By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Laughing woman in glasses and a denim shirt with her arms crossed under the bright green curtain of a weeping willow, a solo photoshoot in Leiden

Good solo photoshoot ideas start with two questions: what are the photos for, and where do you feel like yourself? From there, seven ideas follow. Think of portraits where your work happens, a walk through your own streets or an evening in your city. A souvenir from a trip, a calm hour under the trees and black-and-white or color film complete the list. I show each one with a real solo session of mine, in The Hague, Haarlem, Rotterdam, Leiden and Amsterdam.

None of it needs planning on your side. Every idea fits within my portrait photoshoots. I suggest the area and the route, send outfit suggestions beforehand and guide you throughout.

At a glance

For your work
A setting that shows what you do, like a court in The Hague
For your own city
Your streets, a terrace, your car or your dog
For a trip
One landmark that marks the place, like a windmill in Haarlem
For a calm hour
Old trees and a willow, as in Leiden
On film
Black and white or color, on its own or next to digital
How long
One hour in one picturesque area; two or three hours for more settings

Solo Photoshoot Ideas for Work and Everyday Life

1. Portraits Where Your Work Happens

The Hague | March, 12:08–13:00 | Soft daylight, then bright sun

If the photos are for your work, start where that work happens. In March, a client in The Hague met me under the large letters of the Paleis van Justitie. She carried a black gown with white bands over one arm. Together, the building and the gown say what she does, so we needed no office or studio.

Black and white portrait of a woman under the letters Paleis van Justitie in The Hague, a black gown with white bands over her arm
Woman in a blazer and a black tie-neck blouse smiling to the side with a laptop in her hands, on a solo photoshoot in The Hague

The same hour also gave the set its range. On a square nearby, a blazer and a laptop came out. At the end, a teal suit glowed against a warm stone wall in the March sun. Portraits for your own work, from a freelance practice to a creative business, belong in a portrait session too. The full story is in lawyer portraits at the Paleis van Justitie.

Woman in a teal suit with her arms crossed, smiling against a warm stone wall in the bright March sun of The Hague
Bright March sun on a stone wall in The Hague

2. Your Own Streets and Something of Yours

Haarlem | May, 11:10–12:51 | Soft spring daylight, sun in the side streets

Everyday photos feel most like you in your everyday surroundings. One May session in Haarlem moved from the Spaarne to an ivy wall. Then came a sunny terrace, where the phone and keys simply stayed on the table.

Man in a white T-shirt at a round white table on a sunny terrace in Haarlem, his phone and keys beside him, during a solo photoshoot

After that came the side streets: cream facades with old lanterns, then a narrow lane full of plants and bicycles. The walk ended at a car: first a portrait at its open door, finally one behind the wheel. If something belongs to your daily life, it can join the photos. That includes your dog, since pets are welcome and cost nothing extra.

Man in a black T-shirt walking down a narrow brick lane in Haarlem, past potted plants, bicycles and climbing plants on the old facades
Smiling man in black holding the open door of a dark car on a brick street in Haarlem, a red-brick building behind him on a solo photoshoot
Haarlem in May, from a narrow lane to the car

A walk like this also suits a dating profile, because it gives the variety a profile needs. That means one frame where your face reads clearly, a full-length photo and a few where you are moving. See how it unfolded in a photoshoot with his car in Haarlem.

3. An Evening Walk Through Your City

Rotterdam | August, 17:09–18:15 | Warm evening sun, low through the trees

Even a city you know well looks new on an evening walk. In August, one session in Rotterdam started on a bench under old trees, with the sun low between the trunks. Next came a tall red-brown wooden door, its panels warm behind a black T-shirt.

Man in a black polo with his arms crossed under old trees in Rotterdam, low evening sun on the path behind him during a solo photoshoot
Man in a black T-shirt leaning against a tall red-brown wooden door in Rotterdam, hands in his pockets, looking straight into the lens

A short walk led to the Maas, with the Erasmusbrug and the towers of De Rotterdam across the water. Finally, the hour ended by the old sailing ships of the Veerhaven. Old and new Rotterdam fit into one walk, each stop with its own color: green leaves, warm wood, blue water.

Man in a black T-shirt with his hands on his hips by the Maas, the Erasmusbrug and the towers of De Rotterdam behind him on an August evening
The Maas and the Erasmusbrug, just before six on an August evening

Ideas for a Trip or a Quiet Summer Hour

4. A Souvenir from Your Travels

Haarlem | July, 12:12–12:55 | High summer sun, then dappled shade

When you are visiting, one landmark can mark the trip. In Haarlem, windmill De Adriaan stands on the Spaarne, a few minutes on foot from where this July session began. Dressed in white, a client from the US walked the path below it in the high midday sun. Later she sat down on a low edge with the windmill and an old barge behind her.

