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# 038 - Amsterdam in Summer
- URL: https://www.luisnatera.photo/038-amsterdam-in-summer/
- Published: 2026-06-22T20:38:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-22T20:38:35.000Z
- Description: A storm, a heatwave, and the canals came alive. Amsterdam in summer, where sunbathers and wedding suits share the same dock.
- Author: Luis Natera
- Tags: newsletter, street photography, amsterdam

I was thinking about what to write this week, and the weekend gave me enough material. It started on Friday, with a storm that brought more than [150,000 lightning discharges](https://nltimes.nl/2026/06/21/netherlands-saw-188000-lightning-discharges-weekend-knmi-calls-exceptional?ref=luisnatera.photo) in The Netherlands, and a [heatwave](https://www.dw.com/en/severe-heat-wave-sweeps-europe-triggering-alerts-and-disruptions/a-77648446?ref=luisnatera.photo) that brought temperatures above 30ºC. Something not that common in this country.

![Woman cycling barefoot in a sarong down an Amsterdam street on a sunny summer day](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/06/DSCF7485.jpg)

![Person reading in an orange folding chair by an Amsterdam canal, houseboats and traditional houses in the background](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/06/DSCF7487.jpg)

![Cyclists framed through a dark archway, motion blur, Amsterdam canal and buildings visible in the bright sunlight beyond](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/06/DSCF7492.jpg)

Sunny weather also means people enjoying the canals. [Amsterdam is a city of water](https://www.luisnatera.photo/011-amsterdam-at-750-what-it-means-to-call-it-home/), it has more bridges and canals than Venice. With good weather, the canals transform from the background of the city to the main activity. From sailing to jumping in.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/06/DSCF7506.jpg) 

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What I find interesting about shooting the canals is that they change along with the seasons, and summer brings life into them. The scenes mix in ways you wouldn’t see anywhere else. People navigating the canals, BBQs in boats, kids and adults jumping from bridges. Everyone ends up in the same frame.

![Two people sunbathing in a small boat on an Amsterdam canal, seen from above](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/06/DSCF7500.jpg)

![Man jumping off a stone canal wall into the water in Amsterdam](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/06/DSCF7509.jpg)

As I [walked and cycled around](https://www.luisnatera.photo/029-walking-and-seeing/) on Saturday, I tried to capture some of these scenes. The obvious ones, people swimming, to the unique ones, like people sunbathing on the dock while others wear full suits for a wedding, [all coexisting in the same spot](https://www.luisnatera.photo/017-how-outdoor-benches-blur-public-and-private-space-in-amsterdam/). That’s the beauty of the city.

![People sunbathing on a wooden dock by the Amstel river, a man in a full suit standing among them](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/06/DSCF7521.jpg)

![Busy Amsterdam canal-side scene with cyclists, a dog walker, and houseboats on a summer day](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/06/DSCF7527.jpg)

![Family on a classic Dutch boat cruising an Amsterdam canal, graffiti wall in the background](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/06/DSCF7539.jpg)

The storm on Friday felt like the city was getting cleaned. By Saturday the city was at its best, and everyone was outside to enjoy it. The way cities should be lived.