black and white as chroma was found in every frame and dominated.
In the middle of the city was Centenario Park. One day I did a bike tour and our guide took us through it. We stopped to see the different animals hanging out in the trees. There were sloths, squirrels and monkeys all over casually enjoying their day like normal citizens of Cartagena.
We didn’t get a chance to go see the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas across the bay from the old city but this shot of a young couple walking over the massive walls was one of my favourites. The castle has tunnels underneath and was used for filming a few scenes of the film Romancing The Stone which I watched before the trip.
Another cool part of Cartagena was the Getsemani district. It was full of cafes and restaurants including my favorite place called La Cocina De Pepina. I don’t normally eat at the same place twice when visiting new cities but the ceviche there was so good we went back a second time to have it again. The walls of Getsemani have so much texture and are covered in graffiti by talented artists like the portrait below of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He won a Nobel Prize for Literature and is a national hero across Colombia.
The second shot above was the Plaza De Trinidad which was full of street vendors and became lively with dancers at night. Our place in Bocagrande reminded me a little bit of Miami. One way streets ran along the coast on one side of it and in the other direction back to the old city on the other side. The buildings created a towering skyline along the ocean and felt so modern and different from the old parts of town.
Look for more Kontakt Photo Missions in the coming months. For prints, on canvas or paper please email us for sizing and pricing info!
Copyright Adam Bialo | Kontakt Films | 2022
