STORY | HAARLEM

First Steps in Haarlem, in Red and White

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

One-year-old in white taking her first steps between her crouching parents on a Haarlem quay, windmill De Adriaan behind them

Nora took her very first steps at home, a week before her parents flew over from the United States. So on our September afternoon by the Spaarne, the plan was simple: more first steps in Haarlem, with her parents right beside her.

The three of them came dressed in red and white, a match for the red geraniums along the river. For a one-year-old, short distances matter. In Haarlem, the boats, a windmill and the flowers are only minutes apart, which is one of the things I love about my photoshoots in Haarlem.

Red and White by the Spaarne

We started on the quay across the Spaarne from a row of new gabled houses, with the old fishing boat YE 97 moored beside us. Nora wore a white sweater with little red tulips and a tulle skirt. Her mother wore a red skirt with a small white print, and her father a white shirt and tan trousers.

Parents in white shirts holding their baby girl by the Spaarne, a row of new gabled houses and moored boats across the water — New gabled houses across the Spaarne, a quarter past four

For the first frames, Nora stayed in her parents’ arms and studied me carefully.

Mother and father in white smiling close together with their baby girl in a sweater with red tulips, gabled houses behind

Within minutes, though, she wanted down. She set off toward the boat on her own, while her parents crouched behind her, ready to catch her. A little further on, a potted quince tree full of yellow fruit stopped her completely. She took hold of one and looked very serious about it.

Baby girl in a tulle skirt taking small steps toward the black fishing boat YE 97 in Haarlem, her parents crouching behind her

Little girl in a white sweater with red tulips reaching for a yellow quince on a potted tree, white shoes with bows on her feet

Her First Steps Between Two Parents

Then we walked toward the windmill, with Nora in the middle and a hand on each side. Every few meters, her parents lifted her over the bricks, and she kicked her feet with delight.

Parents walking toward the lens on a Haarlem quay, lifting their baby girl off her feet between steps, a moored boat behind — Along the quay toward the windmill, 4:26

By De Adriaan, her mother swung her up onto her hip, and Nora smiled straight into the lens. Next, her parents held her hands and let her toddle a few steps in front of the windmill.

Mother with long dark hair laughing as she holds her baby girl on her hip, windmill De Adriaan soft in the background

Parents holding their baby's hands as she steps between them across a Haarlem quay, windmill De Adriaan rising behind the boats

Then came the moment they had hoped for. Her parents crouched a few meters apart, and Nora walked from her mother to her father, arms out, all on her own. I stayed low and kept the frame wide, so the windmill would stand behind her and every step would show. Those first steps in Haarlem open this story.

Geraniums, a Windmill and a Little Boat

After all that walking, we sat down on a low concrete edge with De Adriaan behind them. Nora got a small toy to hold, and her parents got a rest. I stepped back behind a tower of red geraniums, so the flowers would frame them in the same red they wore.

Father and mother sitting on a concrete edge with their baby on his lap holding a small toy, windmill De Adriaan behind

Red geraniums blurred in the foreground as a young family sits on a concrete planter, windmill De Adriaan and boats behind

Up close, the geraniums turned out to be even more fun. From her father’s arms, Nora reached out and touched one flower after another.

Baby in her father's arms reaching out to touch red geraniums while her mother smiles, gabled rooftops soft behind them

Down by the water, a small wooden boat lay moored right in front of the windmill. There, her parents held her between them and kissed her cheeks from both sides at once.

Young family standing beside a small wooden boat on the Spaarne in Haarlem, windmill De Adriaan towering behind them — A small wooden boat below De Adriaan, a quarter to five

Parents seen from behind kissing their baby's cheeks from both sides, a moored boat and the windmill in front of them

Baby Steps Along the River

We ended on the wide stone promenade along the river, where the geraniums stand in tall towers. Nora walked the whole way holding her parents’ hands, one careful step at a time.

Family walking along a stone promenade by the river in Haarlem, the baby taking steps between her parents, red geraniums in front

Baby girl in white taking her first steps hand in hand with her parents on the promenade along the Spaarne, trees behind

At the railing, her father lifted her onto his shoulders, where she hid her eyes behind both hands for a game of peekaboo. Her parents also had a minute to themselves, forehead to forehead, with the windmill behind them.

Laughing father with his baby girl on his shoulders as she hides her eyes behind her hands, windmill De Adriaan behind them

Man in a white shirt and woman in a red skirt standing forehead to forehead at a railing, the windmill and river behind

The last frame belongs to Nora. Back in her stroller by the railing, she waved at the windmill, or perhaps at me. That was the end of our first steps in Haarlem, at eight minutes past five.

Baby in a grey stroller waving one hand in front of windmill De Adriaan, a railing and the river behind her — In front of De Adriaan, just after five

Looking for more places like these? My guide to photo spots in Haarlem brings them together.

Is your little one just learning to walk? Discover how my photoshoots in Haarlem work.