A little grunge in Casco Viejo
There's a lot of beauty in Panama City, Panama - and a lot of disrepair. Today's post explores the overlooked parts of their historic district - the grunge, the grit, the grime. Click on in but grab a little hand sanitizer first! :-)
Casco Viejo is the historic district in Panama City, Panama - and it's very interesting.
I love wandering in old historic districts, regardless of where I am....Europe, the US, or Central America. I go to Panama once or twice per year, and always enjoy it. The city is beautiful, historic, and there is a lot to see. And of course the people are very nice.
There's also a very interesting dichotomy between rich and poor. There are massive skyscrapers that ring the bay, and then nearby you will find examples of abject poverty. It's somewhat weird the first time you experience it.
Casco Viejo is sort of across the bay from all these skyscrapers, and as a historic district it's full of old churches and old buildings, and I just love to wander there. There is a lot of reconstruction occurring there and those families that seemed to have lived there forever are getting displaced, as these old buildings are getting turned into new condos, restaurants and stores.
So one thing I enjoy doing is capturing the old, the grungy, and the discarded. I'm not sure why, but I've always enjoying photographing a little of the grungy side of things. So that's mostly what today's post consists of - odd bits of this and that, along with a beautiful church spire that rises above it all.
I am sure that by the time I visit it again, it will all have changed and there will be a lot more shiny new stuff to shoot. While that may be considered progress, I am glad that I was there to document these old dilapidated structures, crumbling stairs, and beaten-up doors.
(click any photo to enlarge)
The altar of Iglesia Catedral
You never know what you might find when you wander!
I'm a fan of wandering. Although I like to plan where I want to shoot in any particular city, I still leave wandering time for myself. It's a key part of getting things done, in my opinion. You never really know what you might find when you are milling about somewhat aimlessly. I have captured many a fine photo doing just that.
This is a great example. I was in Panama City, Panama and wandering in their Casco Viejo area, which is their historic old city center. It's a beautiful area full of buildings adorned in the old Spanish Colonial style. I really like it there.
I had this church on my list, because I had seen photos of the exterior, but was not at all familiar with what the inside would have to offer. There was some construction around the entrance that day, and a cleaning crew was taking care of business inside, but I stepped in anyways and just started making my way to the altar. I could see if was pretty interesting, and it was definitely worth the stop!
Here's a "behind the keyboard" view of the shot while I was processing it:
That's part of the awesomeness of Color Efex Pro. You can easily brighten areas that need it, increase the detail of specific areas, and make color saturation adjustments too. Powerful stuff!
A view of Panama City
It's been a while since I shared a photo from Panama City, Panama!
I was cruising through my library and saw a couple of folders from my two Panama trips, and thought I would get in there and process a little something for ya! So, here it is. This is a partial view of the skyline from their old town area known as Casco Viejo.
I really find Panama City, Panama to be an interesting place. On the one hand you have Casco Viejo, which is their historic city center full of Spanish colonial architecture and some absolute poverty, and then just across the water (or around the edge of it, if you walk like I did) you have the gleaming, shiny new face of Panama City. There are so many skyscrapers that seem to just grow overnight. It's pretty impressive, actually.
But there is such a difference in these two sides of Panama. One is glitzy, tall, shiny and full of wealth (or so it seems), while the other is covered in stucco or plaster, about 2 stories high at the most, old but historic, and frankly very poor. It's almost hard to wrap your head around these differences. They are polar opposites but live as neighbors. Honestly, I bet it is hard for the older generation there to see the "new" Panama and wonder if it really is an improvement.
Either way, as a photographer and/or tourist, I recommend you see both and experience them for yourself. I think you will find it as interesting as I do.
Walking the Cinta Costera
Panama City, Panama is a very interesting city!
Have you ever been to Panama? Have you considered it? It's definitely an interesting and beautiful place, though I will admit I am more of a Europhile than anything else. Having said that, I will say that my trips to Panama over the years (I think it's 4 trips total at this point) have been fun, educational, and have given me the chance to take a lot of great photos that I am proud of.
One thing that really surprised me on my first visit was the skyline. In one word: WOW!
When you are driving around there (and I recommend you hire a driver - no way am I crazy enough to drive myself there!) the first thing you see is this massive skyline which seems to sprout out of nowhere. The other thing you notice is the abject poverty which exists side by side with such obvious display of wealth. It's interesting, like I said.
