Nights in Amsterdam
A night shot from the archives…Amsterdam looking all lovely.
I love wandering in cities, day or night, but of course at night when the lights come on things really look interesting. This was from a trip a number of years ago to Amsterdam, and was one of my last shots before calling it a night.
Night in Amsterdam
A boat passed by me while I am photographing a canal in Amsterdam...
A boat passes by during my exposure...
I love light trail photos, and sometimes I get lucky and get boat light trails, like in today's photo from Amsterdam. I was out shooting one evening there, capturing all these little arched bridges and their reflections during blue hour. Then a boat passed, which normally makes me think that it will mess up the smooth water, but with that light on it I knew I would get something interesting.
This trip was from a few years ago. I still have thousands of photos that I have never gotten to, and I am slowly working my way through them (while adding new ones to the library, of course!). I have been building a new preset pack for Luminar, and that has caused me to dig into the library and pull out all sorts of photos to test my presets on. I will be announcing that soon, so stay tuned. Thanks!
A view in Amsterdam
An afternoon stroll in Amsterdam produces this photo, which I converted to monochrome for a change.
I have been experimenting with different monochrome looks in Luminar. Because there are so many filters (did you read this recent post?) in Luminar, I am trying a lot of different things to see what I can come up with.
This is an old canal shot from one afternoon in Amsterdam. When I travel, I usually have a plan for taking the "big shots" in any particular location. But in between those, I do a lot of wandering and take a LOT of shots like this one: nothing great about it, but not a throwaway either. It's sort of an in-between shot for me. I like the composition and the lines, but it's not one of my best.
In the past, I would always edit this one in color and try to focus on something in the photo of interest, perhaps by increasing the saturation of a particular color. While I may still do that at times, I am also further exploring using monochrome to edit these "everyday" photos. If nothing else, it's a good exercise in variety.
Twilight at the Rijksmuseum
On my last trip to Amsterdam, I happened to show up at the Rijksmuseum at the right time for a stunning twilight and blue hour. Though sunset was non-existent, the rest of the magic hour was really beautiful!
Ah, Amsterdam - you're so beautiful!
I love Amsterdam. Most people think of it as a place to party (which it can be), but for me it's a place to load up the memory card. I love the architecture there and all the canals. It seems there is something interesting and beautiful at every turn - and there are a lot of turns in this city full of canals.
The Rijksmuseum is one of those things that will catch your eye, and it's hard to miss. It's located in their Museum Square and it's HUGE. I mean this thing is a monster. It's full of fabulous art, including some masterpieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer (including Rembrandt's The Night Watch, arguably one of the most famous Dutch paintings ever).
There is also this excellent corridor that runs right under the middle of it, which is open to pedestrians and cyclists. You can cut through that to get to the back, which is where you find the big reflecting pool, and where I found myself one evening, firing away happily.
I would guess that is the classic photograph of the Rijksmuseum that everyone takes, and for good reason. The reflections are excellent and if you catch a beautiful twilight hour like I did that evening, you come away with some shots you are proud of!
Amsterdam is beautiful
There is just so much to photograph in Amsterdam - it's a very beautiful city. Today's post takes you along on a virtual tour of some of the sights, and I talk about how I created these images thanks to a couple of tricks that helped turn them from bright, sunny images to give more of a Fall look. Enjoy!
This isn't exactly news to anyone, is it? ;-)
Sunset at the Bloemenmarkt in Amsterdam
I love Amsterdam and find the city to be incredibly photogenic. There is some fabulous architecture to photograph, deep rich history, and of course you can't ignore the canals (and can't NOT see them - they're everywhere).
I haven't been there in a while, but have been working through my old shots and processing quite a few. I've had the good fortune to visit a few times in the last few years, and as you can imagine I have a lot of shots from those trips. It's so fun to dive into the library, revisit shots from an old trip, and relive it in my mind. I do that a lot.
