*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
Quito
Overview:
Quito is the capital of Ecuador and the first city to ever be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sitting up high in the Andes Mountains since 1535, you have a city full of history, culture and character surrounded by one of my favorite big city mountain backdrops around. Quito’s Old Town truly is old and makes for one of the most interesting and scenic in Latin America. Here, you’ll experience a mix of city and mountain not only in its scenery, but also its people and life, making it a very unique place for some street photography.
So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Quito has to offer before you even arrive!
Map:
- Plaza Independencia (Plaza Grande)
- Plaza San Francisco
- Chile Street
- La Mariscal/La Foche
- Parque La Carolina (Central Park)
Top 5 Street Spots:
1. Plaza Independencia (Plaza Grande)
Plaza Independencia, also called Plaza Grande, is the most active public square in Quito. It’s located in the center of the Old Town, the oldest Unesco Heritage old town in the world and the most interesting area of the city, in my opinion. Plaza Independencia is surrounded by many important buildings, including the Carondelet Palace, Archbishop’s Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, the Municipal Palace and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Its political importance and location make it a popular spot for protests and events, but even if nothing important is going on, there’s always something going on here. Filled with benches and crowds of people, it’s one of my favorite places to stop by in the Old Town for guaranteed activity while on my way to the many nearby areas of interest.
2. Plaza de San Francisco
The Plaza de San Francisco is another major public square in the Old Town. It’s also home to Ecuador’s oldest church, La Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco, which attracts crowds of tourists. The cobblestone square, beautiful church and backdrop of mountains make it one of the more picturesque areas in the city. You’ll also find shopping and street vendors on the surrounding streets, making it another prime area in the Old Town for street photography.
3. Chile Street
My favorite street to walk in the Old Town is Chile because of all the interest and spots it passes through along the way. Starting around Marin Central, you have all the foot traffic and activity from the bus station and nearby market. Then walking northwest along Chile, you pass by San Agustin Iglesia and the Plaza Grandee. Walking further northwest along Chile, you’ll walk by Iglesia de La Merced, another one of my favorite spots in the city. The big white church creates a nice backdrop with a large open square in front. Here, you’ll also find the street lined with markets and street sellers until you walk up to the Mega Comercia Hermano Miguel shopping mall. I like to continue walking up the big hill here up to the very active bus stop Antonio Jose de Sucre Y Mejia. Here, you have activity and foot traffic moving in all directions below and above on overhead walkways. You also have close-up views of the many hillside homes that give Quito its interesting backdrops.
Only a couple blocks west of Plaza Grande, you’ll also find Convento De San Francisco. While not the longest street photography walk, it’s as packed with interest as you can get the whole way, which brings me back multiple times a day.
4. La Mariscal/La Foche
The Old Town is the most interesting part of Quito, but there’s more to the city than that. While many people stay in the Old Town, others choose La Mariscal district, also called the New City or “La Zona”. While it used to be a residential area for the upper class, it’s since become more of a commercial area and gained a reputation for catering to foreigners. The center of that reputation is found in Plaza Foch, a main square surrounded by bars, clubs and other entertainment. This also makes it the center for nightlife, as the Old Town shuts down early. La Mariscal is not a particularly attractive area, similar to much of Quito outside of the Old Town. It’s more modern, but in a not so pretty urban style that lacks character. Still, it provides a completely different side of Quito with plenty of life and a more urban city like atmosphere. And for the younger, hip side of the city, La Foche is the spot.
5. Parque La Carolina (Central Park)
Quito has a few parks that attract a ton of activity and are more than worth visiting for street photography. Nearby, just north of the Old Town, you’ll find Parque La Alameda and Parque El Ejido. Locals use the grass, trees and small lake for relaxing and recreation. You’ll find a small market here too. Further north, you’ll find Parque La Carolina, the largest park in Quito. This massive park is one of the more impressive I’ve visited and looks even more photogenic with Quitos backdrop of buildings and mountains. Jardin Botanico is a popular attraction here, but the most interesting part for me is all the recreational activities here. You’ll find soccer fields, basketball courts, volleyball courts, a track field, bike paths, paddle boating, an outside gym, playground and more. Capturing people enjoying this variety of activities provides some interesting scenes with Quito’s signature skyline background. For a relaxing change of scenery from the Old Town and urban sprawl, the parks can make nice spots for more photography.
Sample Street Walk:
For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Quito:
- Start your morning at San Blas by Marin Central bus station, where you can start slowly walking northwest up Chile Street (3)
- While walking along Chile Street, take some time to stop and explore Plaza Independencia (Plaza Grande) (1)
- Continue walking northwest along Chile Street, stop around Iglesia de La Merced and then continue up past Mega Comercia Hermano Miguel shopping mall and finish at Antonio Jose de Sucre Y Mejia
- From here, you can walk back southeast through the rest of the Old Town, making sure to stop at Plaza San Francisco (2)
- Walk to the northeast end of the Old Town and explore around Basílica del Voto Nacional
- From here, you can check out a change of scenery and walk to Alameda Park and El Ejido Park. If you have time, you can walk to La Foche and around La Mariscal (5) too
- Finish your day up here or back down in the Old Town (1)
3 Impressions from Photographing Quito:
1. Interesting mix of Mountain and City in the people
One of my favorite aspects of Quito is the mix of city and mountain in the people, as well as the city. It’s a capital city, but located high in the Andes Mountains so you get all that traditional Ecuadorian Sierra culture mixed. Being as old as it is provides a strong influence and pride that hasn’t been erased by its urban growth. So you have people living the big city life next to people who hold onto the old mountain life. You see it in the overflowing market stands, food, traditions, clothing and more, while still having everything you’d find and see in a big city. It’s great for character, interest and photography, unlike many places you’ll find elsewhere.
