Street Photography in Hamburg

The Landungsbrücken are Hamburg's floating harbour piers, where commuters and visitors board the ferries. Next to them, the Alter Elbtunnel from 1911 runs under the river, lined with tiles. Aniol Visuals suggests walking a few minutes into the tunnel until the tourists thin out, then shooting the long symmetrical tube with one figure in it. Check behind you for cyclists before you stop. Up top, ride the public Ferry 62 at sunset, as Chasing Hippoz recommends, for passengers against the cranes.

The Fischmarkt runs on the Altona waterfront every Sunday morning, from 5am to 9:30am between April and October and from 7am in winter, according to Hamburg Tourism. Chasing Hippoz describes loud vendors and full chaos, and recommends arriving before 8am. The best characters are the market criers and the night owls who come straight from the Reeperbahn. Low winter light from the east lights the stalls. Keep your wallet close in the crush.

The Reeperbahn is Hamburg's nightlife and red light district. Chasing Hippoz calls it the strongest street photography location in the city after dark, with neon signs and real street character. Use a fast 35mm or 50mm and let the neon light faces. Be careful here: some doormen and sex workers do not want to be photographed, and Herbertstraße, a gated side street, is no place for a camera. Work wide on the main street and don't point a lens into doorways.

The Schanzenviertel is the city's alternative quarter. Chasing Hippoz says it is dense with murals and paste-ups, and advises walking without a destination and checking courtyards and doorways. Schulterblatt is its main street, lined with cafés whose pavement tables fill on sunny afternoons. Put a passer-by in front of a painted wall rather than shooting the art flat. Late afternoon is the liveliest time, when people come out of work and the bars start to fill. Ask before close portraits.

The Speicherstadt is a district of red brick warehouses on canals. The famous view is from the bridge towards the Wasserschloss, where the canal splits around a turreted building. Aniol Visuals warns that it is full of people taking the same photo, day and night. For street work, turn that into the subject: photographers lined up on the bridge. Foggy spring mornings and blue hour are the moods to wait for. The cobbled bridges get slippery in rain.

The Plaza is a free public viewing platform halfway up the Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Aniol Visuals rates it for people-watching, from the long curved escalator to the terrace, and calls it the best sunset spot in Hamburg. Shoot figures against the glass and the harbour behind. It may close when the wind is too strong. Entry needs a Plaza ticket, and they can run out on busy days.

HafenCity Universität station has rows of light boxes over the platform that change colour. Aniol Visuals calls it the most photographed metro station in Hamburg and his favourite, because the changing light keeps giving you new frames. Wait for a lone passenger on the platform and shoot them as a silhouette against the colour. It is quieter outside rush hour. Stay behind the platform edge line and keep flash off.

Jungfernstieg is the promenade along the Binnenalster lake in the centre, with the Alster steamers docking below and the Rathaus a short walk away. Its U-Bahn station is very busy, and Aniol Visuals likes its yellow platform dividers, which look like windows. Above ground, shoppers and office workers stream past the lake at lunch. Use the water as a clean background for walkers along the edge. The Christmas markets around the Rathaus fill the area in December.