Activities

Create your own photograph using flowers, plants and sunlight.

During Summer School Junior, children aged 8 to 12 are introduced to anthotype, a historical photographic technique in which plants and sunlight do the work. The workshop takes place on Wednesday 26 August at Stadstuin De Molenwei in Rotterdam-Zuid.

Together with artist Farah Rahman, participants search the garden for flowers and plants with strong natural pigments. The leaves and petals are crushed to create a coloured liquid, which is then applied to paper. Using a stencil and sunlight, an image gradually appears.

Anthotype does not use traditional photographic chemicals. Instead, the natural pigments in plants react slowly to UV light. Depending on the materials and amount of sunlight, the exposure can take some time. Participants therefore take their work home after the workshop to continue the exposure process.

Farah Rahman works with medicinal and edible plants, scent, analogue photographic techniques and different forms of cultural heritage.

This Summer School is organised by the Nederlands Fotomuseum and made possible with the support of Natuurstad Rotterdam.

Practical information

Date: Wednesday 26 August 2026

Times: 10AM–12 PM and 1–3 PM Location: Covered outdoor classroom at Stadstuin De Molenwei, Brammertstraat 10, Rotterdam

Age: 8–12+ years

Number of participants: Maximum 10 children per group. Children must be accompanied by an adult. One adult may accompany multiple children.

Facilitator: Farah Rahman

Price: €10

Discover the darkroom and make analogue prints using a coffee-based developer.

On Friday 28 August, Club Caffenol takes over the Hein Wertheimer darkroom at the Nederlands Fotomuseum. During this Summer School for young people aged 15 to 18, participants learn how to make their own analogue photographic prints.

Under the guidance of photographer Leonie Gossens, participants create photograms by placing negatives and other materials directly onto light-sensitive photographic paper. No camera or previous darkroom experience is required. Using light, photographic paper and found materials, participants experiment with shape, transparency and composition.

The prints are developed using Caffenol-C, a homemade, environmentally friendly photographic developer with coffee as a key ingredient.

Through programmes in the darkroom, the Nederlands Fotomuseum aims to pass on knowledge of photographic developing and printing to a new generation of image-makers.

Practical information

Date: Friday 28 August 2026

Time: 10 AM–1 PM

Location: Hein Wertheimer darkroom, Nederlands Fotomuseum

Age: 15–18 years

Number of participants: Maximum 6

Facilitator: Leonie Gossens / Club Caffenol

Price: €25. Museum admission is free for participants.

Experience: No previous experience with a camera or darkroom is required.

What to bring: Flat or translucent materials for making photograms, such as dried flowers and plants, lace, textiles or other found materials. Participants who have black-and-white negatives are welcome to bring them. Please wear clothes that can be washed if necessary.

Do you have a Rotterdampas Vakantiepaspoort? Visit the Nederlands Fotomuseum this summer and pick up a free activity booklet to explore the Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography.

Children aged 4 to 12 will search for shapes, faces, shadows and details. Along the way, they’ll discover how a negative works, spot silhouettes throughout the exhibition and explore emotions in photographs.

Answer the final question and hand in your completed booklet at the front desk. Got the right answer? You can pick a surprise.

Practical information
Age: 4–12 years
Price: Free
Location: Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography (first floor)
Available at: the front desk

Good to know: admission is free for everyone up to and including the age of 17.

Join us for a walk through Rotterdam with your analogue camera.

During this edition of the Nederlands Fotomuseum Photowalks, you will head out with an analogue camera. Guided by @eyeeyegreg, you will walk from Cameralisatie to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. Along the way, you will shoot a specially produced roll of film with 12 exposures. This photowalk is a collaboration between the Nederlands Fotomuseum and Cameralisatie.

During the walk, you will look at the city around you in a different way. You will notice people, places, details and moments you might normally pass by. The walk ends at the Nederlands Fotomuseum, where you can leave your film in the dropbox for development. Afterwards, you can visit the museum and see the exhibitions Good Food and Quickscan 3. You are also welcome to stay for lunch at ZES, at your own expense.

Bring your empty 35mm analogue camera. The walk is approximately 3 to 4 kilometres, so wear comfortable shoes and keep an eye on the weather.

Practical information

Dates: Sunday 9 August and Sunday 30 August
Start time: 11:00
Starting point: Cameralisatie, Oostzeedijk Beneden 203D, Rotterdam
End point: Nederlands Fotomuseum
Duration: approximately 2 hours
Number of participants: maximum 10
What to bring: an empty analogue 35mm camera
Guided by: @eyeeyegreg

This activity is a collaboration between the Nederlands Fotomuseum and Cameralisatie.

Registration and payment are handled by Cameralisatie.

Two new exhibitions are now on view at the Nederlands Fotomuseum. Good Food: A Journey Through the World of Food and Resilience explores how photography tells stories about food, agriculture and resilience. In Quickscan 3: Photography Now, twenty photographers and visual artists working in the Netherlands explore what photography can be today.