STORY | AMSTERDAM

A July Afternoon on the Canals for a Family of Five

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 8 November 2026

Father with his three daughters by an iron lamp post on a canal quay, all four smiling in the July afternoon sun

A July afternoon on the canals was the last stop of Vanessa and Steve’s summer trip with their three daughters. Jade would leave for college in the fall. So this was the trip they had promised themselves while all five still lived under one roof.

With older girls, the hour is easy to plan. They are old enough to enjoy it, and nobody needs a nap. That is why my family photoshoots in Amsterdam with older children feel more like a walk than a photo session: I choose the spots and guide each moment, and the family brings the jokes.

A July Afternoon Under the Canal Trees

We met at five past five on a bridge over a canal lined with tall trees. A bike leaned on the railing, and a tour boat slid by behind them while Lucy leaned into her mom. Five people in blue and white, with the water glittering behind them: the first frames came within minutes.

Family of five chatting on a canal bridge on a July afternoon, a tour boat passing behind and a black bike at the railing

Then we moved down to the quay, under one big tree. Everyone stood close, with Steve in the middle, and the girls leaned in without being asked twice.

Parents and three daughters in blue and white under a big tree on a sunny quay, a bike and an iron lamp post beside them — Under the big tree, 17:13

Three Sisters, One at a Time

At a quarter past five, the parents stepped aside, and the three sisters stood together, shoulder to shoulder, with the canal behind them. Lucy is the youngest, Chloe is in the middle, and Jade is the eldest.

Three sisters in white and blue summer dresses standing close together on a canal quay in the warm July sun

Then each girl had a few minutes of her own. With teenagers, a portrait alone is often where the confidence shows. Chloe stood tall by the water, Lucy smiled back over her shoulder, and Jade pushed back her hair and laughed.

Teenage girl in a white sundress and sandals standing by the water under the trees, a bike leaning on the railing

Smiling girl in a blue-and-white floral dress looking back over her shoulder by a canal on a July afternoon

Young woman pushing back her long dark hair in a white dress with tiny blue flowers, the canal bright behind her

Hugs in Every Combination

At twenty-five past five, it was the parents’ turn. Steve kissed Vanessa on the temple. After that, they simply held each other and smiled, as if the girls were not watching from the side.

Husband kissing his wife's temple as they hug by the water, her in a navy dress and him in a light blue shirt

Mother and father cheek to cheek in a relaxed hug on a sunny quay, small boats and tall houses blurred behind them

Parents hugging and smiling under a big tree by the canal, warm afternoon sun on the water behind them

Next, I paired them up in every way I could think of: mother and eldest, the two older sisters, dad with all three girls, and finally the younger two. Each pairing got a minute or two, so nobody had time to get bored.

Mother with long auburn hair cheek to cheek with her eldest daughter, both smiling softly in the summer light

Two sisters hugging close and smiling into the camera, long dark hair falling over their white summer dresses

When Steve stood by the lamp post with his daughters, Lucy ended up in front with his arms around her. A minute later, Jade had her dad to herself, and both of them grinned like they had planned it.

Father and eldest daughter hugging cheek to cheek, both smiling broadly, sunlit leaves blurred behind them

The younger two came last. Chloe pulled Lucy into a hug by the lamp post, and then they stood hand in hand in the sun.

Older sister hugging the youngest by an iron lamp post on the canal, both laughing, the water glittering behind them — The younger two, 17:38

Two sisters holding hands by the water, the younger in a blue floral dress and the older in white, smiling into the sun

The July Afternoon Ends on the Quay

At a quarter to six, I crossed to the other side of the canal. From there, the family sat in a row on the edge of the quay, with a small boat at their feet and a tall gray house above them. From across the water, it looked like every postcard of Amsterdam’s canal ring: tall, narrow houses above the water.

Family of five sitting in a row on a canal quay above a small boat on a July afternoon, a tall gray house behind — The quay, 17:47

For the last minutes, the three sisters had the quay to themselves. They laughed between two moored boats. Then Jade and Chloe held hands and looked back over their shoulders, and on the very last frame, Jade kicked up one foot, sandal and all. It was ten to six, and the July afternoon on the canals was over.

Three sisters laughing together on a quay between two moored boats, brick houses and a dark car across the water

Sister kicking up one foot as she and her sister hold hands on the canal quay, long shadows on the July bricks

Traveling with teens or grown-up kids? My guide to family photos with adult children shows how the hour works when the children are older.

Bringing the whole family, however tall they have grown? Discover how my family photoshoots in Amsterdam work.