STORY | THE NETHERLANDS

A Family Picnic in the Dunes in Early June

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Updated 3 November 2026

Family of four on a gray picnic blanket under old trees, a little girl holding up grapes while her sister lies back laughing

Ieva and Marco brought a basket, a gray blanket and their two daughters, Emilia and little Vita, for a family picnic in the dunes in early June. They walk here on Sundays, so the girls already knew every sandy path.

Days like this are what I love about my photoshoots across the Netherlands: wide open space, old trees and room for children to run. I chose the spots and guided the hour together with Ieva and Marco, while the girls mostly played.

A Family Picnic Under the Old Oaks

We started on the grass of the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen, the dunes between Zandvoort and Noordwijk, under a few old oaks. Ieva spread out the blanket. On a wooden board lay grapes, strawberries, cheese, cucumber and carrot sticks. Vita held up a bunch of grapes like a trophy, and Emilia fell back laughing into her mother’s lap.

Mother laughing with her daughter in her lap at a family picnic in the dunes, the father beside them and twisted oaks behind

Nobody had to sit still for long. Ieva fed Vita a grape, while everyone kept reaching for the strawberries.

Mother feeding her younger girl a grape at the family picnic, the father and the older sister close by on the gray blanket

Hand reaching for a strawberry on a wooden board of grapes, cheese, cucumber and carrot sticks, set on a soft gray blanket

Then, for one short guided moment, I asked all four to lie down head to head on the blanket. I photographed them from above, and the girls reached for the camera as if to grab it.

Lying head to head on the picnic blanket, a family of four laughs and stretches their hands up toward the camera

Running Through the Tall Grass

Beyond the trees, a slope of tall, dry dune grass ran down toward us. The girls raced down first, and Ieva and Marco followed hand in hand.

Two girls and their parents running down a slope of tall, dry dune grass on a family walk, dark trees and blue sky behind

One of the girls simply kept running, deep into the grass. In between, the sisters stopped for a hug, cheek to cheek in the low sun.

Girl in a white dress running through tall golden grass, the blades soft and blurred in the foreground of the frame

Two sisters in linen dresses hugging cheek to cheek in the low sun, a small tree with thin branches glowing behind them — Tall dune grass in the low June sun

Mother and her younger daughter laughing cheek to cheek, the girl in a cream button dress, warm backlight in their hair

After that, Vita ran into her mother’s arms. Ieva knelt down in the grass, and the two of them laughed at a joke only they understood.

Hugs Among the Twisted Branches

Here, the old oaks grow low and crooked, every branch turning its own way. While the girls hunted for sticks, Ieva and Marco had a minute to themselves under one of them.

Old twisted oak with a mossy trunk and crooked branches, standing in the long grass of the dunes in soft sunlight

Couple embracing under the bent branches of an old oak, she in a dusty-pink dress, he in a white shirt and light trousers

Family of four sitting close together on the low trunk of an old oak in the dunes, the girls on their parents' laps — An old oak with a low, curved trunk

Next, I asked the whole family to sit together on a low, curved trunk. The girls climbed onto their parents’ laps, and for a few seconds, all four sat still and leaned in close. That was all the photo needed.

Ferns, a Fallen Log and a Deer

From there, a path led into the woods between tall ferns. Ieva and Marco made an arch with their hands, and the girls danced underneath it. A little farther on, a deer stood quietly between the trees, beyond a few fallen logs.

Parents holding hands high like an arch while their two daughters dance beneath it on a woodland path lined with ferns

Deer standing between tall trees beyond a few fallen logs on the grassy forest floor, soft green light in the woods

The girls soon found a fallen log of their own. They balanced along it with their arms out, and then Emilia jumped off, hair flying.

Girl in a pale sage dress jumping off a fallen log in the woods, hair flying, her sister crouching in the leaves behind

On the way out of the woods, a sandy track crossed a meadow, and a deer was grazing nearby. The girls walked ahead. Once, Vita stopped, folded her hands under her chin and looked very pleased with herself.

Sandy track through a sunny meadow at the edge of the woods, two little girls walking far ahead and a deer grazing nearby — A sandy track at the edge of the woods

On a wide path under tall trees, Ieva and Marco swung Vita between them, while Emilia laughed along beside them.

Little girl in a cream button dress folding her hands under her chin, smiling on a sandy path between green trees

Parents swinging their younger girl between them on a family walk in the dunes under tall trees, her big sister laughing

The Whole Family Jumps Off the Dune

To finish, we climbed a sandy dune with a steep edge. On my count, all four jumped at once, arms in the air, and landed laughing in the soft sand.

All four of the family jumping off the sandy edge of a dune together, arms in the air, green trees and blue sky behind

After that, the girls needed no more guiding. They jumped off the edge again and again and slid down the slope on their bottoms, while their parents cheered them on.

Two girls leaping off a sandy dune edge one after the other, the older one in mid-air with her arms spread wide

Girl sliding down a steep slope of soft sand on her bottom while her younger sister jumps down the edge behind her — The soft sand of a dune edge, in the low sun

Then it was time to head home. Marco picked up the basket, Ieva followed the girls, and their shadows stretched long across the grass. That is how I remember this family picnic in the dunes: four people walking the same way, in no hurry at all.

Walking away across the grass in the low sun, the family heads home from their picnic, the father carrying a wicker basket

Back home, they had a few favorites printed. Planning a day by the sea or in the dunes yourself? My guide to a beach photoshoot near Amsterdam shows the places I know best.

Dreaming of a picnic like this with your own little ones? Discover where my photoshoots across the Netherlands take me.