Although Gabriel Carvajal was raised in a family of self-taught artisans, he chose a language of his own for the new century, in which his family could not guide him. At 26 he bought his first camera, a Kodak Bantam for 30 pesos of the time, and embarked on an apprenticeship that would lead him to approach the work of experienced photographers such as Arturo and César Puerta, Heriberto Wolff, and Leo Matiz. During his sixty-year career he produced more than 130,000 negatives, in which he documented figures from diverse social spheres, growing Colombian cities, public and private events, rural and urban landscapes, and even became a pioneer in advertising photography with models. He worked with various media outlets including El Colombiano, El Espectador, and the magazines Semana and Cromos. He knew how to adapt to market demands, and in the mid-1950s when Antioqueño landowners required panoramic photos of their estates, Carvajal offered them aerial photographs, becoming a precursor of that trend. Thus, he came to photograph airports, universities, road arteries, and natural wonders like the Piedra del Peñol. All under an aerial perspective that was until then remote. He also consistently introduced the use of artistic color photography, offering technical innovation and a new perspective that moved away from the French-influenced photography of the early twentieth century. He was the photographer of urban modernization, industrial progress, and the possibility of the body as a tool and medium of artistic expression.
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