I took my Fujifilm GFX 50R and GF32-64mm to Bruges last week. A beautiful medieval city full of interesting architecture. Gabled houses, gothic churches and canals all packed into a compact central district.
As I approached this historic gateway I angled the camera upwards to avoid the crowds that are ever-present in Bruges. The sun was shining and we were blessed with blue skies. The gold figures and white of the gateway contrasted nicely against the sky and the darker surrounding brickwork. In post I have added gradients on each side to bring out some of the detail on the side walls.
This is the famous Belfry tower in the central market square. At 272 feet in height, the Belfry can be seen clearly from all around the city. It was clearly visible from our hotel room which looked out over the rooftops. The last two images in this post, featuring the Belfry were taken from our room.
We were strolling along beside the canals on our first evening here and I shot into the light with the couple in front adding some interest to the scene.
Another monochrome image, this was also taken against the light as this cyclist approached. The cyclists were everywhere in this city and you needed to have your wits about you at all times. Although the Fujifilm GFX is a medium format ( well almost ), I still find I can get action shots with it quite comfortably. It would be nice to get my hands on the newer 50mm lens but I am still happy with the versatility of the 32-64mm.
We took a walk out to the outer reaches of the city which is bounded by canals. Only a twenty-minute walk from the centre and you can escape the crowds. Back in the sixteenth century there were actually twenty-three windmills here, now only four. I saw the guy walking by the mill and timed the shot for the best composition.
Not an image I would normally take, but I liked the colours in these leaves on the wall of a house opposite the mill.
For our last day in Bruges we again headed to a quieter spot in Astrid Park. A delightfully secluded park with plenty of seating around an impressive fountain. Not that we hadn't indulged in all of the touristy delights that Bruge has to offer. We sampled some great beer, ate a huge pot of mussels with fries, tried a waffle covered in chocolate and also had a warming jar of flavoured choclate in the Old Chocolate Shop (highly recommended!).
This was the view from the hotel window during sunrise. The large window was hinged in the middle so I discovered that if I opened it halfway and balanced the camera ( keeping a firm grip ) I could get athe reflection you can see in my final image.