There is also a coastal strand with a walking/biking path which winds its way along the shoreline, between the water and the skyline. It's called the Cinta Costera, and on my last visit I decided to head out and wander along the strand for a while. I went through a fish market and ended up at their old town area known as Casco Viejo. It was crazy hot and humid, but it was great to see the city on foot. I grabbed this shot near the beginning of my walk.
Sunset on the Panama Canal
I was in Panama City, Panama a while back and had the opportunity to get out and shoot around sunset one evening. I grabbed a cab from downtown Panama City and headed out to the Amador Causeway, which stretches out into the sea a bit and provides a nice view back toward the town in one direction and a view towards the Panama Canal in the other direction. I chose the canal view.
Having arrived early, I grabbed a quick dinner and then as the light began to change, I hurried up and started walking along this little bay. What you are viewing here is technically the Pacific Ocean (Panama City sits on the western side of the country) though it’s known here as the Gulf of Panama. This is the mouth of the canal, so to speak, and the Miraflores Locks begin several miles from this point, way around the bend to the right. You can always spots ships lining up, getting ready to change oceans.
Miraflores Locks is probably the most popular place to see the canal, since it is closest to Panama City. While viewing the canal is something worth doing, viewing the actual movement of the ships through the canal is pretty uneventful. It’s slow, for starters...and it takes a while. But it’s fun to say you did it - and I did!
Inside Panama's National Theatre
When you are in a new place, do you plan out everything you want to shoot, or do you like to wander
?
I tend to do both. That is - I plan the big stuff, but always build in time for wandering between spots so as to pick up little bits of this and that. I think of the “this and that” shots as filling in the gaps in the larger narrative I am weaving here...if you can call it that. :-)
Sometimes I find that wandering just pays off in a huge way. This is a perfect example. I was wandering in Casco Viejo, which is the old town section of Panama City, Panama. I had marked some key spots to photograph - some churches, plazas, etc. But what I did not anticipate was this spot, which is the National Theatre of Panama. Usually these things are closed during the day, which is when I was there. But on this day, I walked up, tried the door, and it opened...so I let myself in.
I shot like crazy in there, and it’s beautiful. I have a lot of shots to get to from that spot, but wanted to start with this one, which is actually just a side room which I assume is used for dinner functions, etc. Isn’t it beautiful?
iPhone fun in Panama City
I spent last week in Panama City, Panama - my second trip there in 6 months. It’s a very interesting city, with all the fancy skyscrapers jutting out of seemingly nowhere, and the absolute poverty surrounding it. Although I like it, I am not sure what to make of the place. It’s both rich and poor - vibrant and dirty - busy and calm - beautiful and ugly. It’s all the good and bad of progress wrapped into one. Like I said above, it’s very interesting. I think I will stick with that as a description.
While I haven’t had time to process my Nikon shots (though you can see my previous shots from Panama here), I did want to share a little iPhone summary of some of the sights that I encountered there.
Plus, I haven’t shared an iPhone post in a while, and I like to do so. I have a huge backlog of iPhone shots, so there’s no time like the present. Hope you enjoy them!
This is a view down the Cinta Costera, their walkway along Panama Bay...I spent a couple of hours walking here down to their old town known as Casco Viejo.
This is just a street scene in Casco Viejo...
And this is another one...
This is just someone’s cat. :-)
This church is beautiful, but old and falling apart. I loved the altar here....
This is some sort of derelict old thing that I just found interesting, especially with the graffti...
And of course, no visit to Panama is complete without the Panama Canal. This was a sunset I shot there, looking out towards the canal. It was a beautiful evening!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the tour!
The Panama City skyline
Here’s another Panama shot for this week - this time it’s the skyline from their old town known as Casco Viejo. The skyline there is stunning. I have heard it described as the Dubai of Central America. Though I haven’t been to Dubai, I think that is a fitting description. The skyscrapers here just seem to rise out of nowhere, and there are a bunch of them. It’s impressive to see in person, and fun to photograph!
On each of my visits, there always seems to be rain clouds hanging around, which in my opinion are helpful since they add some more interest to the sky. Of course, I have been rained on there too, and that's no fun. But it never seems to last too long, so I can get back out and shoot all the cool stuff in this interesting city.
Iglesia Catedral, Panama
Casco Viejo is the old historic district in Panama City, Panama and is full of beautiful colonial architecture as evidenced by this structure, the Iglesia Catedral. Although the exterior is quite attractive to me, the interior was less so - but of course I shot inside as well. That’s just what I do. :-)
I loved the look of this scene, with the old cars and the fabulous clouds in the sky. Looking at it now, it makes me think that this scene could easily be mistaken for Cuba (based on pics I have seen - I haven’t been to Cuba).
