STORY | AMSTERDAM

After the Proposal, Color Film Among the Hydrangeas

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Updated 8 November 2026

On color film under a weeping willow, a man in a white linen shirt kisses the top of her head, her hand with a new ring resting on his arm

Holly takes a film camera on every trip, so Rafael planned a proposal on color film. In early July, they flew over from the US to Amsterdam. Holly thought it was simply a summer photoshoot.

Surprises like his are part of my couple photoshoots in Amsterdam. Rafael booked from an inbox Holly doesn’t share, and I sent him a map to a bridge on the Spiegelgracht. Next to my digital camera, I brought a 35mm film camera with a roll of Kodak UltraMax 400.

A Park Full of Pink Hydrangeas

Rafael asked the question on a bridge over the Spiegelgracht, and my digital photos of that moment have their own story. Later, they came into a park, past a weeping willow and a bed of hydrangeas.

On film, the story picks up after the yes: a slow walk under the willows by the pond.

Walking hand in hand across a sunny lawn past a weeping willow and a bed of pink hydrangeas, a red top and long black skirt beside a white shirt

Standing close under a willow by the water just after the proposal, a red one-shoulder top, a white shirt and a ring on the hand on his chest — A weeping willow by the pond, early July

A Proposal on Film, Then a Letter

After the yes, they sat down on the grass by the hydrangeas. Rafael had written Holly a letter at home, and here she read it.

Wide view on film of a couple reading a letter on a sunny lawn after the proposal, long beds of pink hydrangeas and city houses behind them — Pink hydrangeas in full bloom, early July

Sitting in the grass, a red-haired woman holding a letter looks up at the man behind her, pink hydrangeas glowing in the soft haze behind them

She read it slowly, with his chin almost on her shoulder. Halfway through, she looked up at him. Meanwhile, I stayed back, so the moment stayed theirs.

Film suits a moment like this. A roll has 36 frames and no screen to check. So I take one photograph at a time and wait for the right second.

Heads together over a folded letter on the lawn, a red top, rings on her fingers and a bed of pink hydrangeas in bright sun behind them

Small Things on Color Film

For this proposal on color film, I chose Kodak UltraMax 400. On the roll, Holly’s red top turned deep and warm, and the grain shows in every frame.

Her new ring rested on Rafael’s hand against the hydrangeas. By the willow, one frame even caught a soft violet streak of light, a small accident of film I kept.

The new ring from the proposal, close up on film: her hand with a gold engagement ring resting on his, in front of pink hydrangeas in bright sun

A soft violet streak of light, a small accident of color film, runs across the frame as they lean on a weeping willow by a pond, she barefoot

Then they lay down head to head among the daisies, and I photographed them from above.

Seen from above, lying head to head in the grass among daisies, his white shirt, her red top and copper hair, both looking into the lens

On a green park bench, Holly leaned over Rafael from behind. For the next frame, I shot through the wheel of a parked bike.

Smiling on a green park bench as she leans over him from behind, her arms around his shoulders, sunlit trees and a path beyond them

Seen through the blurred wheel of a parked bike, they sit together on the back of a park bench under big trees, color film grain in the shade

From the Park to the Canals

We ended the hour along the canals nearby. Rafael sat on a railing above the water, with Holly in front of him and small boats below. On a quiet street, a pink hydrangea grew right beside them.

He sits on a canal railing with her standing in front of him, small boats on the water below, a blue bike and tall canal houses behind them

Holding a dark wooden pole on a brick street, a pink hydrangea in front and tall city houses behind, the couple looks calmly into the lens

A little farther on, a bridge with flags closed the view down the canal.

After the proposal, a film frame by the canals: arm in arm at a railing, a bridge with flags and the tree-lined water far behind them — A canal near the park, early July

Last came a climbing rose against an old facade and a narrow street with lamps strung above it. They walked off hand in hand, and that became the final frame of this story.

Hugged from behind in front of a climbing rose with pale pink blooms, with bikes, a wooden planter and red geraniums beside an old facade

Seen from behind, walking hand in hand down a narrow brick street with hanging lamps and bikes along the walls, the last frame of the day

Within 15 days, once the lab had developed and scanned the roll, their film photos were in their gallery. Would you like a whole hour on film? Then have a look at my analog photoshoot in Amsterdam.

Not sure whether film suits your own day? I compare both in my guide to digital or film.

Planning a proposal on color film of your own? Discover how my couple photoshoots in Amsterdam work.