Bollenvelden Bollenstreek

Colour on flat ground

Nowhere in the Netherlands do you see so much colour at such low elevation as in the Bollenstreek. Between Lisse, Hillegom and Noordwijkerhout the bulb fields lie close together, and when the tulips and hyacinths bloom at the same time, you get stripes of red, yellow, purple and white running across the entire polder. It is raw and beautiful at once. The scent of hyacinths can hang over the whole area.

The season is short. Late March sees the early tulip varieties come up, but the peak is usually in the second half of April. By early May many fields are already past it: the heads are topped as soon as the flower has done its job, so the bulb retains all its energy. Arrive too late and you will find rows of cut stems instead of flowers. Keep an eye on the Keukenhof website for up-to-date flowering information in the area.

Light and composition

The landscape here is flat, which has its drawbacks and its advantages. There is no elevated viewpoint to work with, so you rely on the horizon as a dividing line. Early morning works well: the low sun throws long shadows across the ridges between the beds, giving structure to what would otherwise be a flat block of colour. Side light also picks out individual flowers if you get close enough. A 70 to 200 mm telephoto lets you compress the fields and allow a single colour to dominate. A 24 or 28 mm wide-angle works when you bring in a farm track, ditch or windmill as foreground to create depth.

Overcast conditions are no problem. Soft light keeps the colours saturated without hard shadows. Bright sun with a cloudless sky will quickly blow out the red tulips on your histogram.

Drone flying and rules

From the air the colour blocks become even more striking. The patterns only really reveal themselves at a height of 40 to 80 metres. Be aware that part of the area falls within the CTR airspace of Schiphol. Always check the current airspace map via LVNL and use the official drone app of the Rijksoverheid before you fly. Do not fly over fields without permission from the grower.

Practical

Park along the edge of narrow country lanes, but watch out for tractors. The growers are working throughout the season and need the road. Do not walk over the fields, however inviting it looks. The bulbs sit just below the surface and one wrong step damages the harvest. Along the Bollenstreek routes there are plenty of paths and viewpoints from which you can photograph everything without setting foot where you should not.

Sources and further reading

• Keukenhof
• LVNL (luchtruim Nederland)
• Bollenstreek.nl
• Wikipedia: Bollenstreek