Traditional Dutch Costume Photos at Foto de Boer, Volendam

Since we arrived in the Netherlands two years ago, I’ve been wanting to have our photos taken in traditional Dutch costumes. Sure, it’s cheesy, but it is also really fun. I thought it would be a great souvenir for our time in the Netherlands. Now that our family of five is a bit older and everyone is capable of looking at the camera we took advantage of the low winter season and headed north to Foto de Boer. We could not have been more pleased with the whole experience and suggest everyone have this done!

There are lots of places to get these photos done but Foto De Boer in Volendam is the original. I knew we had to have it done there. What I didn’t know was that Volendam is an adorable (albeit touristy) town. It would be a perfect stop for anyone wanting to hit the highlights on a trip to the Netherlands. In addition to the photos you can see how cheese is made, watch a clog-making demonstration and sample Dutch delicacies like stroopwaffles and kibbeling.

I digress. I’m here to tell you what to expect at Foto de Boer. We made a 9:30am reservation online. The reservation was unnecessary in the winter, but is recommended if you are visiting during the spring or summer.

The experience is quintessentially Dutch. You pay a sitting fee per person then pay very reasonable prices for the photos. Check online for specifics but it’s about €7.50/person but kids are cheaper. This means the staff takes their time. There is no hard sell and they are happy to take a few photos with your phone.

We downloaded a coupon from their webpage for free prints! So make sure you check for that before you go.

The best deal of all though is you can purchase a thumb drive of every photo they took for €6! We ended up with 84 photos. Some good, some not so good.

When we went they were renovating their big studio so we were in a small temporary studio. It was more than sufficient, but we are a small group. In the studio you are separated into a boys room and a girls room to get dressed. I headed into the girls room to get gussied up.

You remove just your coat and shoes. The costume slips on over what you are wearing. I did have to roll up my long sleeves on my shirt so they didn’t show. They have every size imaginable and the dresses just Velcro in the back.

The boys’ outfits are a bit more complicated with shirts and pants. Again though they have every size, even tiny ones. Then everyone gets fitted into a pair of wooden shoes.

There are tons of props to choose from. My kids couldn’t decide what they wanted, so we took a few photos with each one they were interested in. The staff could not have been nicer or more helpful.

They get you all set up. They take time to make sure the outfits look good and the kids are smiling. They take their time and every photo turned out adorable. They help coach you so that every photo looks great.

We loved how our photos turned out. They are cheesy and so funny but boy do we love them.

Like I said the staff was incredibly patient while we swapped out props! Each kid had a few items they wanted to try holding.

Even the “out takes” are adorable. This one was towards the end and the Middle Little said the cheese wheel was getting too heavy.

In case you are wondering these are Volendam costumes. Each province had their own “traditional dress” but the Volendam is what is used across the country for “traditional” dress. The wooden shoes were worn by rural folk working in the fields, but are a staple of any traditional dress these days.

I will seriously cherish these photos forever. It was such a fun and easy experience. It does take 2o min for them to process your photos, which gives you ample time to walk around and explore the town a bit.

I really hope you consider checking out Photo de Boer. It is a really fun way to engage the kids about the traditions of the Netherlands and let them have a little fun.