Kodak Gold on the Amsterdam Canals

Maya spent a summer week in Amsterdam and had one wish for her portrait session: a few frames on real film. So next to her digital portraits, I photographed her on Kodak Gold 200 along the Amsterdam canals.

Color film also suits a city of red brick, green trees and brown water. That is what my film photography in Amsterdam is about: one frame at a time, with the city in the picture.

Kodak Gold on a Canal Corner

We began on a low quay by one of the canals, across from a row of old gabled houses and a stone bridge. Maya sat down on the stones with her back to me, her long braids falling over an orange shirt. Then she turned around and laughed. Because film takes one photograph at a time, she held still for a breath at each click, and then laughed again.

Along a wider canal, the trees were in full leaf and the water shone brown and gold in the sun. She looked out over the water first, then back at me. A woven bag hung from her hand, and a small boat came up behind her. That is Kodak Gold on the Amsterdam canals: warm skin, green leaves and water the color of tea.

Shade in the Side Streets

After the sunny quays, we turned into a side street, where the shade felt cooler and the light softer. Then, close to a brick wall, she smiled at me over her sunglasses. A moment later, she walked across the street as if no one was watching.

The last frame is the quietest. She sat on the stone steps of an old house, under a lantern and a tall window, and looked down the street. On film, you wait for a moment like this, because every frame counts. Within fifteen days, her scans were in her gallery. Not sure which suits you? Read digital or film first.

Curious how you would look on Kodak Gold along the Amsterdam canals? Discover how my film photography in Amsterdam works.