Duinrell Holland & Bruges Belgium on Film | Pinhole Photography Travel

A little while ago I shared our family trip to Duinrell in Holland and a quick stop in Bruges, along with my thoughts on shooting pinhole there. The rolls are now developed, and I’m excited to finally share the images from that week — my first time adding colour film to this theme park series.

My theme park series - https://pinholelife.com/collections/theme+parks

Shooting Duinrell on Kodak Gold

Taking the RealitySoSubtle 6x6f along to Duinrell felt like the right choice. The park is full of movement, colour, and character — the kind of place where Kodak Gold 200 shines. While the family enjoyed the rides, I took my moments to set up shots, looking for shapes, light, and the energy of the park.

I also used my GoPro Super clamp a lot with the shots as its perfect to quickly clamp and shoot

The first images from the trip were on the cycling monorail. I fumbled the shutter slightly on the first shot — but I actually prefer the result. Sometimes the happy accidents are the ones that capture the feeling best.

Next up was the Aqua Swing. I spent a while setting up shots and, in true pinhole fashion, missed the perfect moment. By the time I released the shutter the ride had already lowered, almost at a stop — but that’s part of the charm, capturing the unexpected rather than the planned.

View from the watchtower

While sitting in the café with the indoor carousel, I had a very specific image in mind: the stillness of the room contrasted with the blur and motion of the carousel in the centre. But I spent too long setting up, and by the time I opened the shutter the ride had already stopped without me realising. The result isn’t quite what I hoped for.

An accidental double exposure of Mad Mill and Falcon — a happy mistake that merged the two rides into one surreal scene. Pinhole has a way of turning errors into some of the most interesting frames.

Trying to catch the drama of the water — I set up for a shot of Splash the Ride just as it came down. The pinhole caught the spray and movement in its own soft, ghostly way, a frozen blur of energy and water.

The blur of my daughter on her phone alongside the spinning mushrooms — a small, quirky moment that shows just how many interesting little details this park has beyond the big rides.

One of my favourite rides — Wild Wings. I framed this shot looking up, trying to capture the windsock at the ride’s highest point with a one-second exposure. The pinhole gave a subtle blur to show the motion as it swung around, adding energy to the frame.

Another angle on Splash the Ride — the camera got a proper soaking! The result is exactly what I hoped for: full of motion blur and energy, capturing the chaotic fun of the ride.

I’m not usually a fan of rides like this, but it’s fantastic to capture with a pinhole camera. As it swings to its highest point, a one-second exposure freezes the moment into a blur, spinning dramatically through the air.

Catapults were great fun — launching down the slide into the air and splashing into the water in a little boat. I had so much fun riding them I almost forgot to take a photo, but I managed to capture one while queueing. Not perfect, but it shows the energy of the ride.

It was pouring rain when I took this — I didn’t overthink the shot. The wheel’s motion lined up with a tree in the background and the result I’m really pleased with.

Another fun ride — using an ND8 filter gave me a few seconds of exposure to capture the boats bobbing in the water. The colourful streaks show the motion, and while I wish I’d found a higher vantage point, the result still works well.

Capturing the blur of Kikkerachtbaan as it rushed past — the exposure might have been a bit too long, but the unpredictability of pinhole adds character, especially with the unexpected light leak that appeared.

Bloons blowing in the wind.

Honestly, I’m not sure what this is or what it’s of — just one of those surprises that come with film photography. Nothing recognisable, but part of the charm of shooting pinhole and analogue.

Bruges — a brief but beautiful stop

After a full week at Duinrell, we started the long journey home. As planned, we made a stop in Bruges, Belgium, though we only had a couple of hours before needing to catch our 5pm train. Even in that short window, the city was everything I’d heard it was — absolutely stunning, with canals, cobbled streets, and historic buildings at every turn.

The colourful houses of Bruges’ Market Square

Looking down one of Bruges’ canals, framed by two colourful planters — the Kodak Gold really brings out the vibrancy of the scene.

Horse Carts at Market square

On our way back to the car, I spotted this road and quickly set my camera on top of a bin to capture it. Sometimes the best shots are the unplanned ones.

Back home, the very last image of the trip: our new fridge magnet from Duinrell, now happily added to our collection of family travel souvenirs.

Reflections & Closing

This trip was a wonderful mix of family fun, nostalgia, and pinhole photography adventures. From the rides and waterparks at Duinrell to the quiet beauty and colourful streets of Bruges, each moment was captured in a way that only a pinhole camera can — soft, unpredictable, and full of character.

Some shots were planned, some were happy accidents, and some remain a mystery — but that’s the joy of shooting film. Each frame tells a story, whether it’s the blur of a rollercoaster, the splash of a ride, or a quiet canal in Belgium.

As always, this series reminds me to slow down, look closely, and appreciate the unexpected. I’m already looking forward to the next adventure — and the next roll of film.

Till next time, thanks for reading.