Kinderdijk

Nineteen windmills and one very good reason to get up early

Kinderdijk is perhaps the best-known photo location in the Netherlands. Nineteen windmills in a row, reflected in a dead-straight canal, surrounded by open polder. It sounds almost too obvious. But anyone who stands here on a misty October morning, with the mills half dissolving into the haze, understands exactly why UNESCO added this to the World Heritage list in 1997.

The water is your greatest ally. When the wind drops, the canal becomes a mirror, and the row of windmills cuts through your frame twice over. A wide angle works well if you want to emphasize that long line. With a longer focal length, say 85 to 135mm, you can pull individual mills out of the row and make them loom larger than the rest. Both approaches work, but they tell different stories.

Light and season

The best visits are the ones where the location gives you something you never planned for. Mist is one of those gifts. In fall and early winter, a low layer often hangs over the polder in the mornings. The windmills rise above it as silhouettes. Combine that with the blue hour, just before sunrise, and you have an atmosphere that is difficult to replicate.

In summer it is busy. Very busy. Tour operators, bike hire, group visits. As a photographer you are genuinely better off arriving before nine in the morning or after the visitor center closes. In winter you often have the place to yourself.

Practical matters

You park at the visitor center at the Nederwaard. There are two routes along the windmills, one on each side of the canal. Walk both of them. The south side gives you the windmills with the morning sun behind you, the north side gives you backlight. Both are worth your time, depending on what you are after.

Note: there is an entry charge for the site. For early morning and blue hour visits outside opening hours, arrangements can be made through the site manager. Check this in advance, so you do not arrive at a locked gate just as the mist is sitting perfectly.

Long exposures work well here. Bring a sturdy tripod. This is polder, so wind is rarely far away, and even a light breeze is enough to break the reflection. Wait for the calm moments. They will come.

Sources and further reading

• Kinderdijk (officiële website)
• UNESCO World Heritage – Kinderdijk-Elshout Mill Network
• Waterschap Rivierenland – Kinderdijk
• Wikipedia – Kinderdijk