Den Bosch Sint-Jan

A cathedral that demands your lens

The Sint-Janskathedraal in 's-Hertogenbosch is one of the most richly decorated Gothic churches in the Netherlands. If you stand in front of it for the first time, you barely know where to start. Flying buttresses, pinnacles, hundreds of statues, and the famous buttress figures: a human-like procession of stone creatures that serve as supporting pillars. Every centimetre of the exterior has something to say.

Light and season

The cathedral is photogenic all year round, but the low winter sun does remarkable things to the stone. Early in the morning, just after sunrise, warm light falls on the south facade. That is the side with the most sculptures. In summer you can keep shooting late into the evening: the golden hour lasts a long time and the cathedral takes on a beautiful orange tone. Overcast conditions also work well for detail shots, the light is even and you lose no shadow detail in the hollows and grooves of the figures.

Compositions and focal lengths

Wide and close works surprisingly well here. With 24mm or shorter you can frame the west facade from nearby and let the vertical lines converge strongly, which emphasises the height of the towers. The buttress figures, though, call for a longer focal length. With 70mm to 200mm you can isolate them against the sky or the stone background. Watch the background when you aim upwards: make sure there is a little sky or clean stone behind your subject, not a tangle of other elements.

The Parade square on the west side gives you room for a full overview. The Kerkhof on the north side is narrower but quieter, and offers a different angle on the apse and the flying buttresses.

Practical

The cathedral stands in the middle of the city centre. Your best option for parking is one of the car parks on the edge of the centre, the nearest is the Parade garage. The church itself is open daily, but check opening times and any services in advance. Photography inside is permitted, though there are restrictions during services. A tripod is not always welcome inside, outside you have more freedom. For aerial photography, standard Dutch regulations apply, and the centre of Den Bosch is a no-fly zone.

Sources and further reading

• Officiële website Sint-Janskathedraal
• Gemeente 's-Hertogenbosch, bezoekersinfo
• Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, monumentenregister