TLR Challenge: 4 – Brussels

We travelled to Europe in late Autumn 2024 spending most of the time in Brussels. This mixed collection of photographs was taken on the Rolleiflex GX using Fomapan 100 B&W film stock unless stated otherwise and developed in Bergger PMK Pyro scanned on my ancient Epson flatbed scanner. Weather was generally the worst for outdoor B&W photography – dull, flat lighting – so the images chosen tend to be from the few good days.

The featured image was taken in the 200 hectare grounds of the “AfricaMuseum” just outside Brussels, reached on the 44 tram (well worth the ride alone) which passes through extensive woodlands on the way to the museum. The museum has a dark past, building financed by profits from colonial barbarism in the Congo with the 100 metre long main building featuring many artifacts from that era. We were there on Nov 11th and an 11km charity race was taking place that day in addition to the local walkers and tourists in the grounds.

The image below was taken in the Parc du Cinquantenaire; established in 1880 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Belgian revolution leading to the establishment of Belgium as an independent country. The building on the right houses the military museum, on the opposite wing is an automotive museum and further along art museums. The park and surrounds are regularly frequented by joggers and walkers.

Moving to the city centre…

The botanical gardens (established 1829) has lost ground to city development and is now between two major thoroughfares and over the main train line but nevertheless the western end by the pond offers some respite from the city noise together with interesting views of some of the modern architecture.

But the dull weather occasionally forced some projects out of desperation – one was photographing bricks …

… and narrow streets

This is just outside the front door to the block of flats where I live in Brussels. Ignore the circle in the middle (it’s not there) – more about this in a later post.

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