STORY | THE NETHERLANDS

Three Generations in the Dunes on a Summer Day

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Three generations of one family laughing together on the sand in the dunes, ten people in white, blue and denim before tall pines

Three generations in the dunes, ten people in white, blue and denim: that was the plan for this late summer day. The grandparents had wished for one photo with everyone together. So their three grown children came along, with two partners and three granddaughters.

Days like this belong to my photoshoots across the Netherlands: outside the cities, with room for everyone to move.

Three Generations Among the Pines

We gathered where the open sand meets the trees. Dunes form where the wind piles up loose sand, and here pines and birches have taken hold around it. With three generations in the dunes, I mapped out a short loop, so nobody had to walk far. I started with the whole family, because a big group relaxes once that frame is done. Then the three granddaughters squeezed in between their grandparents, and the youngest held on to her soft toy the whole time.

Grandmother and grandfather with three granddaughters by a birch tree, the youngest holding a soft toy, two generations smiling

After that, the grandparents stood with their three grown children under the birches, and everyone leaned in a little closer.

Grandparents with their three grown children under a crooked birch in the dunes, all smiling in white and soft blue — Under the birches, ten past twelve

Two by Two Under the Trees

Next, every couple and every parent had their own portraits. The grandparents went first. He laughed so hard at his own joke that she could not keep a straight face either. In black and white, that moment says it all.

Black and white portrait of a grandfather laughing with his arm around his wife in a lace blouse, birch trunks behind them

Under the pines, one of the daughters shared a kiss with her partner. Then they walked toward me along a sandy path, hand in hand.

Bearded man in a white shirt kissing his partner with long curly hair under the pines, her hand resting on his chest

Couple walking hand in hand along a sandy path between pines and green bushes, both smiling on a sunny late summer day

Her sister had brought her own daughter. An old oak with a low branch made a perfect seat, so the girl climbed up and got a kiss on the cheek.

Mother in light blue hugging her daughter from behind, cheeks close together, both smiling among the pines

Girl sitting on the low branch of an old oak while her mother kisses her cheek, sunlight falling through the green leaves

Sisters, Daughters and a Little Mischief

The son’s family came next. First, the four of them walked out onto the open sand, under a blue sky with big white clouds.

Family of four walking away across the open sand toward a dark line of pines, under a blue sky with big white clouds

Back among the pines, his eldest daughter rested a hand on her father’s shoulder, and they laughed at something only the two of them understood. Her little sister, meanwhile, had a game of her own: who is taller?

Teenage girl resting a hand on her father's shoulder as they laugh at each other among the pines, both in white tops

Teenage girl pointing at her little sister's head in a playful height game on a path of pine needles, both in white and denim

He and his partner had a quiet moment too, with his arms around her.

Man in a white shirt holding his partner in a blue knit top close, her head against his chest, orange-brown shrubs behind

Out on the sand again, the four of them held hands. The youngest kicked up her leg, and everyone laughed.

Family of four holding hands on the sand in the dunes, the youngest kicking up her leg as the three others laugh in bright sun — Open sand ringed by pines, a quarter to one

Three Generations, Hand in Hand on the Sand

Just before the end, the three siblings posed together. The two sisters planted a kiss on each of their brother’s cheeks at the same time, and soon all three of them doubled over with laughter.

Two sisters kissing their brother on both cheeks at the same time, the three siblings framed by green oak leaves in the dunes

Grown siblings doubled over with laughter in front of green leaves, the brother in a white shirt between his two sisters

For the last frame, all ten held hands. They walked across the sand toward me, from the youngest to the grandfather at the end of the line. That is how I remember these three generations in the dunes: side by side, with nobody left out.

Three generations walking hand in hand across the sand, ten family members in one long line in the dunes with birches behind — All ten, hand in hand, five to one

Planning a day out with your whole family? Discover where my photoshoots across the Netherlands take me.