12 hours in Amsterdam with my smartphone camera

If you had 12 hours in Amsterdam and you wanted to capture some snaps that told the story of the city, what would you take? Earlier this month, I took a trip to Amsterdam to do just that. But rather than lugging around a DSLR and lenses, I only took my smartphone camera. Here’s what I found.

Waterways

Amsterdam is home to over 65 miles of canals, as is befitting to its low-lying altitude. These ancient waterways connect the city and its streets and, like Venice, are synonymous with the city’s story. They are also incredibly diverse and while you may think of the iconic Brouwersgracht (Brewers' Canal) with its tree lined streets, the waterways as a whole are much more. Home to wildlife, house boats and detritus too. But, no matter the spot, they add a distinctive atmosphere to the Amsterdam cityscape.

Street Art

The city is home to a lot of street art and graffiti, from the scrawled tag to the mural. Possibly the best location to see, and even meet, the local artists and their vibrant work is at the STRATT Museum. Here, you can experience a diverse collection of pieces from huge canvases to experimental graffiti.

Iconic architecture

The tall stacked town houses lining the city centre are iconic to Amsterdam. But the city has a modern side too. From minimalist geometry to the crooked façade, there is always something fascinating to look up and see.

Everyday life

I have a passion for capturing the real and the everyday and I found plenty in Amsterdam. Bike chaos is a whole new art form here!

Anne Frank

Synonymous with the city for her years spent hiding from the Nazis during the Second World War, Anne Frank’s beautiful epitaph “let me be myself”, written in her diary in 1944, is remembered around Amsterdam.

Chairs

I love photographing abandoned chairs (there will be a book one day!), but in Amsterdam certain empty chairs have a particular meaning. The red light district of Amsterdam is known for its red lit windows where sex workers come out at night to advertise their services, closing the red curtains when they get a customer. This is one such window in the day time.

It’s incredible how an empty chair can still have so much presence, especially when you know the context.

Find out more about smartphone photography

Would you like to learn more about smartphone photography? Then why not join one of our group safaris? You can find out all about them, and book, here.