By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Laughing couple in front of a green wooden house with a red-leaved tree, she in a red halter dress and he in a white shirt

Meera packed one red dress for their trip through Europe, and she saved it for the Zaanse Schans. She and Arjun had come from India to celebrate ten years of marriage, and they wanted one afternoon of photos among the windmills.

A red dress at the Zaanse Schans is a gift, because the village is all green wooden houses, white window frames and windmills. Here is how one of my photoshoots at the Zaanse Schans became a story in red and green.

Where
The Zaanse Schans, from the Zonnewijzerspad to the Zaan
When
Late July, late afternoon
Session
Lovestory Photoshoot
Light
Soft, even light under a white summer sky

A Willow by the Zonnewijzerspad

We began on a small wooden bridge with green railings, where a weeping willow hangs over the path. A street sign reads Zonnewijzerspad, and pink hydrangeas grow right up to the railing. Meera rested her hand on Arjun’s chest and laughed, and I already knew where the red would lead us.

Couple on a small wooden bridge with green railings under a weeping willow, pink hydrangeas and a Zonnewijzerspad street sign beside them
The Zonnewijzerspad, 16:29

A few steps further, a stone dog sits beside a quiet brick lane. They walked past it hand in hand, and then Arjun spun her once, just for fun.

Couple walking away hand in hand down a quiet brick lane past a stone dog statue, tall trees and a dark wooden fence ahead
Man twirling his partner under his raised arm in a brick lane at the Zaanse Schans, a stone dog statue watching from the side

A Red Dress Against Green Wood

Around the corner stands one of the green wooden houses the village is known for, with white windows and a tree with dark red leaves in front. Her dress picked up the color of those leaves. Then Arjun made a joke I did not catch, and they both burst out laughing.

Green wooden house with an orange tile roof and a dark red-leaved tree, a couple standing small by the picket fence and hydrangeas
Man laughing with his head thrown back while she smiles up at him, a dark picket fence and pink hydrangeas around them

After that, I spotted a small green bridge deep in the reeds. From a distance, the red dress was the only bright spot in all that green.

Small green arched bridge seen through tall reeds and willows, a couple in a red dress and a white shirt standing on it
A small bridge in the reeds, 16:44

Hydrangeas by the Zaan

By the river, pink and cream hydrangeas bloom against a dark wooden house. Here, I moved in close. They held each other, Meera touched his face, and for a few frames I let the flowers soften the foreground.

Close embrace by cream and pink hydrangeas, her eyes on the lens over his shoulder and her hand resting on his white shirt
She laughs and touches his face as they hold each other among pink and cream hydrangeas, the Zaan and its houses soft behind
Close frame with her face soft in the foreground and his smile sharp behind it, a white shirt and a hint of crimson against blurred flowers

Millstones and a Jetty at the Zaanse Schans

Next, we crossed the grass toward the big green mill. On a path of old millstones, Arjun lifted Meera off her feet.

Man lifting his partner in a red dress on old millstones in the grass, the big green windmill of the Zaanse Schans behind them
Old millstones by the big mill, 17:08

Later, they stood on a jetty right below the mill, small between the reeds and the sails. Then I walked closer, and Meera leaned back against him by the water.

Couple standing small on a wooden jetty below the big green windmill, tall reeds in front and the water of the Zaan around them
Woman in a red halter dress smiling as her partner holds her by the water, the windmills of the Zaanse Schans along the Zaan

A wooden bench on the jetty gave them a moment to sit. Meera leaned her head against his, and that red against the green mill was the frame I had pictured all afternoon.

Couple sitting on a wooden bench on the jetty, she in a red dress with white shoes, the big green windmill rising behind them
Close portrait on the bench, her head resting against his as both smile, the green windmill and orange roofs behind them
A bench on the jetty, 17:31

Painted Clogs, Then Two Portraits

On the way back, we stopped at a dark wall with a big heart of painted clogs. They leaned in until their foreheads touched. To finish, I made one portrait of each of them against the plain dark wood, so nothing distracted from the red dress and the white shirt.

Couple touching foreheads in front of a big heart of painted wooden clogs on a dark wall at the Zaanse Schans
Portrait of a smiling woman in a red halter dress, one hand in her dark hair, against a dark wooden wall
Portrait of a smiling man in a white band-collar shirt with his hands in his pockets, looking to the side against dark wood
Two portraits against dark wood, 17:53 and 17:55

We said goodbye a few minutes before six. The red dress at the Zaanse Schans had found every shade of green in the village, and within a week their gallery was ready.

For more corners like these, see my guide to photo spots at the Zaanse Schans.

Celebrating a milestone of your own? Discover how my photoshoots at the Zaanse Schans work.