This photograph captures the Singel canal from a low perspective, placing the dark water in the immediate foreground. The composition is divided into horizontal layers, with the water at the bottom, the bridge and gabled houses across the middle, and a wide sky filling the top half. Trees on both sides act as a dark frame for the row of narrow brown, grey, and white buildings. The eye follows the line of the bridge across the center, where bicycles are parked along the railing.

The lighting creates a contrast between the darkening structures and the colorful sky. While the clouds show shades of purple, orange, and pink, the buildings are illuminated from within by yellow light in the windows. Below the bridge, small orange lights are strung in a curve, casting straight vertical lines of light onto the surface of the water. These reflections break up the dark tones of the canal, mirroring the shapes of the houses above.