Flat city, enormous sky

Amsterdam has no hills. What it has instead is water on three sides, a canal grid in concentric semicircles, and a sky that dominates because nothing blocks it. North-facing canals catch reflected blue sky all day. Brouwersgracht, where the Prinsengracht meets the Jordaan, is the most-photographed canal in the city — facing northwest in the morning, light comes over the rooftops from the right side. Flat, overcast morning light works better here than hard sun, which produces harsh shadows between the canal houses. Golden hour at 52°N runs close to 60 minutes in summer — longer than any Mediterranean city. Keukenhof, 35 kilometers southwest, is a serious photography destination from mid-March through mid-May. The Amstel River south of the center, particularly around the Magere Brug, gives bridge reflections rarely captured in most city guides.