Antwerpen Het Zuid

A neighbourhood that isn't trying to be anything

Het Zuid is one of those districts in Antwerpen where everything simply works. Wide boulevards, imposing fin-de-siècle buildings, terraces that are occupied even on a weekday morning. Not a tourist backdrop, but a living neighbourhood. And that is exactly what street photography needs.

The Leopold De Waelplaats is the beating heart. Around the square stand the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen and the broad Fernand Scribedreef that leads into the district. Museum visitors, people on a terrace, courier cyclists, mothers with prams. The mix of activity is constant, but never chaotic.

Light and composition

The boulevards of Het Zuid run mostly east to west, which means you get beautiful side light in the morning from the narrower streets. In the late afternoon the light shifts and falls warm and at an angle on the facades along the Vlaamsekaai and the Waalsekaai. With a longer focal length, 85mm or a little above, you can isolate people from the crowd without them noticing you. A lighter 35mm also works well if you want to get closer.

The architecture offers strong vertical lines. Look up. The doorways, the wrought-iron balconies, the facades with bas-reliefs. Combine that with someone walking through the frame and you already have a photograph.

Season and crowds

You can photograph Het Zuid throughout the entire year. In winter the neighbourhood is quieter, but also sharper in atmosphere. Rain on the cobblestones along the quay gives you fine reflections. In summer the terraces come fully to life and there is more movement on the street. The Friday market on the Franklin Rooseveltplaats, nearby, draws a crowd every week and is a bonus if you are already in the area.

Parking along the quays is possible, but limited. From the centre it is a twenty-minute walk, or you can take tram 4 or 8 heading south. You do not need a permit for street photography here; ordinary rights in public space apply.

Practical

Put Het Zuid on your list if you are in Antwerpen and want more than the Grote Markt. The combination of architecture, human life and good light on the quays makes this one of the better street photography locations in Belgium.

Sources and further reading

• Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen
• Stad Antwerpen, districten en wijken
• Wikipedia: Het Zuid (Antwerpen)