But the other thing that had me digging into the archives was my new love of split toning in Lightroom. You can read about that here if you would like. It's a very powerful feature of the product and one that I find myself employing more and more, but I rarely hear much about it. It seems to be an overlooked feature. In fact, it's rare now that I don't try split toning on an image, even if it's just a minor tweak (as opposed to a complete color shift, which is also fun). I don't always use split toning, but I sure test it out on a lot of images, just to see what kind of difference it makes. And by the way, I just added a video tutorial to my YouTube channel showing how I use Lightroom's split toning. You can find that here.
Bikes in Amsterdam
A gentleman browses books at an open-air book market in Amsterdam
So that's what I can offer for your viewing pleasure today - images from Amsterdam that have been split toned in Lightroom. I find it's a great way to take an otherwise throwaway image and turn it into something a bit more interesting. They aren't always winners, but it's quite rewarding to take a photo you have previously overlooked and turn it into something worth sharing.
In these images, I gave them all a greater sense of drama (and hopefully, interest) compared to the originals. They were all taken in the late Spring under fairly sunny skies. My intent with them was to make them appear more like they were taken in the Fall or Winter. I think I mostly succeeded, and a lot of that was due to split toning.
But part of the key to accomplishing that was using the Indian Summer filter which is in Nik Software's Color Efex Pro. It basically takes all the foliage and gives you the option to turn it into another color, somewhere along the orange to red spectrum. It's a handy little filter and one that I like to test out now and then. There's nothing wrong with green trees, but orange leaves are so much more interesting to me. Why not make that change? ;-)
You can see a screenshot from Color Efex Pro here. The Indian Summer filter is super simple. Just choose from 4 Methods (Method #1 is selected) and then drag the Enhance Foliage slider left or right to get the desire intensity. Easy! You can also apply it selectively in the image using the Control Points.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed this tour of Amsterdam!
Due to the lights, this photo came out of the camera very orange. Thanks to split toning I returned it to how it looked under that blue hour sky.
I loved that church's bell tower in the distance.
Just another canal view in Amsterdam
So many amazing little scenes at every turn - Amsterdam is really a photographic paradise!
Amsterdam is awesome
I really love the city of Amsterdam. Most people think of it as a place to go party, but not me - it's a place to take beautiful photographs. There is just so much loveliness in Amsterdam - have a look at today's crop of 12 photos and let me know your thoughts!
Amsterdam gets an "A" in my book!
Everyone knows about Amsterdam. They've either been there, read about it, had a friend tell them about it, or they saw it in a movie somewhere. But regardless, it's well known. And what is it known for? Well, partying mostly. Smoking dope, prostitution - that sort of stuff. I think that is what comes to mind immediately when Amsterdam is mentioned. It's definitely a place for all of that.
But there's so much more to Amsterdam - it's also a wonderful city for photography.
I have wandered the streets here many times, and am always rewarded with beautiful things to point the camera at. There are obviously a lot of canals here - and in fact, more canals and more bridges than that other city famous for it's waterways (Venice, Italy). You literally run across a canal at nearly every turn. It's amazing (and at times, a little confusing).
You also have a LOT of great museums, some incredible architecture, and more. It's really a cultural capital, of sorts. It's probably a bit overlooked compared to some other famous European cities, but it's well worth a visit in my opinion. Frankly, I love it there.
So on my trips to this lovely city, I always schedule in some quiet time where I can just wander and shoot, wander and shoot. I always bring a map with me, just because I couldn't tell my Herengracht from my Prinsengracht if I fell in the damn thing (which thankfully has never happened!).
But I also bring a map because I want to see so many spots, and so I mark them and go see them, and then lather rinse repeat. With so many canals, it's fairly challenging to keep them straight. At times, I give up and sit down at a cafe and have a beer. Then I wander some more. It's a city that is built for wandering, really.
So today's post is a gathering of shots I have taken there on some of my trips (and I may return later this year, yay!). And admittedly, I have a zillion more from here that I still need to process and share. So I will work on that, and get them done at some point, and share them here, because there is so much to this city, and I love sharing the pics, my friend.
Thanks for stopping by.
