Amsterdam Reflections
The colors and architecture of Amsterdam are reflected in the waters of the Damrak canal.
The colors and architecture of Amsterdam are reflected in the waters of the Damrak canal.
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Canon EOS 6D
Aperture f/8 ISO 160 Shutter 1/100 Focal Length 24/1 
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, NL
Jan, 2019Views
998
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 41
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
All Star
Genius
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Amsterdam on the Damrak Canal. The houses along the canals have become known as the “Dancing Houses” because of their various tilted levels caused by the uneven settling of the pylons and pillars the houses are built on. These are the most famous being situated right outside of the Central Train Station and a major point of departure for both trains and boats, but you’ll see this interesting tilt on architecture throughout the Amsterdam canals. One of my favorite aspects of this image is hard to see without looking closely and is the young couple sitting in the window of the red brick building on the left. They are sitting with their legs and feet hanging out the window watching the busyness of the day below them from such a fun and carefree perspective.Time
This particular picture was taken during a leisurely late morning walk around Amsterdam. I hadn’t set out with anything particular in mind that day and had already shot sunrise that morning. I usually have lower expectations for that time of day, so I was pleasantly surprised with this shot!Lighting
I was lucky to capture this shot before the bright sunlight of midday. The partially cloudy sky helped diffuse some of the brighter sunlight that could have caused problems over the water. And being still late morning, the light was softer than it would have been even an hour or two later.Equipment
I was shooting with a Canon 6D equipped with an EF24-105mm f/4L and circular polarizer. This is my preferred walk around lens if I’m not carrying a backpack with other lenses. This day, I was only carrying my camera since a backpack is not allowed in the Anne Frank house which was on our agenda for the day. The image was shot handheld since I also had to leave the tripod behind.Inspiration
On this particular morning, we were taking a break from photography to focus on doing some of the touristy things in Amsterdam. Despite some of the recommendations to go see the city through my own eyes instead of through the camera lens, I still couldn’t leave the camera behind. The Damrak is a wider canal than most, and unlined by trees so it is a great location to capture wider angle shots of the architecture. The young couple sitting in the window was the icing on the cake. There are also several people sitting outside eating between the buildings. It reminds me a little of paintings in that if you don’t look closely and study the details, you might miss some of the most interesting pieces.Editing
The image was shot in Raw format, so post-processing was necessary. Boosting contrast and color were the first steps before applying slight noise reduction and lens calibration. The canal water in the image wasn’t what I was hoping to achieve since it was somewhat choppy and provided only vague mirroring. To compensate, I added a blur layer with linear movement to increase the interest of the reflections. I finished the image by applying a bit of sharpening to help bring out the details across the image.In my camera bag
If I’m able to carry a bag, I always make sure I have lens cleaner, a good clean cloth, filters, a remote trigger and my tripod. Those are my essential accessories. For cameras, I pack two. I pack my Canon 5DS R which is unparalleled for detail rich landscapes and my Canon 6D which is also a great camera that functions well in variable lighting situations. Three lenses are most often in my pack. The Canon EF16-35mm f/2.8L for its phenomenal wide angle capabilities, the Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L for its zoom and exquisite portraits and backgrounds, and the EF24-105mm f/4L for those times when you must leave the pack in the hotel room and choose a multi-purpose walk-around lens. I’ve tried carrying other lenses, but these are always the three I come back to time and time again.Feedback
There will be times when you least expect to be able to capture a great image. It’ll be the wrong time of day or the wrong weather, too bright, too dark, too early, too late, but sometimes the photographs you didn’t plan to take end up becoming some of the best. Life and photo worthy moments happens while we’re out participating as much as when we’re out intentionally looking for it and sometimes you’re lucky enough to have a camera on hand then too! Don’t worry too much about the rules of when, where and how. There is a time and place for it all and photography is an art every bit as much as it is a process. Just keep an eye out for things that capture your interest and a mind open to creative possibilities!
