What to Photograph in the Netherlands: Delft’s Christmas Tree
Bundle up warm, grab your camera and head on over to Delft on December 11th. The Delft Christmas tree in the square will be lit at 19:00, but don’t assume the photography opportunities stop there.
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What to Photograph in the Netherlands: Thorn
Photo Courtesy of Holland.com
The village of Thorn dates back to the late 10th century. In 1794, with the arrival of the French, the aristocrats fled the village leaving their large houses to be occupied by the poorer residents.
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What to Photograph in the Netherlands: Zomercarnaval
Grab your dancing shoes, mark your calendars and charge your camera batteries because Summer Carnival in Rotterdam is less than one month away.
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What to Photograph in the Netherlands: Euromast
It doesn’t take long to figure out that Rotterdam is a pretty spectacular place when it comes to architecture. But what is the best way to view all those unusually shaped buildings?
One of the best options for some skyline shots that do the city justice is from the top of the Euromast. Constructed between 1958 and 1960, the tower was designed by Hugh Maaskant and was specially built for the 1960 Floriade event. It has been a listed monument since 2010.
What to Photograph in the Netherlands: Dolfinarium
Located in the province of Gelderland, is the Dutch version of Seaworld, albeit on a smaller scale.
Even if you are not a water-loving person, the photographing opportunities are abundant at the Dolfinarium.
Whether you want to sit back and relax at the walrus show or step it up a level to practise your low-light, fast moving photography at the dolphin show, there is something for every photographer. Not to mention that you can always take advantage of the non-show animals, including harbour porpoises, rays, sharks and well, the humans of course!
What to Photograph in the Netherlands: Keukenhof
You may have noticed during your time in the Netherlands that the Dutch are a bit crazy when it comes to flowers. They are plentiful, cheap and come in loads of different varieties. You may have also heard about a very popular place called, Keukenhof.
Keukenhof is the place where seven million flower bulbs are planted by hand each year, 4.5 million of which are tulips in over 100 varieties. And as you can imagine, when all those bulbs burst to life, it is one very colourful place to be.
Tourists flock from far and wide to visit the garden of colour, which has a different theme each year. Keukenhof is only open for two months during the year, and you are in luck because it just opened its doors yesterday (March 22nd 2012). So now is the perfect time to charge your camera battery, format your memory cards (once you have backed-up any photos that are currently on them!) and plan a visit.
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What to Photograph in the Netherlands: Kinderdijk
Kinderdijk
Kinderdijk is very likely one of the most photographed places in the Netherlands. The wide canals and the abundance of windmills is unique in the world and in the Netherlands.
The function of the windmills was to pump the water out of the polder “Alblasserwaard” and into the river “De Lek”. Nowadays, this is done with a few diesel engines which you will pass when walking to the windmills.
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What to Photograph in the Netherlands: Gemeentemuseum
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
If you like architecture and are looking for a striking building to photograph in The Hague, why not head over to the Gemeentemuseum. The Gemeentemuseum was the last piece of work to be carried out by H.P. Berlage, one of the Netherland’s first modern architects. The low brick building overlooks a rectangular ornamental pond. The building is made primarily out of brick, a material that Berlage felt added visual strength and mass to the walls.
Location: Stadhouderslaan 41, 2517 HV, Den Haag
Website: www.gemeentemuseum.nl
What to Photograph in the Netherlands: Cube Houses
If you are looking for an opportunity to stretch your creativity and practise getting shots of lines, angles and unusual perspectives then you would do well to head on over to the Cube Houses (Kubus Woning) in Rotterdam.
In the early 1980s the city of Rotterdam asked the architect Piet Blom to design housing for a space located on top of a pedestrian bridge. He decided to go with a design familiar to him, the cube. His houses are perched on one corner on top of a hexagon-shaped pole structure with windows that angle skywards and others that angle down towards the street. The concept behind the cube houses is that each cube represents an abstract tree, turning the whole village (51 cubes) into a forest.
Location and Access: The Cube Houses are located at Overblaak 70, 3011 MH, Rotterdam and there is one cube open to the public.
Website: www.kubuswoning.nl