The little things in Amsterdam
I am always carrying a list with me when I travel to any city, and the list contains all the big, important things I hope to photograph while I am there. And I think that is a good thing. But equally - if not more - important, is noticing, enjoying and photographing the little things that you see while out there. They add a lot to your experience and enjoyment of a city. So today, here's a few of the "little things" I enjoyed in Amsterdam!
I take a lot of photos, and most of them never see the light of day.
That's a shame, really, because I like quite a few of them, such as the ones I am sharing here today. But my habit here has been to share shots of the "big things", when in reality life and photography is often about the "little things".
Just a bike leaning against a wall in some overlooked alleyway in Amsterdam...
I won't get all philosophical here today about what's important and what's not important, or make too big of a point about enjoying the little things, but I will say that as a photographer and traveler, I try and capture these little things when I can. But like everyone, I often forget.
Flowers in front of a door that doesn't seem to go anywhere.
Truthfully, I could do a much better job of it, but often I am at a "big thing" shooting and am so focused on it that I miss a lot of great "little things" that are often RIGHT THERE. Literally, I have missed things that are cool and happen to be right in front of me, because I am so distracted by something else. That sucks, and I usually only realize it when looking back at a photo of whatever big thing I was taking that photo of.
A big wide canal shot, because this IS Amsterdam, and everyone expects it, right? Happy to do my part!
So today's post is a nod to the little things you might run across if you were wandering the streets (or canals, actually) of Amsterdam. I have been there several times, and that is a great city for wandering (like all cities in Europe, it seems). I like to wander anyways - there's something just so right about it.
All of these were taken on a single trip to Amsterdam, when I had my head on straight and told myself to pay attention to the little things. I hope you enjoy my views.
Incidentally, these are all single exposure photos, as opposed to HDR which I frequently share here. Also, you can click on any photo to see larger. Thanks for clicking by!
One of the millions of little bridges crossing over a canal.
And being a lover of Topaz Simplify, I just had to turn that last photo in a painting! I love how this came out!
Another canal shot - and believe me, you see this at every turn. I have a MILLION of these shots!
Who knew they had so much cheese?
This graffiti was just WAY too cool to pass up!
The wisdom of children.
A typical scene you will encounter while wandering Amsterdam.
A grungy scene with graffiti? Click!
Some nice flowers at the Bloemenmarkt, their famous floating flower market. Worth a visit for sure!
A sunny day in Amsterdam
While everyone loves a sunset shot, it's well worth getting out and shooting in the afternoon too - especially if you happen to be in Amsterdam! Here's 3 photos to help convince you. :-)
Amsterdam is a beautiful city, and wandering the canals is a great way to spend part of your time there. I find so many interesting views and angles on these historic buildings that line the canals. While I obviously prefer to get out during sunrise or sunset for that beautiful light (which I did), it's also great to head out in broad daylight while the city is busy and active. It's a different vibe, but still excellent to experience!
Today's 3 photos were captured while doing exactly what I describe above. Walk around, get a little exercise, and take some photos - a great way to experience Amsterdam!
The first 2 shots are HDR photos that were created in Photomatix, while the 3rd photo is a single exposure. All 3 were edited in Macphun's Intensify Pro, which I have really been enjoying. You can find my review of that software here. Thanks!
Sunset at Bloemenmarkt
Sometimes you get lucky and the sunset gets all awesome for you! And you happen to be in Amsterdam!
Sunset in Amsterdam - always a treat!
I've been to Amsterdam a few times over the last couple of years, and it seems like I have been blessed each time with at least one sunset that was beautiful. Now you can argue that ALL sunsets are beautiful - and in some ways, they are - but I mean one that at the very least has a little something going on in the sky.
We've all waited on the sunsets that never really materialize. Maybe cloud cover which looked promising earlier in the day never allows the sun to break through. Or maybe there's not a cloud to be seen for miles, so while the sunset is visible, it's pretty boring.
But as photographers, we are a hopeful bunch, and always think that we'll try and shoot sunset "just in case". You never want to miss one, especially if it ends up being amazing.
