Grote Markt Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

Together with Lars/Tue, I went to Belgium for a small photo trip. It was a nice and cheap trip, because public transport is for free for students in the Netherlands, we only had to pay a bit in Belgium.

Here is the Market Square in the centre, the second city of Belgium with about 450.000 inhabitants. Antwerpen is situated by the river Schelde and has the second biggest harbour of Europe.

The Market Square consist of very old houses, build in renaissance style with gothic element.

Unfortunately, there are not all original any more, because some of them burned down in the late 16th century. The reconstructions of old houses were made in the 19th and 20th century, based on old paintings. Number 24, 38 en 40 are still original.

On the square, you also find the Town Hall and the Our Lady church (build between between 1352 and 1530).

The statue on the left represents the giant Druoon Antigoon from the famous local legend. He lived by the river the Schelde, and sailers had to pay toll to him. When the sailors refused to pay the giant, he punished them by cutting off their hand and throwing their hands in the river.

According to that legend, Antwerpen got its name. "Ant" means hand and "werpen" means to throw.

Please, also visit Lars' beautiful photo from Grote Markt

jrenier, oochappan, ChrisJ, Paolo, weswang, nwoehnl, ChristianS, jjbach, singuanti, Tue, alvaraalto, john_c, sarju, feather, elihesamian, jhm, Fixfocus, aznegrao, Luan has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

oochappan (22032) 2005-09-26 11:40

Yuo did ur research very well, actually I'm from Antwerp and I enjoy that you captured very well the beauty of it with the late sun on the old facades and the statue in the shade as a border on a strong dominating place over the market, a good POV and excllent captured.

Leonie (8647) 2005-09-26 11:50

Hi Stef,
Very nice shot of this seemingly great square of Antwerpen that I first saw on Lars' photo. Didn't know the city was so nice..the architecture looks very attractive and your angle is very nice! Well done! Cheers, Léonie

erdna (5360) 2005-09-26 12:20

I like the charm of the old buildings in europe and this is one of it. Beautifully done Stef! I tried to frame with my fingers those buildings in front and apreciate the rythmn of those windows. It is so nice.

Andre'

Paolo (40755) 2005-09-26 13:10

Hi Steft, excellent image of that imprssive square.
the buildings are wonderful and well composed in the image, with a good light, good portion in the shadow and beautiful colors.also the quality is very good.
thanks, ciao

nwoehnl (120) 2005-09-26 13:18

Hi Stef. A comprehensive and detailed view of the fine old market square. There is only so much that you can fit into a wide angle, but you made a good choice here in which also the way the fountain was included is helpful to convey the old-town setting. Also a good management of the not-so-easy contrast between the areas of light and shadow.

EMA (313) 2005-09-26 13:27

Lovely view.

ChristianS (2997) 2005-09-26 14:11

Hi Stef, nice composition of this beuatiful square with the statue to the right still in shadow and and the old buildings beautifully highlighted by the sun. The colours and the contrast are very nice. Well done!

Regards, Christians

Schultzy (5428) 2005-09-26 14:20

Hello Stef,
Nice place, perfectly sharp picture. Nice colors and light. Good composition, well done !

lukie (0) 2005-09-26 14:48

Ondanks de schaduwen toch een geslaagde foto. Enkel vind ik dat de huizen op de achtergrond ietwat onscherper zijn dan we gewoon zijn van jou, Stef.

groeten,

Luc.

Jeppe (18623) 2005-09-26 15:25

En fin og sewærdig plads med fine og karakteristiske huse - Jeg kan godt lide kompositionen med statuen som skuer ud over pladsen - Tak Stef for synet og oplysningerne.

jjbach (9111) 2005-09-26 18:11

Hi Stef,
A wonderful composition, full of vivd beautiful colours. The perspective and the depth are great. Very nice framing, with the statue on the left and the wonderful buildings in the background. Splendid work!

Regards John

singuanti (15240) 2005-09-26 22:00

Hey Stef. The row of repeating houses really does it for me. Plus the angle with which you've captured the statue really adds some impact to the pic. Very impressive shot Stef!

