Overcoming Anxiety: Photographing the 40th Summer Carnival Parade in Rotterdam

Aug 26

On July 27th, I visited the Summer Carnival Parade in Rotterdam. Every year, people from various countries participate in this vibrant event. This year marked the 40th anniversary of the Summer Carnival in Rotterdam.

Last year, I didn’t feel comfortable attending this large parade due to my anxiety. But this year, I managed to go! I was eager to photograph the event, but the thought of it terrified me. Just days before, I had tried to take photos at a funfair but was so overwhelmed with fear that my boyfriend ended up carrying the camera instead of me. What scared me most was the possibility that people might notice me taking photos and not appreciate it. My real fear was that someone might confront me, angry and upset, and I wouldn’t know how to respond. Worse still, I feared that such an encounter would make me never want to take my camera out in public again. Despite not taking any photos at the funfair, I decided to bring my camera to the carnival parade and give it a shot. Get it…? Shot…

Before attending, I did some research on how to photograph a parade. A blog article by Nick Kelsh provided me with some valuable tips. He suggested arriving early to find a good spot with a simple background. On the day of the parade, I followed this advice, but instead of walking the entire route to find a spot, I used Google Maps’ street view the day before to scout a location. I found a slight bend in the street with an open space around it, ensuring that no tall buildings would block the light.

The day of the parade, I arrived at my chosen spot before the parade started. When I got there, I knew I had found a great location. The slight bend in the road made it easier to photograph the parade head-on as it approached. Although there was a tall building nearby, it was on the shaded side, allowing me to photograph with the sun behind my camera. Another reason this spot was ideal was a planter with seating around it, offering a place to sit if needed or to take photos from a higher angle (though I later found I didn’t like the higher angle).

As the parade slowly approached, more photographers began to gather around me. This was when I felt confident I had picked an excellent spot.

Nick Kelsh’s blog post also suggested joining the parade for better shots. While I understand how this could lead to great photos, it was far outside my comfort zone. I was already nervous just standing on the sidelines with my camera. I watched another photographer step into the parade, sit in the middle of the street, and shoot without worrying about what others might think—while being respectful and not obstructing the parade, of course. At that moment, I felt a pang of jealousy and knew that this was something I wanted to work towards.

Even though I wasn’t joining the parade, trying different angles, or asking people to pose, I reminded myself that I had already taken a big step out of my comfort zone by simply bringing my camera to the parade and using it.

Despite my nerves and anxiety, I managed to take 1,381 photos in just a few hours. Initially, I felt very uncomfortable, but once I started shooting, there was no stopping me. In the end, I truly enjoyed photographing the parade and its participants. Everyone was dressed beautifully, the music was amazing, and the atmosphere was full of warmth. Overall, this was a wonderful experience and challenge—a significant step toward a better, more confident future.

My top 10 photos:

Below you’ll find my top 10 photos of the 40th summer carnival parade in Rotterdam. If you would like to see more images from this parade, have a look at my gallery where you can find 50 photos, or my Instagram page where I posted over 200 photos.