Street Photography in Stuttgart

Königstraße runs from the main station through the centre, and One Million Places describes it as the longest continuous car-free shopping street in Europe, at 1.2 km. It is Stuttgart's busiest pedestrian space, with shoppers and buskers from morning until the shops close. Saturday afternoon is the peak. The long straight line is ideal for a short telephoto: stand near the middle and compress the crowd walking toward you. For single figures, look for side light at the cross streets, where sun cuts in between the buildings. Keep moving, since standing still with a camera in a crowd draws attention.

Schlossplatz is the grand square in front of the New Palace, halfway along Königstraße. The Swiss Photo Club notes it was once a military parade ground and now hosts events all year, and suggests the gardens in summer and ice skaters or Christmas lights in winter. On warm days, people lie on the lawns and sit around the fountains, which gives you relaxed scenes with the palace behind. Shoot from the steps of the Königsbau colonnade on the west side for a raised angle. Big events bring crowds, and crowd scenes are easier under German image law. Evenings are good for silhouettes against the lit palace.

The Stuttgart Markthalle is an Art Nouveau hall from 1914 with a glass roof, a few minutes from Schlossplatz. One Million Places describes stalls of regional and international produce, fish, poultry and sausages, and it is where locals come to shop and to eat lunch. It opens Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 6:30pm and Saturday from 7am to 5pm, according to the market. Saturday morning is busiest. The glass roof gives soft, even light, so stand on the edge of an aisle and wait for shoppers to lean in over the counters. Ask traders before close portraits.

The Bohnenviertel, the bean quarter, is one of the few surviving pieces of old Stuttgart, just southeast of the centre. One Million Places notes it was home to craftsmen and winegrowers in the 15th century. Today its lanes hold galleries and small shops, with wine taverns where locals sit outside on warm evenings. It is much quieter than Königstraße, which makes it good for slower frames: a shopkeeper in a doorway, or a figure passing an old facade. Late afternoon light reaches into the lanes. Keep it discreet, since this is a residential area and people notice cameras.

The city library at Mailänder Platz is one of the most popular photo motifs in Stuttgart, according to One Million Places. The white cube outside is plain, but the reading hall inside, from the fourth to eighth floors, is a bright gallery of white shelves and stairs. For street photography, people become small shapes in a clean, geometric space: a reader on the stairs, or a figure framed by shelves. It is a working library, so be quiet, keep people unidentifiable or ask, and follow any staff instructions on photography. Weekday afternoons are calmer. It is a short walk from the main station.

The Feuersee is a small lake in Stuttgart-West with the neo-Gothic Johanneskirche on a peninsula in the water. The church lost its spire in the war and was rebuilt without it, which gives it an odd, recognisable shape. A local photographer quoted by the Swiss Photo Club says it is a place to spend a lunch break or evening, and recommends mornings when it is less crowded, or night, when the church reflects in the water. Frame people on the lakeside benches against the church. On calm evenings, use the reflection and wait for a walker to cross the path. The S-Bahn stop of the same name is right beside it.

The Hall of Fame in Bad Cannstatt is a wall where, as a local photographer tells the Swiss Photo Club, anyone can legally spray graffiti. Writers come to practise or work on big pieces with friends, and the club calls it a great spot for street and urban photography. The walls change constantly, so every visit is different. Weekends are the best bet for finding writers at work. Ask before photographing someone painting, since many writers don't want their faces shown. Hands and spray cans are often a better picture anyway. Bad Cannstatt is also home to the Wasen, where the Volksfest takes place.

Stuttgart sits in a valley basin, and its hillsides are laced with public stairways. The Eugenstaffel, one of the finest, climbs 175 steps from Urbanstraße to Eugensplatz and the Galatea fountain, according to One Million Places. For street photography, stairs give you strong diagonals and a natural stage: shoot from the top down onto someone climbing, or from below with a figure silhouetted against the sky. Late afternoon light comes across the hillside. The view from Eugensplatz looks out over the city. It is a local route, used by residents and runners rather than tourists.