Cartagena offers more distinct photographic settings within a small geographic area than almost any other city in the world. The walled city, Getsemaní, the Castillo San Felipe, the beaches of Bocagrande, and the offshore islands each offer something irreplaceable. The challenge is not finding a good location, it is choosing which version of Cartagena to build the day around.
The Walled City: The Heart of Cartagena
The Ciudad Amurallada is the primary elopement setting in Cartagena. The streets inside the walls are gridded and narrow, lined with colonial mansions in the city's characteristic palette, ochre, coral, terracotta, mint, cobalt, with bougainvillea cascading from every second balcony. The plazas, Plaza de Bolívar, Plaza de Santo Domingo, Plaza de la Aduana, provide different scales and atmospheres. The churches, La Catedral, San Pedro Claver, Santo Domingo, offer baroque architectural grandeur that no modern building can replicate. Early morning in the walled city, before the cruise ship passengers arrive, is one of the most beautiful and quiet urban environments on the continent.
Getsemaní: Murals, Colour, and Bohemian Energy
Getsemaní, the neighbourhood just outside the city walls, was for decades considered dangerous and is now one of the most photographed neighbourhoods in Colombia. The streets are painted with murals that cover entire building facades; the colours are more saturated and less formal than the walled city; and the energy is younger and more spontaneous. Sessions in Getsemaní work well as a contrast to the formal grandeur of the walled city, the combination of colonial architecture and street art in a single day produces a gallery with real range.
Castillo San Felipe and the City Walls
The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the largest Spanish-built fortress in the Americas, sits on a hill above the city. Its ramps, parapets, tunnels, and viewpoints provide a more dramatic and architectural setting than the street-level colonial quarter, the scale of the fortress is genuinely impressive in photographs, and the views over the city from the upper parapets at sunset are extraordinary. The walkable sections of the city walls provide similar views at different scales. Both are excellent for late afternoon sessions when the sun is low and the Caribbean light is at its most golden.
Destination Wedding Photographer
Vancouver · Medellín · Worldwide
