Three of the photos merit a little more attention than those in the slideshow in my previous blog.
The first two feature some street vendors we encountered in Cartagena. Street vendors are not unique, in fact they are everywhere and not they are not normally photo subjects. In this case, it was different.
We encountered these colourfully dressed women and their colourful fruit display in a square in central Cartagena. I’m not sure if they were in the business of selling fruit or being photographed. It is customary to tip people that you photograph, particularly those who make a point of being photographed. I negotiated a price of one US dollar to take this shot and soon after discovered that it was one US dollar for each woman. I guess that part got lost in the translation. Worth every dollar and likely the most valuable picture in my entire collection.
The following day, I met another woman selling fruit (?). I think she heard I was an easy mark and ambushed me for another dollar. I paid happily and left with the following photo of her.
I don’t mean to suggest that I was happy to leave Cartagena but my favourite picture is one I call Departing Cartagena. The city looks quite spectacular approaching or departing by sea. Upon arrival, I could see this scene but was thwarted by a heavy haze from getting a good photograph. My fortunes changed upon departure and I was able to get the picture I wanted. Here’s Cartagena from the rear deck of our ship.
