The most beautiful snapshots in the smallest radius

We Amersfoorters know how nice our city is. And the predicate 'most photogenic city in the Netherlands' has long been ours, of course. But what makes Amersfoort so photogenic? And how can you really capture all the beauty of the city on film? Together with photographer Dennis Polman I went out to investigate.

World-famous photos

Dennis, self-taught in his craft, specializes in HDR photography. A professional term that stands for getting as close as possible to contrast range of the human eye. With this, he creates incredibly beautiful evening, architectural and interior shots. His photos of the Koppelpoort and Hof in the evening light are world famous. As an enthusiastic professional, Dennis knows Amersfoort like the back of his hand. No street or alley is unknown to him and he knows exactly where to find the best pictures.Foto Koppelpoort by Dennisart Fotografie

Photo Route

We take a walk through the city together. In the process, we walk a bit of the photo route. Soon we turn into Muurhuizen. This street around the heart of the city is one of the hotspots when it comes to photography. The crooked road creates so-called vanishing points so you can actually always catch an interesting image. There are also many beautiful details to be found at Muurhuizen, such as lifting beams, windows, shutters and ornaments. Not to mention the beautiful vistas, such as the one on Zuidsingel, from the intersection with Kortegracht.

Many locations in small radius

Dennis also photographs regularly in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Those cities are of course also beautiful, but lack a great advantage over Amersfoort. Namely, that in a small radius you have a lot of different beautiful locations. "In a half-hour walk you have already seen so many places that are photogenic," Dennis says.

Downtown skyline

For example, the Lange Jan (Our Lieve Vrouwetoren) can be 'shot' beautifully from quite a few different points, such as from Havik. There you can capture both the canal and bridges, as well as the old houses and the tower in one image. The Krankeledenstraat, a street that leads to the Lieve Vrouwekerkhof, is very special in another way: the old buildings, in combination with the atmosphere of the restaurants and the view at the end of the street. The Koppelpoort is also a favorite of Dennis: "it is beautiful from both sides. Especially from the Eemhaven you have a nice view of the city." And also if you stand on the inside of the Koppelpoort, with your back to it, you have a unique view of the downtown skyline.

Taken sometime ago during blue hour. www.albertdros.com facebook: Albert Dros Photography

5 favorite photo spots

Dennis' favorite photo locations of Amersfoort:

1. The Koppelpoort: beautiful from both sides!
2. The many crooked streets, including Muurhuizen
3. Hawk, overlooking the bridges and the Lange Jan
4. The area around the Flehite Museum
5. The Hof, also overlooking the Lange Jan

Photo the Hof by Dennisart Photography

Use 'points of interest'

Dennis also explains that you really don't need an expensive or professional camera to take nice shots: "Most smartphones today have good lenses, which allow you to take really nice pictures." As a test, I take my smartphone and take some snapshots on our route. I learn that I need to make use of the things I encounter along the way. POI (point of interest) is what photographers call it. "For example, a passing cyclist can make an image much more exciting, but so can the displayed merchandise of a store, such as that of the cheese store at Muurhuizen", Dennis explains.

The blue hour

In doing so, Dennis explains that if you really want to take great pictures, you have to plan well. Sun position and weather conditions are essential for good photos. He himself prefers to take pictures at the end of the day during the "blue hour," the time between sunset and complete darkness. At that time, the sky turns an increasingly intense blue and the lights come on. Dennis cites another benefit of Amersfoort: "the atmospheric old downtown street lighting. Here the pleasant yellow-orange light is still used, which gives a warm glow to the city. By using the right light setting on your camera (set your white balance cooler), you can take out the color cast. And so you can prevent all the buildings from looking yellow because of the street lights."

Practical Tips

Along the way, Dennis gives me some good tips:

- When walking through town, don't just look in the direction you're going. But also turn around. Then you see everything from a different perspective and that is sometimes very surprising, I experience in Muurhuizen;
- Also, just sit down without camera in hand and get grounded. Look around you and discover the feeling and atmosphere of your surroundings;
- Have you looked up yet? That's where you sometimes see the cutest details!

Making something out of nothing

Dennis teaches me that you become a better photographer if you just look closely and try to make something out of nothing: "Even when the conditions are bad, you can still do some pretty amazing things. For example, if the sky is gray, grab more images from a lower angle. Get down on your knees. Is it raining? Water gives beautiful reflections." The photos below I took before (left) and after (right) advice from Dennis.

After a few hours with Dennis, I see Amersfoort in a different way, perhaps a bit with a "photographer's eye. And that makes me appreciate my city even more: there is still so much to discover! Do you want to get better at photography? Dennis regularly gives workshops.