Jose David Gonzalez's Blog » Places I’ve been

Port de Suffren, Paris, France

José David González — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 06:09:36 +0000

Last time I visited the port it was holding a very peculiar exhibition. It was the work of Edgardo Carmona, a colombian sculptor that uses common structural steel elements like rods, tubes and sheets to create magnificent art pieces. As you can see in the photos I took during my visit, Carmona, even with such rudimentary materials, succeeded on representation of natural moments and situations of people that easily blend with port textures.

The actions and expressions captured in those steel sculptures remember you Tin Man character from fictional Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum. And The Port de Suffren, with its textures, shades and colors, sets the perfect enviroment for Camona’s masterpieces.

From dock’s boulevard you can realize the high level of maintenance of The City of Light: There is no soot on bridges over Siena river although ships cruise it daily.

If you want more information about Carmona’s work. You can visit his website here.

Topotepuy Garden, Caracas, Venezuela

José David González — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:12:32 +0000

It is an ecological garden founded by ornithologist William and Kathy Phelps who completed the most important birds collection in Venezuela. Topotepuy is located in a beautiful hill at Los Guayabitos, Caracas, Venezuela and is intended as a place to observe and preserve nature.

Within its 10 acres you can find numerous species of Bromeliads, Orchids and Aquatic and Xerophytic plants. Also, you can see a lot of free Hummingbirds interacting between them and with their environment.

At Topotepuy you can take a photowalk guided by an ecologist professional photographer and get inside its clouded forest while learning to document nature through your camera. In fact, you don’t need to be an expert on technical aspect of photography in order to get magnificent pictures of the flora and fauna around you.

Next, some photos I took on abril 2012. You can support this site by buying this Royalty Free Photos.

There, you really have a direct contact with nature. To learn more, click here. If you want to get more information about the photowalk, please click here.

San Carlos Borromeo Castle, Pampatar, Venezuela

José David González — Sun, 20 May 2012 02:33:42 +0000

The castle San Carlos Borromeo was built in 1680 and is a classic example of military architecture of its epoch. Its main objective was protect Pampatar’s dock and custom from pirates and corsairs. This castle has a squared shape with one tower in every corner and is located at Pampatar city, Margarita Island, Venezuela.

During Venezuela’s Independence War in 1816, Venezuelan heroin, Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi was held captive by Spanish soldiers inside one of the dungeons of this castle.

Currently, it holds a museum where you can find valuables colonial objects. It is a hidden spot of Venezuelan history which you can visit from Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00-12:00 AM and 2:00-6:00 PM.

Next some photos I took in abril 2012. I hope you can enjoy them.