I also thought that old green VW van added a nice element to the shot.
Ruins in Panama City
Ok, after a couple of beautiful sunset shots, how about a little historic architecture? Change is good, yes?
I grabbed this photo while I was wandering in Casco Viejo, which is the old historic part of Panama City, Panama. The area is full of all sorts of interesting things to point a camera at: beautiful churches, ruins and slums, a gorgeous theatre and this empty shell of a building.
The gate was slightly open - as you can tell - and so after firing these brackets I walked inside. Why not? It wasn’t locked, so you would walk in too, wouldn’t you?
I will be back in Panama in the not too distant future and look forward to taking a lot more photos of this beautiful place.
The little stuff in Casco Viejo
I love doors and windows, though I am not really sure why. I guess they symbolize a view into a new place, or crossing a threshold into a new land. Whatever it is, I find myself taking random shots of doors and windows when I travel. It’s fun.
In this case, I was walking around in the Casco Viejo historic district in Panama City, Panama. There is a lot of interesting stuff there to shoot. Historic churches, a fabulous theater, incredible architecture...and while I shot all that, I also stopped in between to grab some little shots like these two.
While these sorts of shots will never sell, or win awards, or even get much feedback, I like to take and share them as they fill in the blank spaces between the “big” shots, and I like that idea. Sometimes the little stuff has just as much meaning as the big stuff.
iPhone fun in Panama
As 2012 progressed, I did a worse and worse job sharing my iPhone shots here on the blog, which is a shame because I enjoy these types of posts. I tend to keep a theme with each iPhone post (usually centered on a trip to a certain spot), and will likely continue with that idea. It’s fun to share a little summary of a trip or an event, as captured by my iPhone. And though I wasn’t sharing a lot of iPhone shots here, I was continuing to take them - lots of them. I already have several more posts planned around my iPhone, so stay tuned on that front.
And so in keeping with one of my 2013 goals listed in my post yesterday, today’s post is an iPhone tour of some parts of Panama City, Panama that I visited recently. It’s really a great town to shoot in, with an amazing skyline and a historic district that is culturally and architecturally rich. I shot in churches, on the streets, and some randomness here and there. In other words, the same stuff I always shoot with my iPhone. :-)
Enjoy the tour, and thanks for stopping by today.
Panama City towers
It’s been almost a month since I last shared a photo from my recent trip to Panama, and since I still have a LOT of photos from there, I figured I better get busy. Panama City is really a very beautiful city. There is a massive contrast between wealth and poverty, which makes for some interesting shooting. The skyline is incredible, as you can see here. It looks almost like you are in Miami, but nope this is Central America. These skyscrapers rise out of seemingly nowhere to tower over everything in sight.
I shot this one from Casco Viejo, which is their old town area and a very interesting place to shoot. As you may imagine, Casco Viejo has a lot of ruined old buildings and dilapidated structures. I encountered poor families living in tenements, sharing a single outdoor sink. And of course, just around the bay you see this shiny new collection of skyscrapers. It’s kind of surreal.
Deep in Casco Viejo
As I mentioned before, I recently made a visit down to Panama in Central America. It's an interesting city, and a great one to photograph. My primary destination for shooting while in the area was their Old Town known as Casco Viejo.
Casco Viejo is undergoing a massive transformation. The old, weary, dilapidated buildings such as the one featured in this photo are being demolished or resurfaced and made shiny and new. They are keeping that same Spanish Colonial architectural look, but with a facelift.
While I like that look, I also enjoy shooting old beat up things such as this building facade. There is just so much character here, from the scratched up texture on the walls, to the broken railings, to the wires running this way and that. Throw in some interesting and bright colors and it's a scene that really caught my attention.
Iglesia de la Merced
As I mentioned in a previous post about Panama, it is a city of contrasts where you find the old and new standing side by side. In this case, the old and new are one in the same. This was a church that I found while wandering in their Old Town area known as Casco Viejo. It was all shiny, new stucco on the outside, with some workers on ladders in the process of giving it a facelift. Since the doors were wide open, I considered that an invitation for some HDR fun and I strolled inside.
Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see that the interior had not yet had any updates. The tile floors were old, the pews were fairly tarnished, and as you can see, the ceiling looks like it might just crumble at any moment. Plus the window in the upper left is just a piece of fabric hanging where the glass used to be. In other words, it was perfect for HDR!