2. Oldest Historic Unesco Heritage old town
Quito has the best-preserved, least altered historic center in Latin America. It’s also the oldest Unesco Heritage old town. With all the history, Baroque architecture, churches, monasteries and cobbles stone streets, this makes for a very interesting, character filled area to walk for street photography. I’ve walked up and down its hilly streets daily in Quito without it ever disappointing. For an old quarter, it provides plenty to discover, while still being compact enough for a nice walk where you can easily keeping coming back to your favorite spots. It’s also the most popular attraction in the city so it fills with people and activity.
You’ll find squares full of life, markets, and a mixture of locals and visitors. The size, variety of activity, preservation, character, and authenticity make it one of my favorite Old Towns I’ve been to for street photography. Many old towns lose much of what makes them great due to tourism, construction, and lack of local life, but Quito’s still keeps the atmosphere alive.
3. Mountain Backdrops
The Old Town is picturesque enough with all its character, but having Quito’s mountain backdrops really creates some nice scenery. It’s honestly one of the better looking city views I’ve seen and it makes walking around the city even more enjoyable. For street photography, I’d definitely try to use those impressive backgrounds when you can. While outside of the Old Town, the city gets less photogenic, you still have those great mountain backdrops following along. In parks like La Carolina, it’s especially impressive. I’ve been to my fair share of cities in the mountains, but Quito stays etched in my memory when it comes to this more than most.
What To Do For a Street Photography Break?:
Visit the Center of the Earth
Ciudad Mitad del Mundo is only a local bus ride away so it’s worth visiting while you’re in Quito, just like everyone else does. While it might be a little off, Ciudad Mitad del Mundo is considered the center of the earth and has become Quito’s biggest attraction. In addition to a large monument, there’s some surrounding interest created for visitors too. While it’s not amazing for street photography specifically and should be used as more of a break, still bring your camera as interest and activity will be there.
Street Safety Score: 6
*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!
I’ve been warned about safety quite a bit here in Quito from locals, including a good friend raised in Ecuador, but honestly haven’t had any trouble in Quito during the day. I feel great walking around the Old Town, even though you might be told different around Marin Central, and explore other areas of the city without feeling too much danger. You do notice certain areas and people who might make you feel cautious, but using normal street smarts and not trusting strangers should get you by just fine in Quito during the day. Emphasis on day, though, as it does get noticeably less safe at night walking around.
Actual crime statistics are high on a world scale, especially petty theft, but aren’t high for Latin America. As far as major cities in South America, it’s still on the lower end so I’m guessing its increase in crime over the last decade has exaggerated danger in the minds of locals a little bit. Quito’s crime index is down with Santiago, Chile, which has a much better reputation, while most countries in South America, from Argentina and Brazil to Colombia and Peru, have major cities higher on the list. So while this is still South America and you should use plenty of caution, I definitely wouldn’t put Quito on any no go list due to safety.
People’s Reaction Score: 7
People in Quito are about average here for photo friendliness. They probably won’t get excited about having their photo taken, but they probably won’t care, either. You might get a few “no’s” or be asked for money around the Old Town, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary and I’ve never had a problem in Quito with candid photography.
Street Tips:
Walkable, don’t need transportation much
The Old Town is made for walking, but you really don’t need much transportation when venturing outside this area, either.
Stay safe
While it’s not as bad as people tell you, it’s still worth being a little extra cautious. At night especially.
Mountain Air
At 9,300 feet above sea level, Quito is one of the highest capital cities on the planet. This makes the air much thinner, which becomes even more noticeable for street photography. Walking around, exploring the city can make me feel short of breath at times, especially up hills, which I’m not used to. But luckily I’ve never had any real problem, though, altitude sickness can be a thing for some. Stay hydrated and get past the first day or two, and you should have no worry the rest of the way. That extra few breaths needed is well worth the views you get walking around Quito.
Inspiration:
I focus on covering every region of the world during my 100 city project to provide full coverage of life, but also to cover places that haven’t been seen as much with street photography. Probably for safety concerns, Latin America is one of these regions so there’s not an abundance of strong street photography for inspiration outside of Brazil, unfortunately. But for Quito, you can always check Flickr or 33 of my photos taken in Quito.
Conclusion:
I enjoy big cities in the mountains not only for their beauty, but also because they usually have an interesting mix of influences from the past and present. Quito is definitely no exception. Exploring its Old Town, you get a ton of character and interest packed into one area that is hard to beat, all with Quito’s signature Andes mountain background. And if you want a little more urban scenery, there’s more to explore in the new city too. It all makes for one of the more unique Latin American cities around.
I hope this guide can give you an idea of the city from a street photographer’s perspective and maybe even help you prepare to experience Quito yourself. So grab your camera and capture all that Quito has to offer for Street Photography!
If you still have any questions about shooting in Quito, feel free to comment below or email me!
(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)
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