By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Man in a black T-shirt smiling from the driver's seat of his car, one arm on the open window, during his photoshoot in Haarlem

Andriy came to me with one clear wish: a photoshoot with his car as the final scene. Before that, he wanted the Haarlem he knows, from the Spaarne to the side streets where he parks.

He moved here from Ukraine a few years ago, and this was his first real portrait session. Like most of my photoshoots in Haarlem, it stayed within walking distance, so we spent the time on photos instead of travel.

Where
The Spaarne and the side streets of Haarlem
When
May, late morning to early afternoon
Session
Portrait Photoshoot
Light
Soft spring daylight, with sun in the side streets

A Photoshoot That Began by the Spaarne

We started just after eleven on the bank of the Spaarne, facing a row of new houses with tall, pointed gables. In a navy shirt and light chinos, Andriy looked a little stiff in the first frames. So I asked him to walk, and then to sit on a low wall by the moored boats. His smile arrived on its own.

Man in a navy shirt and light chinos standing by the Spaarne in Haarlem, a row of new houses with pointed gables across the water
The Spaarne in Haarlem, 11:10
Smiling man in a navy shirt sitting on a low concrete wall by moored boats, a brick path and young trees behind him
Laughing man in a navy shirt seated by the water and looking to the side, green shrubs and a moored boat beside him

An Ivy Wall and a Sunny Terrace

Next, he changed into a plain white T-shirt. A wall covered in ivy gave us a deep green backdrop, close and simple. Then we sat down at a round table on a terrace, where the sun fell across his arms. I asked about his week and photographed while he talked, because people look most like themselves in the middle of a sentence.

Close portrait of a smiling man in a white T-shirt in front of a thick wall of green ivy in Haarlem
Man in a white T-shirt and beige chinos walking toward the camera in front of an ivy-covered wall and a red-brick building
Man in a white T-shirt leaning on a round white table on a sunny terrace, chin on his hands and his phone in front of him

Black on Cream in the Side Streets

His last change was all black: a ribbed T-shirt and dark trousers. Against the cream facades of a quiet street with old lanterns, that simple outfit stood out at once.

Man in black on a quiet street of cream facades during his photoshoot, with green doors, old lanterns and potted plants
A quiet street with old lanterns, 12:09
Man in a black T-shirt looking back over his shoulder on a quiet street of cream houses, an old lantern and plants behind him
Close portrait of a laughing man in a black ribbed T-shirt against a cream-colored facade in soft daylight

In a narrow lane full of plants and bicycles, I let him walk toward me again and again, since movement keeps a portrait relaxed. Then he stopped by a tall shrub, and I moved in close.

Man in a black T-shirt walking across a brick street in Haarlem, bicycles, plants and narrow houses behind him in the sun
Man in a black T-shirt in a narrow Haarlem lane, a tall green shrub beside him and bicycles by the white houses behind

Behind the Wheel of His Car

Finally, we walked to his car, parked in front of a red-brick building with a sharp gable. He leaned on the open door, grinned into the side mirror and sat on the edge of the open trunk. For this part of the photoshoot, the car simply joined the portraits, as naturally as the ivy and the lanterns had.

Man in black standing by the open door of his dark car, parked in front of a red-brick building with a sharp gable
His smiling face reflected in the side mirror of the car, red-brick buildings and green trees soft behind it
Man sitting on the edge of the open trunk of his car, a red tail light in front and a brick building with leaves behind him

For the last frame, I leaned in through the open passenger door. Andriy put his hands on the wheel, a red tassel swinging from the mirror, ready to drive off. A photoshoot with his car could not have ended any other way.

Profile of the man behind the wheel of his car, a red tassel swinging from the mirror, the last frame of his photoshoot
Ready to drive off, 12:49

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