And so it was the same for me on this evening in Amsterdam. I had been at work all day and was tired, and had a full day ahead of me. The sky wasn't particularly interesting, but HEY I'M IN AMSTERDAM! So, I went out to shoot. I can't really pass up an opportunity like that.
And while I was wandering around, things just started to take shape, and I got the sunset that you see in my shots today. While it wasn't miraculous, amazing, or insanely awesome, it was beautiful...and that's enough for me.
Note: these 3 HDR photos were taken with my new Olympus OM-D EM-1 mirrorless camera. It's pretty amazing, and so far is working out great for me.
And almost forgot to mention - Bloemenmarkt is the famous floating flower market in Amsterdam. All those little floating structures on the left side are the backs of the various flower shops. It's a cool little spot.
Sunset in Amsterdam
It's hard to beat a great sky, a big canal, and some fabulous architecture...
Sometimes the weather just cooperates!
Like most every photographer, when I go out to shoot I am hoping for great weather or at least interesting skies. Most times however, it just doesn't end up being what I am hoping for. There might be decent light, or decent clouds, but they don't often come together at the same time.
It might seem like we all get lucky with the weather more often than not, because we only share the photos that illustrate the best stuff (at least in many cases). But the truth is, we get shut out a lot more than you would think.
And when you are traveling in a foreign city and you have flown thousands of miles and the weather is not cooperating, that's doubly hard. It's not always easy to get to a place, and you never really know if you will ever see the place again, do you?
So when you find yourself with both nice light and some interesting skies - and you are in a foreign city, such as Amsterdam in this case - well, you are excited. Maybe even ecstatic. Certainly, you are relieved.
And so I was all that and more when I was in Amsterdam a couple of weeks back. As you can see, the clouds were nice and interesting, and the light was just right. It sort of all came together that evening, and I'm grateful for that. Who knows when I will be there again?
Some random bits of Amsterdam
I really enjoy visiting Amsterdam - it's a beautiful city!
Have you been to Amsterdam? I definitely put it on the list of great cities in Europe. Obviously, I have not been to all of them across Europe (still waiting to get to Budapest and Dubrovik, for instance) but I have seen quite a few, so I have some basis for comparison.
Just looking down one of the many lovely canals...
Now, most people think of Amsterdam as a place to go for a party, and that is certainly an option. But I'm not there for that - I actually find the city very photogenic. There are so many canals, you might think you are in Venice. And there are so many bicycles! Be sure and look twice before you step into the street - I have nearly been run over several times.
See all those bikes? They have so many they have to park them on barges!
One of my favorite things to do is just wander the streets there, looking up and down the canals and taking photos of all the interesting architecture. But I also tend to do a bit of random shots here and there. I find it's not only fun, but helps me remember a trip better, and I hope that by sharing some of these here, you can get a good sense of how interesting a city Amsterdam really is.
See? More bikes!
I have been there twice in the last few years, and hope to return again - with my camera gear in tow, of course. Like I have said before, this photo thing is quite the addiction.
One other great thing about Amsterdam, which I believe is not as well known as the party scene, is the museums there. There are quite a few and the ones I have visited are pretty amazing. Below is the back of the Rijksmuseum, and nearby is the Van Gogh Museum - both worth a visit, assuming you are interested in that sort of thing.
See the big "I amsterdam" sign? Sort of a town motto at this point, methinks.
And of course, don't forget to get out the camera (mounted on a tripod, of course) when it starts to get dark. I am a sucker for reflections, and with so many canals at virtually every turn, there is no shortage of cool things to point the camera at!
Blue hour - a perfect time for reflections!
Well, that's a quick tour of a lovely city, mostly shown in random bits and pieces. I have hundreds of Amsterdam shots still to share, so keep coming back for more if you enjoy seeing this sort of thing!
Shooting the canals
I really love Amsterdam, but not for those reasons. :-)
It's a great town in my opinion, and great for photography. I suppose if you were into street photography, that you would find Amsterdam to be rather colorful and fun for that sort of thing. But as you know from coming here before (if this is your first visit, WELCOME!), street photography ain't my thing.