ChrisJ (70443) 2005-09-27 3:34

Hi Stef

I like the broad overview of the square. The graphism of the statue against the sky, & the repetition of the buildings (& their facades) are marvellous. Good work!

weswang (18223) 2005-09-27 4:12

Hi Stef, Thanks to provide the different view with reference to Lars' post. I like the nice contrast in the sunny day. Good to see the perspective of the houses down the street. It is nice to see the pedestrians and bikers in the square. A well taken sharp and clear image. Well done.

Tue (25608) 2005-09-27 7:59

Hej Stefan,
Ah, ook jouw eerste foto uit België nu. :-) Dat zonlicht hier is erg mooi (helaas had ik er geen een met het zonlicht én het standbeeld, vandaar dat ik een wat donkerdere had). De compositie met dat standbeeld aan de linkerkant is erg goed. Mooi werk.
Groetjes vanaf Amager,
Lars

alvaraalto (5303) 2005-09-27 18:08

Hi Stef,
Mooie samenwerking met Lars. Hierdoor kunnen we dit plein mooi van 2 kanten bekijken. Ik zou haast zeggen dat je kan zien dat jullie bijna hetzelfde toestel hebben.
groet Rob

Kenny10pin (19301) 2005-09-28 1:29

very goo work here, I like the statue here nd also the buildings, very good perspective, well done

john_c (24635) 2005-09-28 16:59

Hi Stef,
What a lovely scene of this picturesque and historic market town. The clarity, colour, and contrast are all superb and the statue neatly balances and enhances the scene. It almost appears like you had a very wide angle lens to capture so much of this scene and still have ample room in the frame for the sky. Great capture.
John

sarju (5308) 2005-09-29 14:22

Hi Stef
very informative note to compliment the very rich cultural landscape that you are showing here. Nice evening colours though I wish they were a bit more saturated.
thanks for sharing .... cheers .... sarju

MvS (4163) 2005-09-30 14:34

Great pleasant light Stef, and a beautiful place. The left bottom corner is a bit dark, but the inclusion of the statue is great.
Thanks,
Magnus

feather (50168) 2005-10-01 12:30

Now I know why this place looks familiar; I have seen Lars' version. I like the way you have composed this with the statue on the left. We can then let our eye wander down the street. You have captured sharp detail in these buildings. Well done
Kath

elihesamian (26091) 2005-10-02 2:30

It seems that you had a good trip with frends,and a fine shot you dring us here,graet POV and scene and a lot of details I can find here,great light controlling you did with a nice colors rendering,with a very good contrast,I enjoy it,very good note,too,and the shot has a great composition I think,nicely done,Stef,

Best to You
M

jhm (83378) 2005-10-02 5:09

Hello Stef,
Met de goedkope reis heeft U verschillende mooie foto's opgeleverd, een mooi zicht op de Grotemarkt van Antwerpen, ik vind te gebouwen op de achtergrond zeer mooi.
Prachtig werk opnieuw.
Groeten,
John.

Fixfocus (9377) 2005-10-03 12:26

Hoi Stef,
A nice capture of the beautiful architecture of Antwerpen.I like the warm evening light with it´s cheerful colors a lot.Well composed with the included fountain in the foreground.
Prettige Avond,
hermann

aznegrao (10246) 2005-10-06 20:22

Hi Stef!!
Gosto do efeito dessa luz. O enquadramento com e estatua a esquerda tornou a composição bem dinamica. Otimo trabalho.
aznegrao.

Luan (15935) 2005-12-09 6:55

Hello Stef,
une bien belle image, j'aime bien ton cadrage avec cette monumentale fontaine sur la gauche, c'est sur ca fait de l'ombre cepeandant l'image est assez bien exposee pour que tout soit parfaitement lisible.
Amities
Luan

japiey (9521) 2007-04-30 19:29

Hi Stef.
Beautifully framed...
With great and warm lights...
Full of life...
....
congrats for this image...

jean paul