Brussel EU-wijk

Glass, steel and symmetry

The EU quarter around Schuman square in Brussels is one of the most distinctive architectural photography locations in Belgium. The Berlaymont building with its characteristic X-shape, the Justus Lipsius and the Europa building with its lantern-shaped dome give you plenty to work with as a photographer. Not the kind of material you stumble across by accident, but considered concrete, glass and steel that calls for an equally considered approach.

What makes this district particularly interesting for architectural photography is the combination of scale and reflection. The facades are largely clad in mirrored glass, which bounces back clouds, neighbouring buildings and even your own silhouette. With a telephoto lens, think 70 to 135mm on a full-frame camera, you can isolate those reflections and build abstract planes that are barely recognisable as a building at all.

Blue hour works best

The blue hour, just before sunrise or just after sunset, is at its finest here. The lit windows and facades glow warm while the sky stays deep blue. That contrast gives the images an atmosphere that simply does not exist during the day. Come in winter, when the blue hour falls just before or after working hours, and you will have fewer cars and people walking into your composition.

During the day the light is hard and high, which greatly reduces long shadows on the facade. That is not necessarily a problem for abstract work: flat, diffuse cloud cover actually makes the textures and lines of the facades sharper and clearer, without the distraction of strong contrasts.

Practical

Schuman square is easy to reach by metro, station Schuman on lines 1 and 5. Parking nearby is limited and expensive. Come by public transport and save yourself a lot of hassle. Photography on the public road and the square itself is freely accessible. For shoots on the grounds of the institutions you need permission. Security is visibly present, but a photographer with a tripod on the pavement generally attracts little attention. Do be aware of the security perimeters that are in place directly around the buildings, as these are not always clearly marked.

A wide-angle lens for the full facade planes and a telephoto for abstract details together make a solid starting point. Bring your tripod for the blue hour, the light levels are low enough to work at ISO 100 with a shutter speed of several seconds.

Sources and further reading

• Europese Commissie, bezoek aan de EU-instellingen
• Brussel Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, toerisme
• Wikipedia: Berlaymont-gebouw