See the city from another angle with Foto Ruta Street Tours
By Holly Stanley
Perhaps you’ve just arrived in Buenos Aires and this will be your first introduction to seeing the city or maybe you’ve been here for a while and you just want to see an unfamiliar barrio in a different light. Foto Ruta combines walking tour with photography lesson and invaluable local knowledge that will undoubtedly help you make the most of your stay in Buenos aires.
Buenos Aires really is as photogenic as a city can be, each barrio has its own unique charm and selling point.
A photographer’s dream of beautiful architecture, leafy boulevards and gritty street art along with some charismatic Porteños make Buenos Aires ideal for those who are pro or novice alike.
Before the Foto Ruta tour…
The tour kicked off with a meeting in a kitsch cafe in Villa Crespo called Malvon, the barrio known as the un-gentrified Palermo, which lies just to the west of Soho. Our guide Palu, an Argentine born photographer gave us a quick intro of the basics of photography and some handy tips on lighting.
The tour is clearly made accessible to all, some members of the group were happy to shoot on an Iphone and others had more of a DSLR type lens. This made for an informal relaxed atmosphere which felt like a local introducing us to their favourite parts of the city whilst giving us some kind encouragement and useful tips with our photos.
Villa Crespo neighbourhood
I have always been someone who has enjoyed snapping away whenever I arrive in a new city. I am happiest wandering somewhat aimlessly, camera in hand searching for my next photo. You are able to do just this with Foto Ruta except this time you won’t get lost and you’ll definitely find the best spots for photos.
What I loved about Foto Ruta is that they encourage you to see Buenos Aires from a different angle it encourages you to look a little more closely beyond the obvious beauty and search for something a little more hidden. It’s about capturing the beauty of the everyday, the real life of the city.
Palu clearly has passion for photography and was a patient guide, she gave us lots of handy hints along the way and made sure that we were making the most of each pit stop. I would have never spotted many of the hidden nooks and crannies had I been alone, as my novice knowledge of the city just doesn’t stretch that far yet. I was pleased to realise that Villa Crespo is an absolute gold mine of street photography options from fruit shops to leafy cobbled streets and striking street art. We were encouraged to be experimental and abstract. To take photos at odd angles, or with props or through windows. This made for some interesting perspectives on Villa Crespo.
After the Tour…
The walking section of the tour takes roughly 3 hours, after that you are treated to a vino or coffee of whatever you fancy in a cafe. This gives the group and the guide a chance to review your favourite photos of the day and articulate why you like them (or not!). Palu then gave us a few suggestions of how to tweak and optimise each photo through editing software.
Foto Ruta is a fab way of familiarising yourself with some of Buenos Aires more hidden gems whilst picking up a solid photography technique along the way. For those of you who are creatively minded and love a long walk Foto Ruta is a great tour to do.
I took the Off the Beaten Path (Villa Crespo) tour that was very easy to get to from Vamos Spanish Academy, you can take the subte line D from Bulnes to Palermo and the 166 colectivo.
More information about Foto Ruta:
https://www.facebook.com/FotoRutaBA.
Call +54 9 11 3331-7980
[email protected]
http://www.foto-ruta.com
To find out about Spanish Classes in Buenos Aires visit Vamos Spanish Academy at Viamonte 1516
