Knowing how to use your camera, composing your shots, and picking the right moment already sets you a long way along the road to great street photography. But of course, where will you go to make that fantastic shot?
Whether you are looking for the best photo spots in Brussels, exploring street photography in Rotterdam, or wandering through my hometown of Antwerp, finding the right setting is crucial. Let’s look into how to find the best locations for street photography that perfectly match your style.
What makes a good street photography spot?
First, what makes a good spot to do street photography? The answer is somewhat personal and depends heavily on your photography style.
- Are you a people watcher? Then a place with a crowd, like a busy market, is best.
- Are you into architecture? Then, the main focus is on finding interesting urban photography spots with dramatic buildings and harsh shadows.
A good photo spot has everything you enjoy photographing and might differ from one photographer to the next.
Define what you want to photograph
If you are looking for unique photo spots in urban environments, you need to define your goals. Are you looking for groups of people? Then, going to a bustling area is better (high street photography always offers an endless stream of subjects). Looking for textures in ripped posters? Find out where the posterboards are in your city.
If you find yourself thinking, “I just want to find great photography locations near me,” start by looking at your immediate local environment. Sometimes the best spots are just a short walk down your own street. You don’t always need to travel far to find a compelling scene.
How to find the best spots using Google Maps
Google Maps is arguably the most powerful tool for scouting urban photography spots before you even leave your house. If you want to know how to use Google Maps for street photography, here is how I approach it:
- Use Street View for virtual scouting: Drop the little yellow pegman onto the map to walk the streets virtually. This helps you check sightlines, see how busy a street typically is, and find interesting architectural backgrounds without wasting train fare.
- Pin and categorize your finds: You can create custom location collections by pinning places you’ve virtually visited to a specific folder (e.g., “Rotterdam Street Photography” or “Brussels Photo Spots”). I use this method for interesting places all over the world. You never know when you’ll be near them.
You can also look into third-party map overlays like PhotoSpots, which creates a heatmap of where photographers are taking the most pictures based on uploaded data, helping you quickly identify popular areas.
How to find a location from a photo
Have you ever seen a stunning street scene on Instagram or Flickr and wondered, “How can I find a location from a picture?” Reverse-engineering a spot is a great way to discover new areas in your city.
- Look for background clues: Zoom in on the photo. Are there street signs, distinct store logos, or unique architectural landmarks? A quick search of a local store name combined with the city can pinpoint the exact street corner.
- Use Google Lens: Right-click the image on your desktop (or use the app on your phone) and run it through Google Lens. It frequently identifies the exact urban locations and monuments visible in the frame.
- Try AI geolocation tools: If there are no obvious clues or metadata, emerging tools like GeoSpy AI can analyze the visual elements of a photo, like terrain, architectural styles, and road patterns, to estimate or pinpoint the location.
Just roam around your local urban environment
Depending on the type of street photography you do, simply roaming around is often the best way to find a spot. I do most of my photography in my hometown of Antwerp by wandering and following my intuition.
This can take you to undiscovered urban photography spots and set you up for that unique moment and shot no one else has taken. Let the noise of the traffic and the crowds become a background hum while you focus entirely on the visual world in front of you.
Revisit the places you know
Repeating a spot can be very interesting, whether you’ve researched the place or found it by coincidence while roaming around. It gives you more and more knowledge of the place.
- When does the light fall in just right?
- What season works best for it?
- What time of day works best for traffic?
Revisiting a place repeatedly forces you to keep thinking about new ways to photograph it, pushing you more and more into original compositions. You could also create a series, such as a triptych of the same composition taken during golden hour, midday, and blue hour.
Look up events happening in the city
Knowing where and when large groups meet can be helpful if you like photographing people and moments. Most cities have a calendar with important events on their websites. An overview of markets, marathons, sporting events, protests, and cultural festivals can be incredibly helpful for keeping an eye on them.
Meet with other photographers
Have a conversation with other street photographers. Go for a coffee. I’ve been on coffee dates with other photographers a lot, just talking about the city we’re in and photography in general. Make contact and talk about photography; good photo spots are bound to be mentioned. You can tell them you’re visiting their city and ask where they recommend you go.
If you are too shy to meet or contact other photographers for now, listen to my conversations with them instead on my podcast, Slices of Time.
