STORY | THE HAGUE

An Extended Family Afternoon in Park Clingendael

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Extended family of ten raising their arms in a long avenue of tall trees in Park Clingendael, sunlight falling in patches

Grandpa Wim turned seventy that summer, and his two sons had one wish for him: an afternoon with the whole extended family in Clingendael. So in July, ten of them met me in the park. There were the grandparents, two sons with their partners and four grandchildren.

Park Clingendael lies on the edge of The Hague, with avenues, ponds and woods all within one walk.

Afternoons with every generation are a big part of my photoshoots in The Hague.

An Extended Family Under Tall Trees

We started in a long avenue, where the sun came through the leaves in patches. Everyone wore white, blue or pink, so even from afar the group looked like one family. On three, all ten threw their arms up. Then they walked toward me hand in hand, while the little ones did their best to keep up.

Three generations walking hand in hand down a tree-lined avenue, the grandchildren in pink and white dresses in front — An avenue in Park Clingendael, a quarter past two

Next, the grandchildren climbed onto their parents’ shoulders and pulled their funniest faces. Wim and his wife Ria then gathered all four grandchildren around them. Meanwhile, a huge old tree turned into a game of hide-and-seek.

Grandchildren riding on their parents' shoulders and pulling funny faces, the extended family laughing in bright sun

Grandparents with their four grandchildren in the sun, a boy and a toddler in white and two girls in pink dresses, one waving

Four grandchildren peeking out from both sides of a huge mossy tree trunk, two on the left and two on the right

A White Balustrade by the Pond

By the pond, a white stone balustrade gave each family a frame of its own. The two girls in pink sat on the rail next to their parents, and the boy and his little sister did the same. After that, Wim and Ria had a minute to themselves, and he stole a kiss. Then two of the grandchildren squeezed in between them. With an extended family in Clingendael, small frames like these matter as much as the big group.

Parents with their two girls in pink dresses sitting on a white stone balustrade by the pond, the father with his arms spread wide

Young family on a white balustrade by the pond in Park Clingendael, the boy and his toddler sister sitting on the rail

Grandfather with a white beard kissing his wife's cheek by the white balustrade, the pond and tall trees behind them

Grandparents holding their grandson and toddler granddaughter close in the sun, the white balustrade behind them

A Fallen Tree and a Wooden Bridge

On the lawn, a fallen tree became a bench for the grandchildren, although the youngest soon wandered off on her own. On a wooden footbridge under a gate in Japanese style, all ten squeezed in once more. Then I gave each generation its own moment. Ria lifted her youngest granddaughter high, and both sons kissed their father on the cheek at the same time.

Three children sitting on a fallen tree trunk on the lawn while the toddler in white wanders off on her own

Extended family gathered on a wooden footbridge under a gate in Japanese style in Park Clingendael, green trees all around — A wooden footbridge in Park Clingendael, 14:44

Grandmother lifting her laughing toddler granddaughter into the air, the little girl reaching one arm out wide

Two grown sons kissing their father's cheeks from both sides as he laughs, a family moment among the trees of Clingendael

Grandmother with her two grown sons leaning their heads toward hers, all three smiling close together under the trees

The Whole Family on Clingendael’s Mossy Steps

We ended on a wooded slope, where old beeches stand around a flight of mossy steps. Ria sat down with her two granddaughters in pink, and soon everyone joined them on the steps. Afterwards, the boy and his little sister shared a white bench for one last hug. Finally, he climbed the steps all alone, small among the tall beech trunks.

Mother in a navy dress sitting on mossy steps between her two daughters in pink, sunlight on the wooded slope behind

Extended family sitting together on mossy steps under tall beeches, grandparents at the top and the children in front

Boy with his arm around his little sister on a white wooden bench, both smiling in the shade of the woods

Boy sitting alone on mossy steps between tall beech trunks in the Clingendael woods, the last frame of the family afternoon — Mossy steps among the beeches, just after three

Wim got his wish: one photo with everyone, and many more besides. Now this extended family in Clingendael has an afternoon to pass on, from the oldest to the youngest.

Planning an afternoon with every generation of your own family? Discover how my photoshoots in The Hague work.