STORY | ROTTERDAM

Maternity Photos on Black-and-White Film in Rotterdam

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Expecting couple kissing on the cobbles by the Maas, a ship's bowsprit and the Erasmusbrug behind them, a maternity frame on film

Two days before Christmas, Mila and Adam came for maternity photos on film, in black and white. Their first baby was due at the end of winter. Mila wanted pictures like the one old photo of her grandmother, pregnant in a long coat.

We walked from an old street clock to the Veerhaven and the Maas, on a gray and quiet day. Days like this belong to my photoshoots in Rotterdam as much as summer evenings do.

Two Days Before Christmas

We met by an old street clock in front of a brick house with a pointed turret. The trees were bare and the streets almost empty. Mila wore a long black coat over a black dress, while Adam wore a dark wool coat and a checked scarf. They walked past the clock hand in hand, as if it were any other day. In my camera was Ilford black-and-white film, which turns a gray day into soft silver tones.

Old street clock in front of a brick house with a pointed turret, an expecting couple small below it on a bare winter day — An old street clock and a turreted brick house, December

Pregnant woman in a long black coat walking hand in hand with her partner past a street clock, in black and white

Couple seen between two tree trunks on a cobbled square, brick houses behind them, a maternity frame on black-and-white film

Maternity Photos by the Veerhaven

Even in winter, the Veerhaven is full of tall masts. By a row of parked bikes, Adam stood behind Mila with his hands over hers on the bump. Then we followed the old lampposts along the water. On a bench under a bare tree, they looked like any couple taking a short break. I stayed on the far side of the path, so the harbor could tell half the story.

Man standing behind his pregnant partner by parked bikes in the Veerhaven, their hands on her bump and tall masts behind

Expecting couple on a quay lined with bare trees and old lampposts by the Veerhaven, a maternity portrait on Ilford film

Couple small on a bench under a bare tree by the Veerhaven, an old lamppost and the masts of tall ships beyond the railing — The Veerhaven in winter

After that, we found a bench on a quiet street. First Adam stood behind it with a hand on her shoulder, then he leaned down to kiss her. When he sat down beside her, both their hands found the bump.

Man standing behind a bench where his pregnant partner sits with crossed legs and heeled boots, a quiet winter street

Man leaning over a wooden bench to kiss his pregnant partner, a street clock blurred behind them on black-and-white film

Couple kissing on a bench with their hands together on her bump, bare plane trees behind, a maternity frame on film

Pregnancy Photos on Film, Up Close

Film suits slow moments like these, because I make one frame at a time. Mila sat alone on the bench for a while, one hand resting on her belly. Nearby, a shrub was in white bloom, even in late December. There their hands met again, rings and all, against her ribbed black dress. In details like these, maternity photos on film feel the most personal.

Woman on a park bench with one hand in her hair and one on her bump, looking into the lens, a maternity portrait on film

Couple embracing in black wool coats before a shrub in white winter bloom, a maternity portrait on black-and-white film

Close frame of two hands with rings resting on a pregnant belly, white blossoms soft in the corner, in black and white

Two hands with rings over a ribbed black dress with a knotted button, a close maternity detail on black-and-white film

A Kiss by the Erasmusbrug

We ended on the Maas, where the Erasmusbrug stands out white against the gray sky. On the cobbles, they kissed with the bowsprit of an old ship reaching into the frame, and that kiss opens this story. The last frame is quieter: Adam behind Mila, his hands on the bump, the bridge behind them.

Man holding his pregnant partner from behind by the Maas, his hands on her bump and the Erasmusbrug white in the gray sky — The Erasmusbrug on a gray winter day

Mila and Adam will have the scans long before the baby arrives. Soon, their maternity photos on film can hang right next to her grandmother’s.

The Veerhaven and the Maas quay are also in my guide to photo spots in Rotterdam.

Expecting, and curious about a winter walk on film? Discover how my photoshoots in Rotterdam work.