By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Man in a black floral shirt dipping his partner in an ivory dress under a decorated windmill with a Dutch flag at the Zaanse Schans

Elena and Jordan met at a salsa class in San Diego, and they still dance wherever they find room. So when they planned a summer trip to the Netherlands, they asked for photos of themselves dancing at the Zaanse Schans.

The old village on the Zaan has wide quays, green wooden houses and windmills in every direction, which leaves plenty of space to move. Here is how one of my photoshoots at the Zaanse Schans turned into a dance.

Where
The Zaanse Schans, along the Zaan and over a white bridge
When
Late June, late afternoon
Session
Lovestory Photoshoot
Light
Bright overcast, then sun and blue sky in a strong breeze

Pink Hydrangeas and a Warm-Up

We started slowly, in front of pink hydrangeas against a dark green wooden wall. Jordan pulled Elena close, and she laughed before I had said a word. A long ivory ribbon hung from her collar, and I already knew the wind would love it.

Woman in an ivory top with a long ribbon laughing in her partner's arms in front of pink hydrangeas and a dark green wooden wall

Next, we walked down to the quay. With an old lamppost on one side and a green mill house on the other, they came toward me hand in hand.

Couple walking hand in hand along the quay past an old lamppost and a green mill house, the windmills of the Zaanse Schans across the Zaan
The quay on the Zaan, 16:42

Dancing at the Zaanse Schans

Dancing at the Zaanse Schans needs space, and the open quay had plenty. I asked them to dance the way they do at home. Jordan took her hand, counted under his breath and spun her out. Meanwhile, I kept the green house and its windmill in every frame.

Couple dancing hand in hand on the quay at the Zaanse Schans, both laughing, a green wooden house and its windmill behind them
Man with a tattooed arm holding both her hands in a dance hold on a cobbled quay, a green wooden house and a lamppost behind them
Laughing woman in an ivory skirt and nude heels stepping toward her partner as he leads her by the hand, the river and a lamppost behind
A first spin by the green house, 16:44

After a few spins, they sat down on an old millstone to catch their breath. The wind kept pulling at her hair, so I let it.

Wide view of a couple sitting on an old millstone beside a green wooden house and its windmill on the bank of the Zaan
Woman with windblown dark hair raising one hand as she sits beside her partner on a millstone, a green house and windmill behind

Wind Over the Jetty

Around five, the clouds opened up and the sky turned blue. On a jetty over the Zaan, they kissed with windmills on both sides, so I stepped back to keep the whole river in the frame. Then I moved in close again, while the wind blew her hair across her face.

Couple kissing on a jetty over the Zaan under a blue sky with white clouds, the windmills of the Zaanse Schans on both sides
A jetty on the Zaan, 16:59
Close embrace by the water, her windblown hair across her face as she looks over his shoulder, his floral shirt in sharp focus
Woman laughing as her partner holds her from behind by the Zaan, a green windmill and red and white boats in the background

A Lift Under the Dutch Flag

A little further on, one mill flew the Dutch flag, with decorations along its sails. Under it, they danced the moves they had saved for last. First, Jordan lifted Elena off the ground. Then he lowered her into a deep dip, her hair falling toward the grass, and that frame opens this story.

Man lifting his partner high in a dance on the grass, a decorated green windmill with a Dutch flag towering above them
Under the Dutch flag, 17:13

A Last Spin at the Zaanse Schans

On the way back, we passed a small mill, an old lamppost and a white drawbridge. Jordan kissed her cheek there. After that, she spun away from him, still holding his hand.

Couple standing by an old lamppost on a brick path beside a small windmill and a white drawbridge at the Zaanse Schans
Man kissing her cheek by a lamppost and the sails of a small windmill, her long ribbon and dark hair blowing in the wind
Woman in an ivory two-piece spinning away from her partner while he holds her hand, beside tall reeds and a small windmill

Our last stop was a white wooden bridge in front of a green house with a red roof. Jordan raised his arm one more time, and Elena turned underneath it. Their afternoon of dancing at the Zaanse Schans ended right there, with a slow walk toward me, hand in hand.

Couple dancing on a white wooden bridge, his raised hand twirling her, a green house with a red roof beside them at the Zaanse Schans
The white bridge, 17:34
Couple holding hands on a white bridge in front of a green house with a red roof, the last frame of their Zaanse Schans session

Within a week, their gallery was ready. I hope they danced in the kitchen when it arrived.

Looking for more corners like these? My guide to photo spots at the Zaanse Schans has plenty of them.

Do the two of you dance through life too? Discover how my photoshoots at the Zaanse Schans work.