Apart from the canals you have a choice – bikes or carriages. The locals use the former and they appear to have priority over everything, cars and pedestrians! The ones above I would guess have just been fished out of the canal and are waiting to be reclaimed. [EXIF: 1/250sec @ f/4; ISO 100; Sony ILCE-7R; Sony FE 16-35 F4 ZA OSS @ 35mm]
In the De Burg square you have the chance of grabbing a carriage ride. [EXIF: 1/20sec @ f/11; ISO 80; Sony ILCE-7R; Sony FE 16-35 F4 ZA OSS @ 35mm]
Whilst everywhere there is the facility to park your bike and have a cup of coffee, or hot chocolate and grab a waffle (or two). [EXIF: 1/160sec @ f/8; ISO 100; Sony ILCE-7R; Sony FE 16-35 F4 ZA OSS @ 27mm]
And of course the carriage rides take you to all parts of the medieval city. [EXIF: 1/125sec @ f/8; ISO 100; Sony ILCE-7R; Sony FE 16-35 F4 ZA OSS @ 22mm]
Love all these pictures of beautiful Bruges, David. #1 fascinates me – if these are, indeed, bikes which have been rescued from the canal – what stories lie behind their adventures. This photo would make a good book cover, perhaps! My favourite picture is #2 because there is so much to look at. The eye is first taken by the horses and carriages, of course, nicely centred in the frame and leading the eye inwards to the lovely buildings behind. I like that we have glimpses of everyday life here, too – someone sitting outside the cafe, the carriage driver sitting patiently with her coffee, the young person with a rucksack hurrying across the square and, of course an inevitable part of the modern world but incongreous, the man on his mobile phone!
Glad you like them Yvonne. My favourite is the bikes by the canal – yes, they must have a story to tell. It was also an easy shot to take!
Technically, the last two were the most difficult – #3 because of the strong background light and shadows in the foreground – I’m still not sure I’ve got the grad filter (in Lightroom) right on that one, the colours don’t quite look right, yet they are definitely the right shades; and #4 because it required split second timing to hide some elements in front of the cafe, get a sharp focus on the movement and catch the moment without any other distractions. I must have stood on that corner for 10-15mins practising with settings and framings and several different carriages before I took a sequence of three on Continuous Shutter Release from which I chose this one.
Hi Dave, I love the photo of the bikes by the wall, each bike evoking an air of mystery and intrigue. The moss growing on the spindle of the middle bike picks up the colour in the trees and the growth on the walls. The twigs and the colour of the autumn leaves gathered around the wheels are echoed in the reflectors and the rust on the handlebars. The angle of the shot is perfect and the composition is very pleasing to the eye.
The photo of the bikes by the café is vibrant with the petunias in the middle ground contrasting so beautifully with the ageing clientele!
The carriage is spectacular but I am irritated by the man on the phone….. I would crop him out!
It must have been quite a challenge to get the last shot without showing too much movement but you have captured the scene perfectly. (I have had a hot chocolate from the café in the last photo and it is the best I have ever had!)
Thanks Frances – your comments on the bikes got me looking at the image again. I hadn’t see half of what you saw – I could see it was a good subject immediately we approached them, and then as you say, getting the right angle was the challenge.
I’ve looked at cropping the guy out, I could but it would put the horse’s mouth right up against the frame-edge, so I think that the annoyance is just about worth living with.
As for the cafe, we had chocolate there as well; it was the only chocolate we had believe it or not. From a machine, but very nice. A reward for standing around the 10-15mins to get the shot. I’m pleased to say I’ve deleted all the others now – something I must get into the habit of doing more often!