De Terp in Leidschenveen: a white landmark on a green hill
De Terp in Leidschenveen looks like a small chapel on a grassy hill. In fact, it is an artwork designed by Laurens Kolks and erected in 2009, close to my home in…
THE JOURNAL / CATEGORY
Holland
27 photo stories
Meijendel Beach: a winter walk at sunset
Meijendel is a nature reserve I return to for its combination of woodland, dunes and beach. On this February visit, I explored the area with my five-year-old…
Mastbos in autumn: mushrooms and Bouvigne Castle
An autumn walk through the Mastbos near Breda became a study of mushrooms rather than the wider forest. The seasonal colours had not quite peaked, and forestry…
Dragonflies in the woodland and ponds of Oisterwijk
On the way home from a weekend in Eindhoven, we stopped to walk through the woods around Oisterwijk. Trees and small ponds made a peaceful setting for an…
The Dobbe in Zoetermeer: reflections at sunset
While preparing for an InstaWalk in Zoetermeer, I visited the Dobbe near the market square and city hall. This familiar city-centre lake offered more…
Amsterdam at night: canal bridges and the Damrak
I travelled to Amsterdam to photograph its canals around sunset and after dark. Although the city is close to home, I had rarely given myself time to explore its…
Maasvlakte Rotterdam: industrial photography in cold light
The Lyondell chemical plant on Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte had been on my photography list for some time. Its pipes and towers offered a dense industrial composition…
Winter in Oosterheem and the Bentwoud, Zoetermeer
A cold spell brought partly frozen water and clear winter light to Oosterheem in Zoetermeer. I photographed the canal around sunset and blue hour, using the ice…
Zoetermeer’s water tower: a return in clear weather
I returned to Zoetermeer’s water tower after photographing it on a rainy day in 2015. This time, clear skies and a Sony A7R II with a Zeiss 16–35 mm lens gave…
Autumn in the Kaapse Bossen: woodland light and colour
A long walk through the Kaapse Bossen in Utrecht became a study of autumn colour, tree trunks and light filtering through the canopy. The weather was good, and…
Texel’s lighthouse: coastal photography between rain showers
Texel’s red lighthouse was a highlight of a weekend on the island. Standing above the dunes, it offered a distinctive subject where the North Sea and Wadden…
Zaanse Schans at dusk: Dutch houses, bridges and windmills
We arrived at the Zaanse Schans in the afternoon to scout locations for an evening photography session. The windmills, traditional wooden houses and waterways…
Eendrachtsmolen and the Rottemeren: a Dutch waterside walk
The Rottemeren are close to my home, but reaching the Eendrachtsmolen took a longer walk than we expected. From where we parked, the windmill stood on the far…
A quiet view of the Noord-AA: long exposures at Sweet Lake
I went to the Noord-AA near Zoetermeer hoping for a quiet waterside composition. My usual spot was occupied, the wind was strong and the warm weather had brought…
Vlietlanden: long-exposure reflections near Voorschoten
I chose the Vlietlanden near Voorschoten for an evening of long-exposure photography. The Noord-AA was too crowded, so I looked a little further from home for a…
Zierikzee and Zeeland: historic streets and coastal landmarks
A weekend in Zeeland took me through the historic streets of Zierikzee and out towards the surrounding waters. The town’s old buildings offered a rich contrast…
Meijendel in winter: dunes in the last light
My second visit to Meijendel took place in early December. With bare trees, cold air and an early sunset, the nature reserve looked very different from the…
A misty morning at the Rottemeren
I rarely head out for photography early in the morning, but made an exception for a misty visit to the Rottemeren. The lakes are only a short drive from home,…
Meijendel near The Hague: woodland, dunes and open sea
Meijendel brings woodland, dunes and beach together close to The Hague. On this visit, the variety of the landscape kept offering new subjects within a single walk.
Kinderdijk: photographing the Dutch windmills
The windmills at Kinderdijk are close enough to home for a short photography trip. I went to explore the familiar Dutch landscape and find my own compositions…
Den Bosch after dark: squares and waterside reflections
A relaxed visit to Den Bosch gave me time to explore the city and make a few photographs along the way. I had no elaborate plan, just a camera and time to look…
Meerpolder near Zoetermeer: fields, water and SnowWorld
The Meerpolder near Zoetermeer took me a while to appreciate as a photography location. Its open agricultural landscape sits beside the much larger outline of…
Dordrecht and the Biesbosch: a city walk and a boat trip
A visit to Dordrecht brought together two very different settings: the historic city centre and harbour, followed by the waterways of the Biesbosch.
Scheveningen Pier: black-and-white studies during restoration
I photographed Scheveningen Pier while restoration work was underway in 2016. The familiar seaside structure was in a period of change after years of neglect.
Haarlem and the Spaarne: golden-hour reflections
A weekend in Haarlem gave me time to photograph the old town and the River Spaarne. The Gravestenenbrug was one of the first subjects I explored.
Katwijk aan Zee: Christmas sunset on the beach
A Christmas visit to Katwijk aan Zee brought strong winds and a colourful sunset. The open beach offered plenty of room to work with the light and the movement…
The windmills at Zevenhuizen in changing weather
I cycled from Zoetermeer to the windmills near Zevenhuizen on two separate occasions. One visit brought sunshine; the other came with a cloudy sky.