Aerial Facades of Bogotá taken from a drone
The Virgilio Barco Library by Rogelio Salmona, taken just before sunset, evokes scenes from the sci-fi movie Inception. Photo by Camilo Monzón Navas.
Graphic designer Camilo Monzón Navas sent a drone up over the Colombian capital to capture some of the city’s most remarkable architecture from a bird’s eye view. The result, which captures the geometries, textures and lights and shadows of Bogotá, seem to be taken from an alternate universe.
An aerial view of Torres del Parque (or Towers of the Park) by Rogelio Salmona, located in the city's Macarena district. Photo by Camilo Monzón Navas.
With projects by distinguished architect Rogelio Salmona at the center of the photoset, plus the city’s planetarium and bullfighting arena, Monzón’s photographs have brought new attention to buildings that were perhaps forgotten or unknown to locals as well as tourists.
A roundabout nearby the Museo de los Niños (Children's Museum). Photo by Camilo Monzón Navas.
“Bogotá has hundreds of stories to tell, but from the air it is like rediscovering the city, being able to see it from where very few are able to.”
With his wife and two-year old son by his side, Monzón uses Google to identify unique spots for his aerial photos, then sets out to take them on a typically cloudy Bogotá day or during the coveted “golden hour” shortly before sunset. With about twenty minutes of battery life on his Mavic Pro, he manages to get his ideal shot of these architectural landmarks and infrastructure.
He then edits the photographs in Lightroom, playing around with the contrast and tones. In some special cases, like his shot of the Virgilio Barco Library, Monzón combines three different images taken from eye level and above, in Photoshop, creating an otherworldly landscape that curves upwards.
An aerial view of the Diagonal 92 and NQS highway in Bogotá. Photo by Camilo Monzón Navas.
Monzón plans to continue his work by creating more mind-blowing scenarios while serving as an ambassador for unique views of Bogotá’s rich architectural landscape. behance.net/Aerial-facades