I don't shoot portraits, weddings, or what is typically known as street photography. I do shoot a lot of street scenes though. I love that stuff. And no, I am not trying to confuse the matter.
Anyways, in Amsterdam as you know there are a LOT of canals. The city's identity rests primarily with the canals. It's defined by water. So being a guy who loves HDR and reflections, well...that's what draws me in. I could shoot that stuff all day.
So on my last visit there, I spent one evening out shooting with my friend Michiel Buijse, who is relatively local and a great photographer. You should go see his work. He's good. So we spent a great deal of time shooting things like this, partly because it's awesome and partly because you see this stuff at every turn. Not a bad way to spend an evening, actually!
Sunset in Amsterdam
Ah, lovely Amsterdam! What an interesting city!
I find Amsterdam to be very interesting. It's a study in contrasts, really. It's a city rich in history and culture, but it's better known as a party town. It has incredible museums, but people go there for it's relaxed views on things. The architecture is fabulous, and the old churches are beautiful. It's really a great place. More than many other towns, it wears these 2 hats equally well, I believe.
Being in my mid-forties and interested in the photography aspect of cities, I love going there, but obviously not for the party. I enjoy seeing all the canals, museums, and architecture - and then photographing the heck out if it.
On my trip there last year, I wandered around while sunset and blue hour were approaching, as I was looking for a nice vantage point to get some shots that I hadn't seen before. I was on the fringes of the Red Light District when I saw a little alley sort of thing that appeared to end at some water. I wandered down that alley and was confronted with this wonderful view.
Since sunset was upon me, I fired away for a bit and then waited for blue hour too, since I always love to get nice reflections at that time of day, and the water was really still here due to very limited boat traffic in the canal.
That's one thing about HDR photography - while it's great most of the time, I find that it really excels during sunset and blue hour. It just does so much more to a photograph than a single exposure can give you.
Bars in Leidseplein
There are a lot of bars in Amsterdam - and a lot of "pleins" too!
As far as I know, the word plein is Dutch for plaza or square, and there are quite a few in Amsterdam. It's a great city to walk around in and shoot all that cool stuff, then go find a plein and sit down and chill. I did that a lot while I was there.
I would walk and walk, then shoot a bit, then walk some more, then find a bar or cafe to sit in and rest. Depending on the time of day, I would order tea, or a beer. I could get used to living like that! It's pretty awesome.
Leidseplein is one of the larger squares there, or at least it seems that way to me. It's pretty busy, and there is a lot going on there at all times of day and night. There's also a boatload of construction in it right now, which makes it a bit more cramped. There's a cool Apple store. There are a lot of shops. And of course there are all sorts of cafes and bars.
I tend to enjoy shooting cityscape things like this, so when I was walking by one day and this section was empty, I knew I had to jump at the chance and fire away. Right as I was getting ready, that lady in the doorway walked into that spot and stood there. She started smiling, assuming that I was taking her picture. But of course, I was shooting with my wide angle to capture the buildings, but I acted otherwise so she would stay still for a minute so I could finish!
The facade of Amsterdam Centraal
Ok, I know - here's another train station, but I can't help myself!
The first step to knowing you have a problem is to admit it. So, I have a problem, folks. I love train stations. I am addicted to shooting them, especially in Europe. I make every effort to shoot whichever ones I pass through on my travels. I can't help it. Aren't they cool?
This is the facade of Amsterdam Centraal Station, which as the name implies is their big central terminal. And it's big! The facade is quite beautiful as you can see, but on my last two visits the interior was under such construction that there is not a grand lobby or central interior space to shoot (yet). I'm not sure, but there might be one and it's just hidden. If anyone knows, please let me know.
So I have had to satisfy my shooting addiction here by concentrating on the exterior. And heck, it's so awesome that's ok with me! I also grabbed quite a few shots from the train platforms, and will have to find some time to work on those. But still this facade is the main draw for me, photographically speaking.
The only downside was that I never made it here at sunrise or sunset, choosing instead to focus (no pun intended) on other spots during those times. So maybe next time I will get there during the edges of the day. I look forward to a return visit - it's a great town to wield a camera in!