Old San Juan Streets, Puerto Rico

I visited Old San Juan in April 2011 while attending a conference in Puerto Rico. The colourful streets first caught my eye, but it was the people going about their day that kept me taking pictures. As I wandered through the old town, I found myself drawn to the scenes of daily life unfolding around me.

Utility cables and pylons crisscross the streets above Old San Juan’s colourful colonial buildings.

People walk up a colourful street lined with colonial buildings in Old San Juan.

Ocean view over the colourful houses of La Perla in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Street art featuring the Puerto Rican flag painted on a garage door.

Colour, Architecture and Everyday Life

Candy-coloured façades in shades of pink, blue, yellow and green line the cobblestone streets. Wooden shutters, ornate balconies and Spanish colonial architecture give the old town its distinctive character, while potted palms add a tropical touch in some places.

I photographed an accordion player entertaining tourists on the steps outside a weathered doorway, a guitarist warming up with fellow musicians inside the Museo de las Américas, and a fruit vendor hurrying along with a large bunch of bananas. Elsewhere, a woman chatted with an ice cream seller, while another leaned out of an open window to gaze upon the street below.

I was drawn to the candid, unposed quality of these ordinary scenes. The buildings provided the setting, but the people and their actions gave each photo its interest. Rather than simply document the historic architecture, I wanted to capture something of what it felt like to walk through Old San Juan.

An accordion player entertains tourists on steps outside a weathered doorway in Old San Juan.

A guitarist warms up with fellow musicians inside the Museo de las Américas.

A fruit vendor carries a large bunch of bananas through the streets of Old San Juan.

A woman chats with a street vendor on a colourful street in Old San Juan.

A woman leans out of an open window, watching street life below.

An Unexpected Encounter at El Batey

One encounter I remember particularly well took place outside El Batey, a dive bar on Cristo Street known for its graffiti-covered interior. I spotted a young girl using a camera on a tripod to photograph a tattooed man wearing a red bandana.

He posed behind the window security grille, seemingly enjoying the attention. The vertical bars made him look as though he’d been locked up for some mischief, while the tavern’s salmon-pink exterior added to the scene’s playful character. I couldn’t resist taking a few snaps myself.

We chatted for a while, and he happily posed for more shots, proudly showing off the “guns” tattooed on his biceps. I still wonder what I might have found inside El Batey, but this brief encounter has stayed with me. A passing moment became a photo I remember years later.

A man poses behind a window grille at El Batey bar in Old San Juan.

A tattooed man shows off his tattoos outside El Batey dive bar.

Looking Back at Old San Juan

Revisiting these images reminds me why I enjoy street photography. I rarely set out looking for particular subjects. Instead, I respond to what happens in front of me: an unexpected encounter or a small detail that might otherwise go unnoticed.

These photos are my personal impression of a place I visited briefly, rather than a comprehensive record of Puerto Rico or Old San Juan. The colourful buildings and historic streets drew me in, but it was the people I met that stayed with me.