Duinrell & a Glimpse of Bruges
My pinhole theme park series continues, this time with a trip back to a place full of childhood memories for me — Duinrell in Holland, a theme park and waterpark I last visited in 1999 with my family. It felt only right to return with my own children and share the experience with them.
For those who’ve followed along, you’ll know that a couple years ago I started a project of capturing pinhole images in theme parks. While the rest of the family throw themselves into the rides, I’ve never been the biggest theme park enthusiast — so I use the time to make photographs instead. My chosen companion for this trip was the RealitySoSubtle 6x6f, this time loaded with Kodak Gold 200. It’s the first time I’ve used colour film for this series, which felt fitting for such a lively, colourful setting.
The Journey
The adventure began with a very early start on Monday morning — 2am alarms, packing sleepy children into the car, and heading to Folkstone for the 5:25am Eurotunnel train under the Channel. From there it was a four-hour drive through France, Belgium, and into Holland.
It had been years since I last drove on the “wrong” side of the road, but all went smoothly — apart from the challenge of Dutch roundabouts! Thankfully, we arrived safely, with excitement already building.
First Impressions
We arrived at the park before our Duingalow was ready, so we filled the time with rides, snacks, and exploring. After a long day of travel and fun, we settled into our accommodation with some food and an early night — ready for the days ahead.
A Week of Rides, Water, and Film
Over the week, we made the most of Duinrell’s waterpark and rides, balancing family fun with moments for pinhole photography. I quickly began flying through my first roll of film, hunting for interesting compositions among the rollercoasters, queues, and park scenery.
Before long, the roll was finished, and I had a decision to make. I’d brought two rolls of Ilford FP4 and one more roll of Kodak Gold. Originally, I’d planned to save the Gold for the RealitySoSubtle 6x17 on the journey home — hoping to attempt a “4 countries, 4 frames in 1 day” idea. But when I thought about the timings and lack of stopping points, it felt unrealistic.
Instead, I chose to reload the Gold into the 6x6, keeping a few frames in reserve for our planned stop in Bruges, Belgium, on the return leg of the journey.
The Journey Home via Bruges
Friday morning came around far too quickly, and with it, the start of our long journey back home. As planned, we made a stop in Bruges, Belgium — a city I’d heard so much about but had never visited. We only had a couple of hours before needing to catch our 5pm train, but even in that short time Bruges left a huge impression on me.
The city was even more beautiful than I had expected: winding canals, cobbled streets, and picture-perfect architecture at every turn. I was a little disappointed that I only had a handful of frames left in the camera, but with our limited time I managed to make a few exposures.
In between, we indulged in some local delights — chocolate-covered Belgian waffles and, somewhat less traditional but still memorable, a quick lunch at Belgian Burger King.
Before we knew it, our time was up and we were back on the road, heading for the train and then home. The drive was long, and we all arrived back tired but happy, full of new memories and already talking about what we’d do next time.
Reflections
This trip was both a family holiday and another chapter in my ongoing pinhole theme park series. Shooting Kodak Gold for the first time in this project should hopefully bring a new energy to the images, and though I didn’t quite manage my “4 countries, 4 frames” idea, I hopefully have come home with photographs that mean more for the experiences wrapped up in them.
Bruges in particular left me wanting more — I’ll definitely be returning, ideally with more time and film, perhaps for a dedicated photographic day trip.
For now though, the rolls are waiting to be developed, and I can’t wait to see how this latest part of the journey has been captured through the pinhole.
I’ll share the results once the rolls are developed. Till next time, thanks for reading.
Support
Comments
Post a Comment