Top 5 European Cities to Photograph
Over the years, travelling with a camera has made me appreciate cities in a slightly different way. There's always something to notice, the way light falls between buildings, a musician playing on a street corner, people going about their everyday lives or a quiet side street that catches your eye.
For Roam The World Club, photography is about capturing those moments and the feeling of a place, rather than simply ticking off the famous landmarks.
With so many incredible cities across Europe, these are five of my favourite cities to photograph. Each has its own character and offers something completely different behind the lens.
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague is one of those cities where it feels like there is a photograph waiting around every corner. If you love architecture, particularly Gothic architecture, it is difficult not to be impressed by the city.
The skyline is dominated by dramatic spires, towers and dark Gothic buildings, creating a striking atmosphere that feels almost timeless. One of the best examples is St. Vitus Cathedral, within Prague Castle. Its huge Gothic structure and intricate stonework create an impressive contrast against the city stretching out below.
Looking across Prague from the castle, you can see another side of the city's architecture. The darker, imposing Gothic buildings contrast with the warmer earth tones of the buildings in areas such as the Jewish Quarter, where muted yellows, creams and terracotta shades line the streets.
That contrast is one of the things that makes Prague so interesting to photograph. One moment you're surrounded by dark stone, dramatic spires and elaborate Gothic detail, and the next you're walking through a much softer palette of warm-coloured buildings and quieter streets.
But, as with many cities, some of the most interesting photographs can come from moving away from the obvious sights.
The smaller streets around the Old Town and Malá Strana are full of interesting doorways, windows, architectural details and hidden corners. Looking upwards is particularly worthwhile in Prague, you never know what you'll find above street level.
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest is a city that photographs beautifully from almost every angle.
The Danube divides Buda and Pest, creating plenty of opportunities for wide city views, while the streets themselves offer something completely different. Grand buildings, ornate facades and wide boulevards sit alongside colourful details, quirky corners and everyday street scenes.
The Hungarian Parliament Building is an obvious place to start, particularly when viewed from across the Danube. The city's bridges also provide some fantastic viewpoints, especially as the sun starts to disappear and Budapest begins to light up.
But Budapest has plenty of smaller details to discover too.
One of my favourite things about exploring the city is hunting for its tiny miniature statues. Scattered around Budapest, these little sculptures can be surprisingly easy to miss, which makes finding them feel like a treasure hunt as you explore different parts of the city.
They add a playful element to wandering around Budapest. Rather than simply following a list of major attractions, you can find yourself keeping an eye out for a tiny figure tucked away on a wall, railing or riverside spot.
There are also places where photography takes on a much more poignant meaning.
Along the Danube, the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial consists of iron shoes representing the people who were killed here during the Holocaust. The memorial commemorates Jews who were ordered to remove their shoes before being shot at the riverbank, with their bodies falling into the Danube.
It is a powerful and sobering place, and one that stands in stark contrast to some of Budapest's more playful photographic discoveries. The shoes are deliberately simple, but that simplicity makes the memorial particularly striking.
And Budapest at night is another story altogether.
The buildings and bridges illuminated along the Danube create some fantastic opportunities for photography, particularly if you enjoy capturing cities after dark.
Paris, France
In Paris you could probably spend weeks walking around with your camera and still find something new to photograph.
Of course, there are the famous landmarks. The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sacré-Cœur and the Seine are all instantly recognisable and for good reason.
But for me, Paris is just as interesting away from the big sights.
The cafes, balconies, traditional shopfronts, grand boulevards and little side streets all provide opportunities for photographs that feel distinctly Parisian.
Montmartre is a natural favourite for photographers, with its steep streets, artists, cafes and views across the city. But it's worth resisting the temptation to only photograph the places you've seen a hundred times before.
Paris is particularly good for people photography. Someone sitting outside a cafe, a cyclist disappearing around a corner or a person busking on a busy street.
And then there is the light.
Paris can look completely different depending on the weather and time of day. Overcast skies can give the city a softer, more atmospheric feel, while sunshine creates strong shadows across the streets.
London, England
And then there's London, a home city like no other. Maybe I'm bias, but I think it well deserves it's place on this list.
Even if you've visited countless times, taking a camera somewhere new can make familiar surroundings feel completely different. London is a photographer's playground because of its contrast.
Historic buildings sit beside modern skyscrapers. Traditional pubs sit alongside independent coffee shops. Red buses pass glass office buildings, while quiet residential streets can be found just minutes from some of the busiest parts of the city.
It's also a fantastic city for people photography. Musicians, street performers, commuters, tourists and characters from all walks of life provide endless opportunities for candid photographs. Sometimes you don't need an iconic London landmark in the frame at all, the people and atmosphere can tell the story of the city.
Some of my favourite London photographs have come from simply wandering around without a particular shot in mind.
Soho, London Bridge, South Bank and the surrounding streets all offer something different, but that's really the beauty of London. You never quite know what you'll find.
London is particularly suited to the urban, documentary style of photography that sits at the heart of Roam The World Club. Black and white photography can emphasise the city's architecture, movement and textures, while colour photographs can capture some of the energy and character of its streets.
Porto, Portugal
A Portuguese city needed to make the list. Having been to both Lisbon and Porto, I completely understand why Lisbon would be the choice for many people, but I really enjoyed photographing the streets and sights of Porto.
There is something about the streets of Porto that makes you want to keep your camera out. The city is packed with colourful buildings, tiled facades, narrow streets and steep hills, with the Douro River providing a completely different perspective from the historic centre.
The Ribeira is an obvious photography hotspot, with its colourful buildings stretching along the waterfront.
The famous blue and white azulejo tiles are another reason to keep your camera ready. They appear throughout the city, on churches and railway stations or on residential buildings, adding flashes of colour and pattern to the streets.
For a different perspective, crossing the Dom Luís I Bridge towards Vila Nova de Gaia gives you one of the city's most recognisable views. Looking back across the Douro towards Porto is particularly beautiful around sunset, when the warm light catches the buildings along the river.
Photographing a City Is About More Than the Landmarks
One thing all five of these cities have taught me is that you don't necessarily need to search for the perfect photograph.
Sometimes it's better to just wander.
Take the camera, leave the itinerary for a while and see where the streets take you. Look beyond the obvious sights. Notice the people, textures, signs, buildings and little details that make a place feel like itself.
A famous landmark might make a great photograph, but it's often the smaller moments that bring back the strongest memories of a trip.
A musician playing on a street corner. A cafe tucked away down a side street. Someone cycling past an old building. A colourful doorway. The light hitting a wall at just the right moment.
Those are the photographs that can make you feel like you're back there again. And perhaps that's what travel photography is really about, capturing not just where you've been, but how a place felt when you were there.
Want to Add Photography from These Cities to Your Home?
Photography from Europe is available as digital downloads through the Roam The World Club Etsy shop.
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