STORY | AMSTERDAM

Natural Portraits for a Model, from Motorcycle to Tennis

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Updated 5 November 2026

Natural portrait of a model in sunglasses and a black leather jacket astride a red vintage motorcycle, bare trees behind him in April sun

Koen is a Dutch model, and agencies had seen plenty of him under studio lights. This time he asked me for natural portraits for a model’s portfolio: his red motorcycle, his dog, a game of tennis and summer days on the Amstel.

Portraits built around your own life are what my portrait photoshoots in Amsterdam are for. Because his life had two sides, we met twice: on a sunny day in April and again in summer.

A Red Motorcycle by the Rijksmuseum

We started in a side street next to the Rijksmuseum, where he had parked his small red vintage motorcycle. He wore a black leather jacket, a gray T-shirt and black jeans. The trees were still bare, so the red tank and the brick facades did all the talking.

I asked him to ride slowly toward me a few times. By the third round, he had stopped performing and simply rode. That frame was the first one he picked from his gallery.

Riding a small red motorcycle down a sunny street, a man in a black leather jacket passes red-brick buildings with white window frames

Smiling man in a leather jacket and gray T-shirt on a red motorcycle, an iron fence and tall red-brick windows behind him — A side street by the Rijksmuseum in April

Model in sunglasses and a suede jacket among planters of red and pink tulips, the Rijksmuseum soft behind him, a natural portrait in spring

A short walk away, tulips stood in big planters in front of the museum. Meanwhile, he had changed into a suede jacket and light jeans and kept his sunglasses on. Behind him, the towers, the crowds and their reflections in the water all stayed soft.

Natural Portraits in a Quiet Garden

Natural portraits for a model still need a little direction. I give someone a place to lean or sit, and then I let them look away, talk or check a phone. On a bench beside an old brick gateway, between statues and clipped hedges, Koen forgot about the lens within minutes.

Gravel path between clipped hedges, a man in a suede jacket and light jeans walking past a stone statue and a green garden chair

Wooden garden bench where a man in sunglasses checks his phone, an old red-brick gateway and bare branches behind him in spring sun

Next, a carved stone archway with a dark door made a calm frame of its own. We tried two versions there: leaning in the doorway, then standing straight in front of it, hands in his pockets.

Model leaning in a carved stone archway in front of a dark studded door, suede jacket and light jeans, in a relaxed natural portrait

Dark studded door under a stone arch with a carved face, a man standing in front of it with his hands in the pockets of light jeans — One stone archway, two ways to stand

For a quieter look, he pulled on a dark sweater. As the sun came through the hedge, my lens turned it into a soft red flare across his chest. That glow comes from the lens itself, straight from the camera.

Portrait of a model in a dark sweater on a metal garden chair, sunlight sparkling through the hedge and a soft red flare across him

Seated on a garden chair with one leg crossed, a man in a dark sweater and white sneakers, a green hedge and a stone house behind

A Walk with His Dog

Big curly white dog leading the way across a wooden footbridge in a park, its owner in sunglasses and a suede jacket right behind

Then his dog joined us, a big curly white one, happy to lead the way across a footbridge in the park. Pets are welcome on my sessions, and they bring moments nobody could plan. While the dog sniffed around the pond, I made a few close portraits of Koen among the first spring leaves.

Rainbow ring of lens flare around a man in a suede jacket leaning on a tree trunk by a pond, the trees just coming into leaf

Close natural portrait of a model in a suede jacket and gray T-shirt, hands in his pockets, fresh green spring leaves blurred behind — A pond and fresh leaves at the end of the April day

A Summer Day on the Amstel

In summer, we met again along the Amstel, just south of the city. This time he wore a white shirt, and the sky was a soft, even gray.

Model with arms crossed in a white shirt and navy shorts before the iron gates of an old country house, a natural portrait in summer

Our first stop was the iron gate of an old country house on the river. Koen crossed his arms and smiled, then leaned on the railing beside the gatepost, as if he did it every day.

Iron railing and carved stone gatepost, a smiling man in a white shirt leaning on them with sunglasses hooked into his open collar

By the water, with a windmill on the far bank, his phone rang. I kept photographing while he talked, because a model on a real call looks nothing like a model posing with a phone.

Model in a white shirt on the phone by the Amstel, a windmill on the far bank and reeds at his feet, a natural summer portrait — The Amstel, with a windmill on the far bank

Further on, a boat lay moored at the bank, its deep lounge full of red cushions. He stretched out on it just as a small boat passed with four people on board.

Red cushions on a moored boat where a man in a white shirt and navy shorts lounges while a small boat with four people passes

Later, in swim shorts, he simply sat back and enjoyed the river.

Stretched out in red swim shorts on a boat's black lounge, a man among red cushions with trees and a riverside house behind him

Off-Duty Model Portraits on the Tennis Court

We ended where he spends most Saturdays: a clay court under tall trees. He played a few balls, laughed at a miss and then dropped onto the bench with his racket between his knees.

Forehand on a clay tennis court by a man in a gray T-shirt and red shorts, the ball in the air and the net in the foreground

Model in a gray T-shirt and red shorts resting on a bench on a clay court, racket and ball at his feet, a natural portrait in summer — A clay court under tall trees

Smiling model holding a racket behind the net on a clay tennis court, gray T-shirt and red shorts, a natural portrait against tall trees

Today, the frame on the tennis bench opens his portfolio, and the motorcycle photos go to clients who want to see some character. Natural portraits for a model don’t replace the studio. Instead, they show the person a client will meet on set.

Looking for more ways to show your own work and life in portraits? These personal branding photo ideas come from real sessions.

Want portraits that look like your real life, not a studio? Discover how my portrait photoshoots in Amsterdam work.