As twilight draped the sky with a velvety blue, I waltzed into Antwerp’s Central Station, a place so stunning it could make the Sistine Chapel look like a fixer-upper. My mission was clear: to capture the heart and soul of what might be the world’s most photogenic train station. I was armed with my Canon R5 and a couple of lenses that could probably zoom into the future if physics allowed it—the RF70-200 L f2.8 & RF15-35 L f2.8.
The station, a cathedral of transport, was bustling with the energy of a thousand departures and arrivals. My RF70-200 L f2.8 lens was a telephoto titan, ready to squash distances with a twist. It eyed the architectural splendor like a hawk, snatching details from the lofty heights of the station’s ornate ceiling. Each click of the shutter was like a tickle, coaxing the building to spill its historical anecdotes.
As the sun clocked out for the day, the station’s interior lighting flickered on, casting a warm glow that whispered, “Welcome to the golden hour, folks.” Enter the RF15-35 L f2.8—a wide-angle wizard that gathered sprawling scenes with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store. This lens doesn’t just capture images; it throws a party for them and invites the whole scene.
The Canon R5, with its balletic balance between power and grace, pirouetted through settings, capturing the choreography of commuters with a finesse that would make a figure skater jealous. It froze fleeting smiles and the determined strides of the rush-hour hustle with the kind of dynamic range that could make a rainbow look monochromatic.
There I was, in the thick of it all, a lone photographer conducting an orchestra of pixels and light. I played with motion blur as trains zipped by—because who doesn’t love a bit of “vroom” in their pictures? The result? A locomotive in a hurry, a blur of purpose against the stoic, still station—a juxtaposition Jack Kerouac would write poems about.
Outside, as the night tightened its grip, the station transformed into a beacon of nostalgia, glowing against the modern city backdrop. My trusty RF15-35 lens, wide as the grin on a Cheshire cat, drank in the scene. I captured the clock tower standing tall, a timeless sentinel amidst the buzz of city life. And oh, the Ferris wheel nearby, spinning away, a neon-lit cycle of joy—I zoomed in on its cyclical saga, a whirring wheel of technicolor dreams.
Let’s not forget the grand finale shot—a train at rest, its graffiti-tagged side whispering tales of urban adventures and rogue artists. The RF70-200, with its knack for nosiness, brought the scribbles into such sharp relief that you could almost hear the spray cans hiss in the night.
As I packed up my gear, the station seemed to nod in approval, its clock tower winking a single golden ‘tick’ my way. With my camera bag feeling like a treasure chest, I stepped out into the night, the station’s majesty now neatly tucked into my collection of digital keepsakes.
And that, dear readers, was how I tangoed with light and shadow, danced with distance and detail, and left Antwerp Central with a cheeky wink and a memory card full of laughter.
Shot with Canon EOS R5 and RF70-200 L f2.8 & RF15-35 L f2.8 lenses (Check BBPhoto for the gear I’m using!).
All photos are taken by me. If you want to know more, head to beheydt.be/photography or shor.by/BjB for more info.
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