My favorite movement within photography is capturing life on the street. The street is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for me. Yet this works better in some places than others. In this article you will get an answer to the question “what locations street photography?” Spoiler alert: they are obvious, but you have to see it.
If you want to take great images of street life, you can make it easy on yourself and go to crowded places. There are plenty of those in Belgium. Still, there are plenty of crowded places where you stand out as a lone photographer, such as densely populated residential areas. There, chances are that not everyone is waiting for a street photographer. You might just be considered a tabloid or tabloid journalist! And you really don’t want that, do you?
To make it easy on yourself, you can go to places that not only get a lot of people, but also usually get a lot of photography. For example, because there is a monument or because there is something for tourists to do. Among all those other cameras, you as a photographer are much less likely to stand out and people are much less likely to take offense at your appearance with camera.
Looking for information on lenses for street photography? Read here what is the best lens for street photography.
The top 5
The list I have compiled below is also really my personal top five. If I have some free hours locally and want to indulge in catching street life, chances are I’ll go to one of these places. The advantage of these places is that you are also not dependent on the weather: even with tremendously rainy weather, these neighborhoods offer plenty of opportunities to keep your device dry.
Here we go:
1. Brussels as it is: the piétonnier
One of the most convenient locations for street photography is the historic center of Brussels. This has now become just about the largest pedestrian zone or piétonnier in Europe. For example, Anspach Avenue between De Brouckère and Fontainas Square is virtually car-free, including at Beursplein. It is truly heaven for a street photographer: an iconic backdrop of 19th century buildings with a continuous clamor of cyclists and scooters and an endless crowd of people.
The nice thing about this boulevard with its squares is that it really is on and off Brussels: rich and poor, young and old come here. You see the whole world passing by here. In addition, this zone is also very wide, which in turn makes it interesting for catching long shadows just before sunset. There is also often entertainment here with performances by musicians and dance companies, and young guys and girls from neighboring neighborhoods show off their soccer skills there.
2. Monumental and cosmopolitan: Antwerp-Central
Okay, admit it: Antwerp Central is perhaps the most beautiful station in the world. Thousands of other photographers and tourists often feel the same way, so you are never the lone photographer here. If you wander around here with your camera, there are plenty of other features besides the monumental arrivals hall and shelter: there are the mosaic-tiled spaces under the tracks, called centers by the locals. And above the centers adorn the turrets. Furthermore, under the tracks it really is a veritable labyrinth with diamond merchants and hipsters. Also, don’t forget to include the back entrance at Mediaplein on your trip: here you have very modern architecture and numerous escalators.
I use the light under the tunnels to create silhouettes in my images, the bike lanes with its cyclists just for dynamics. And the trains between the old housing estates and new skyscrapers give a huge big city feel in a city of only half a million people. You also have within walking distance Chinatown with the super photogenic Chinese Gate, the halal burger store at Astrid Square and the Jewish Quarter with its photogenic inhabitants. When I have people walking or biking through my images here, I do try to portray them unrecognizable. When I get questions, I explain what I do and no one makes a big deal about it. Not even when I show the images.
Rather looking for locations for street photography elsewhere in Europe? Discover 5 great locations for street photography in Germany and France here!
3. Raw and nostalgic: the Zeedijk in Ostend
I probably won’t be thanked by everyone, but sometimes the Seafront in Ostend is a bit of past glory. In particular, the Royal Galleries. And yet… Precisely because of that present impermanence of the flaking paint, scaffolding and graffiti, you can do a lot with this as a photographer. It invites non-ordinary compositions.
Very beautiful can be the effect of light. Even in the heart of winter, the light here is more intense than inland: the sea and the beach reflect the daylight, making it easy to create silhouettes in your photo. Contrasts are stronger here, which can also boost creativity. Actually, the seafront never gets boring: there are also the Venetiaanse Gaanderijen with their arches, an old swimming pool that is languishing, the fashionable Kursaal, the pier and the breakwaters. As a street photographer, you can easily spend a whole day here, I speak from experience!
Looking for street photography locations in the Netherlands? Then check out 5 great places to do street photography in the Netherlands here!
4. Cliché: Graslei in Ghent
Ghent is perhaps the most beautiful city in Belgium, and a lot of tourists know it. They crowd around to take a picture of the Graslei, that water with late medieval houses reflected. Instead of taking the same picture as other people, you can just engage in street photography here. Choose your setting, let people walk through it and press the shutter button at a moment décisif, or decisive moment.
It is also fun to focus on other things: the pavement or arches of St. Michael’s Bridge and then have boats pass through your image. Or make the shadows of the bridge on the old post building play a role. Actually, this environment offers endless inspiration.
5. Mirroring modernity: the European Quarter in Brussels
If you really want something completely different as a street photographer, head to the European Quarter in Brussels. For a few years now, this neighborhood has really come alive: it is a mixed neighborhood with both offices and housing. And, of course, there is a lot of entertainment. So you can take mirrored modern buildings as a backdrop and include bicycle messengers, people with European blue attributes or joggers in your image. By the way, you’re not the only one here: tourists often take selfies or group photos with the European institutions in the background.
However, this neighborhood is extremely busy: traffic passes by in rows thick, trains pass over over viaducts every few minutes, airplanes fly low overhead, bicyclists and people on scooters swarm in between, and pedestrians make their way. Inside tip: In nice weather, you can sometimes see hundreds of skaters on the esplanade by the European Parliament. Very fun to photograph, often they also come and do tricks in front of your lens. Other hot spots: Schuman Square with its demonstrations, Jourdan Square with vibrant café life, Cinquantenaire Park with sports people and Grand Mosque and Arts-Loi intersection for photographing the daily traffic jam.
Curious about my work as a street photographer? Check out
this street photo series I took 2021
.
I hope you have fun capturing Belgian street life!