colón: humidity, heat, and the search for the perfect shot

i'm in colón and my shirt is already fused to my back. i swear the humidity here has a weight to it, like someone's constantly pouring lukewarm tea over your shoulders. as a freelance photographer, i chase that golden light, but colón's got its own thing-more of a shimmering, sweat-glare that makes every shot look like you're seeing through a bathroom window. but i kinda love it? it forces you to get close, to really feel the subject. i just checked the weather and it's around 25 degrees c but with humidity at 88 percent, the feels_like is closer to 26. that's not even the worst part; the sea level pressure sits at 1010, and the ground level is 992-whatever that means for my lungs, it feels heavy.

anyway, here's a quick map to orient you:

i landed here after a red-eye from toronto, camera bag heavy with gear i probably didn't need. the streets of colón are a patchwork of colonial decay and colorful graffiti that would make any urban photographer weep with joy. i'm talking pastel-painted walls peeling in the most photogenic way, and murals that look like they were painted by a visionary who only had three cans of spray paint. there's a vibe here that's raw, unfiltered, and if you know how to ask, locals will point you to spots that aren't on any brochure. i'm not just talking about the usual postcard angles; i'm talking about the back alleys where cats nap on corroded metal and the smell of fried plantains hangs in the air like a warm blanket.

if you're feeling claustrophobic in this port town, panama city is just a quick drive across the bridge-about an hour if traffic's decent. you can hop on a bus or grab a collectivo and be in the skyscraper jungle by lunch. or if you want something more tranquil, bocas del toro is a short ferry ride away, with its reggae beats and palm-fringed beaches. i've been here three days and already the idea of leaving feels like a betrayal to all the cheap plantain chips i've eaten.

i heard from a bartender at el tigre que late that the ceviche at the mercado de mariscos is insane, but you have to be there before 11 am or it's gone. someone else warned me that the area around plaza de la independencia gets a little sketchy after dark, so don't wander alone with your gear flashing. the consensus on the street forums is that the best time for shooting sunrise over the caribbean is from fort san lorenzo, which is about a 20-minute drive out of town. i'll get there eventually.

i snapped a few frames around the historic quarter:

the first image is a close-up of those pastel houses that lean on each other like sleepy giants. the second? that's the caribbean, which looks like a postcard even when the humidity is 88%. i'm still trying to get a decent shot of the fog that rolls in at night; it's like the island is breathing.

if you need more info, there are a few resources that helped me out:
TripAdvisor's list of things to do in colon
Yelp's guide to the best eats in town
A local expat board with real talk about living here
Panama tourism official site for events
I also found a handy bus schedule and a photography forum thread that gave me ideas.

i met carlos, a hat maker who works from a shack made of reclaimed wood. his hands were stained with natural dyes, and he let me take his portrait under a flamboyant tree that was shedding red blossoms like confetti. the light was harsh midday, but i forced a 85mm portrait lens and underexposed a bit-came out with a grain that feels like old film. carlos told me that colón used to be the richest city in the americas when the gold rush hit, but then the canal rerouted everything and now it's stuck in a beautiful decay. i could hear that story in the corroded railings and the cracked tiles of the old customs house.

i've been using a sony a7r iv with a 35mm f/1.4 and a 70-200 f/2.8. the humidity is murder on electronics; i've had to open the battery compartment more often to wipe condensation. a local shooter suggested putting silica gel packets in my bag-good call. also, never wipe the lens with your shirt; the salt from sweat will embed into the coating. i learned that the hard way.

the food here is a mix of caribbean and latin: think arroz con pollo with coconut milk, grilled fish with tangy salsa, and those plantain chips that are now my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. there's a hole-in-the-wall called doña rosa's that makes the best empanadas, but you have to ask for the spicy one-they'll eye you suspiciously if you're not local.

colón at night is a different beast. the humidity doesn't lift, it just sits there like a wet blanket. but the city lights reflect off the wet pavement, creating neon puddles that are a dream for long exposure shots. i set up my tripod near the malecón and captured the ferries gliding across the harbor, their lights smearing into the water. a stray dog kept me company, hoping for scraps. i gave him a piece of my empanada; he approved.

overall, colón is a place that doesn't try to be pretty, it just is. it's humid, it's gritty, it's full of stories if you listen. if you're a photographer, bring a rain cover for your camera and an open mind. if you're not, bring a towel and a sense of adventure. i'll be here for a few more days, chasing that weird, wet light. maybe i'll see you at the mercado.

You might also be interested in:

• https://votoris.com/post/puerto-escondido-feels-like-a-steam-vent-in-your-backpack
• https://votoris.com/post/san-miguel-de-tucumn-argentina-where-the-weather-feels-like-a-humid-hug
• https://votoris.com/post/raindrops-ruins-and-a-restless-night-in-vora
• https://votoris.com/post/midnight-sketches-in-salvador
• https://votoris.com/post/honestly-santiago-is-kinda-cool-but-also-super-weird