As a true Dutchman, I am a big fan of our flowers. And as a landscape photographer, I enjoy our beautiful spring each year where I always find time to photograph the flowers and show the beauty of Dutch flowers to the world. Most of you probably know the famous Keukenhof, the most beautiful tulip garden in the world. Every year millions of tourists visit this garden. It is a huge number, as the garden is only open in spring. Every year, a team works hard to make the garden as beautiful as ever, including this year!
This year is “special”. Keukenhof is closed, for the first time in 71 years. But that doesn’t mean there are no flowers. On the contrary, the flowers are amazing and always receive the same attention and care. All the passionate gardeners do their job as they are used to. Because even without people, nature and the spectacle of the garden continue.
I have always photographed tulips, especially in the field. I have photographed them from every angle imaginable, but there is one thing I still wanted to capture once in my life: Keukenhof without anyone else. It seemed impossible, until April 2020. With the COVID-19 virus preventing everyone from going home and tourists from entering, I knew this was my only chance. I contacted Keukenhof to explain what I had in mind and they were kind enough to let me photograph the garden for a day.
When I visited the park, it was at its best. It is interesting to note that we had the sunniest April in the Netherlands, which caused all the flowers to bloom very quickly. Photographing in broad daylight with a strong sun was a challenge. But forget about photography for a moment: walking there alone, with only the sound of the birds and the incredible smell of all those flowers, is an experience in itself. Sometimes I sat next to the flowers and water, enjoying nature for 30 minutes. It was a magical experience. Having no one in the park allowed me to photograph the paths and angles in a way that is not normally seen due to the crowd.
This photo series is an initiative of mine in collaboration with Keukenhof. Our goal is to show the beauty of the park through these images. It is a pity that there is no smell.
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With no people around, these zig-zag paths become visible showing the attention to detail in the layout of the garden.
The famous Keukenhof windmill. The miller was so kind to move it to the correct position for pictures.
A rare species of tulips that I had not seen before.
The world-famous ‘Blue River.’ A road of blue grape hyacinths zigzagging through the trees.
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