Woman in a white blazer and wide light trousers walking along the Spaarne on a solo photoshoot, windmill De Adriaan and an old barge behind her
Close portrait of a smiling woman in a white T-shirt with her arms crossed, looking aside in the deep green shade of the trees in Haarlem

Close portraits came next, in the shade of a group of trees. There, the sun broke into small patches of light. Her whole hour is in summer portraits by windmill De Adriaan.

5. Old Trees and a Willow

Leiden | July, 15:27–16:21 | Bright sun, soft shade under the leaves

Greenery gives a session a calm, unhurried mood. One July afternoon in Leiden began at a broad old tree in a quiet green corner. My client wore a long black dress and a paisley jacket.

Woman in a long black dress and a paisley jacket resting one hand on a broad old tree in a green corner of Leiden in July

Ten minutes later, a weeping willow by the water hung around her like a green curtain. The sun came through its branches in small bright spots, and her laugh there opens this guide. Then an old green lamppost with a basket of pink and white petunias closed the session. Would you like an hour that is only about you? That is the mood of my Confidence Photoshoot: fewer settings, more time between frames, more looking straight into the lens.

Smiling woman in a paisley jacket leaning on a dark green lamppost under a hanging basket of pink and white petunias in Leiden
A lamppost with petunias in Leiden, mid-afternoon in July

Solo Photoshoot Ideas on Real Film

Each of these solo photoshoot ideas also works on film. I work with a vintage film camera, so you see the photos only after the lab develops and scans them. They are normally in your gallery within 15 days. You can book an analog photoshoot in Amsterdam on its own, or combine film with a digital session.

6. Black-and-White Film on the Canals

Amsterdam, the canal belt | March, mid-afternoon | Clear sky, low spring sun

On black-and-white film, strong sun turns into deep blacks and bright whites. In March, the trees along the canals were still bare, so the low sun reached the bricks. Long shadows became part of the portraits. Because I take one photograph at a time on film, there is a short pause at each click. Between frames, we simply walk on.

Woman in a long dark coat leaning on the iron posts along an Amsterdam canal while a small boat passes behind her

More frames from that afternoon are in portraits on Fomapan along the Amsterdam canals.

Film in the canal belt, one frame at a time

7. Color Film in Summer

Amsterdam canals | July | Bright summer sun, open shade in the side streets

Color film brings the setting into the portraits. In July, part of one session went on Kodak Gold 200. An orange shirt, green leaves and canal water the color of tea shone in full sun. Afterward, a side street gave cooler shade. With the Analog Photofilm add-on, a digital session and film fit into one booking, with 10 additional photo downloads.

Laughing woman in an orange shirt and sunglasses sitting on the quay, looking back over her shoulder with canal houses behind her
Woman in beige pleated shorts and white sneakers walking across a brick street with a woven bag, trees and a bridge behind her
Kodak Gold 200 on the canals in July

How a Solo Session Works

Whichever of these solo photoshoot ideas you choose, you prepare nothing. Before the day, you receive a suggested meeting point and my outfit suggestions. I also plan the route in advance, so each setting connects to the next within a short walk.

Most people feel awkward on their own at first, but it usually passes within ten minutes. We walk, we talk, and I photograph while you are doing something instead of waiting. You don’t need to know what to do with your hands either. I give direction where it helps and step back when a photo works better without it.

From experience

One July hour in Haarlem, from 12:12 to 12:55, gave five backdrops. They were the Spaarne, windmill De Adriaan, the shade of the trees, a dark wooden wall and a patterned brick wall. So one picturesque area is usually enough for real variety, and no time goes to travel.

Woman in a white blazer smiling as she leans against a wall of dark vertical wooden boards during a solo photoshoot in Haarlem
A dark wooden wall in Haarlem, the fourth backdrop of that hour

One hour suits one area and one look. Two or three hours leave room for a second setting and an outfit change. Even then, one or two outfits are plenty. My three packages follow the same idea. Portrait is for social media, personal branding or simply yourself, and Dating is for a profile. Confidence is an hour with no purpose other than you. Your gallery is ready within 7 days, film within 15.

Found an idea that feels like you? Discover how my portrait photoshoots work.