The Rumps and Sandymouth - Classic Cornwall Coastal Photography Locations
In the blog this week I take you to two of Cornwall’s classic coastal locations.
Sometimes You Just Have to Go for It
Most landscape photographers will tell you that having a plan is a good way of increasing your chances of getting a good shot. I am no different. However, there are times when you just need to put things like the weather forecast to one side and just go for it.
I had been trying to schedule a meet up with a photographer friend in Cornwall but with work conflicts and rubbish weather forecasts, weeks were going by, and we weren’t any closer to meeting up. So, we decided not to worry too much about the weather and just take a chance. At the end of the day, even if the photography wasn’t that great, we will have met up, had a chat and got some chips.
The Rumps
On the first of our recent meetups for chips, chat, and photography we decided to head to a location known as The Rumps. I hadn’t shot The Rumps for a couple of years, so I was excited to be going back. The weather forecast was difficult to judge though. The tide was at a good height but the difference between a good shot and a great shot would very much depend on the light from the setting sun.
As we walked along the southwest coast path, I was reminded why I love photographing the Cornish coast and that in 2022 I should try to photograph it more. Lockdown had forced me to photograph Dartmoor more (which is no bad thing) but there is something special about Cornwall’s coastline.
We did a quick assessment of the light, and while we both felt that walking onto The Rumps themselves would provide us with some different looking photographs, the conditions very much favoured the classic viewpoint. All we needed to do was wait for the light. And wait we did. The time flew by though as we chatted away about photography and Star Wars and everything in between.
As the clouds danced across the sky, they kept tempting us with the chance of brilliant light, and just for a very brief time, it lit up the foreground. It was gone as quick as it arrived, but I was ready and captured this image.
The Rumps, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 20 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL and ND. Raw file processed using DxO PureRAW 2.
It might be the only shot from the night, but it still represents a very enjoyable evening. I’m not sure it would have been worth the drive if it hadn’t been for the chips and chat though!
Sandymouth
The following week it was the same again as we started the evening with chips and chat. Hey, why mess with a great formula! This time we decided to head up to Sandymouth where my mate had spotted a potentially good composition a few days before. Never underestimate the power of local knowledge. I was more than happy to trust his judgement so with a belly full of chips we headed up the coast to Sandymouth.
I’ve photographed Sandymouth a few times now. It’s a location that offers a surprisingly varied number of compositions. There are rows of rocks that look like mountain ranges stretching out to sea and on the other side of the beach, you can find some amazing sea pools in the sand (if you get lucky with the conditions).
What made the composition my friend had spotted interesting was the combination of sand and rocks. Of particular interest was the sand though. There were some beautiful ripples in the sand, which, if they caught the light, it could look spectacular.
As we waited for the light, we started to get a little nervous. Not for the reasons you might think. Like most beaches in Cornwall, Sandymouth is open to the public. That means people, dogs, and dragons. OK, I’m joking about the dragons, but you get the point. There is always the risk that a person, or more likely a dog, will run through the pristine sand we were hoping to photograph.
Fortunately for us, the beach was deserted so our precious sand remained untouched allowing us to make the most of the soft light from the setting sun.
Ripples of Time, Sandymouth, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 23 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL and ND. Raw file processed using DxO PureRAW 2.
As with the photo we took at The Rumps, this was the only composition we properly photographed but I think it was worth hanging out at that spot. Sometimes staying in one spot is the best thing to do.
I hope you enjoyed the photographs from these two Cornish coastal locations. If you are ever in the area, they are both well worth photographing.
Bite-Size Blog Post #11 - No More Sandymouth
For the last time this year (probably), I head to Sandymouth to see if I can finally kick start a project I’m working on.
What Is It About Sandymouth Anyway?
It’s not unusual for me to write about a location I’ve visited before but what makes this post about Sandymouth different is that it is the 3rd one in a relatively brief period of time. While I was happy with the images I shared in blog posts Bite-Size Blog Post #3 - Sandymouth and Bite-Size Blog Post #10 - More Sandymouth I still had the need to return.
My return to Sandymouth for a 3rd time was nothing to do with a lack of inspiration or imagination but the desire to start a new photography project. I’ve had the idea for the project for a long time now but have failed to find a location that will give me what I’m looking for. Though I had visited Sandymouth a couple of years before it was the 1st of my recent visits that potentially gave me what I was looking for.
Charged and inspired I returned for a 2nd visit only to find I had completely misjudged the tides. I still managed to capture images I was happy with but not what I needed. I, therefore, planned for a 3rd and final visit. I say final because sunset times were getting earlier and soon I wouldn’t have time to make the 90-minute drive to Sandymouth before I lost the light.
I was full of optimism for my 3rd visit but I already knew it was going to be very tight with the tide height for the shots I wanted. Unfortunately for me, I had pushed my luck too far and the tide was still a little too high to allow me to capture the shots I needed before it was dark.
I’m not saying the trip was a right off. Far from it! I got some images I was pretty happy with. They just weren’t what I needed for my project. You might be wondering what the project is? Well, I’ll tell you all about it very soon….hopefully.
Into the Blue #1. Sandymouth Beach, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 1 second at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser and ND grad.
Into the Blue #2. Sandymouth Beach, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 6 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser and ND grad.
Into the Blue #3. Sandymouth Beach, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/13, 13 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser and ND grad.
Bite-Size Blog Post #10 - More Sandymouth
Eager to return to Sandymouth to start a photography project I get another difficult lesson on understanding tides.
A Tide Table Is Not Enough
Back in August, I wrote about my experience of not appreciating how high a high tide was at Sandymouth Beach. With most of the beach cut off because of the high tide, I was lucky to get the photographs I did. When I recently decided to return to Sandymouth beach to start a photography project I was keen not to repeat my previous mistakes.
While I captured images of the rocks on that last visit, I was eager to get images of the sandy part of the beach this time. I have shot this part of the beach before and the images I captured of the sand patterns and pools had inspired me to return.
I already knew that to get photographs of the sand it would need to be a low tide. What I hadn’t appreciated was how low it needed to be. If I’d done a simple check of the historical tide data from my last shoot of the sand, I would have noticed how low the tide needed to be.
When I arrived at Sandymouth I was surprised to see that the sandy part of the beach was already covered in water! The low tide I had looked up wasn’t that low for Sandymouth. As the tide was coming in the situation wasn’t going to change in my favour either. I was going to have to switch tactics. I decided that I would instead shoot the rocks that I’d shot previously. However, the tide was a bit far out for that!
So, it was back to square one for me and I had to do a little bit of exploring to see what else I could find. You can see the photographs I did manage to capture below. More important than the photographs was the lesson I learnt.
Tide tables only tell half the story. The tide at beaches like Sandymouth has a huge reach. When they are out, they are miles out and when they are in it can be up to the cliffs. From all my experiences of shooting at Sandymouth I have learnt that I need specific tide heights for specific subjects. Knowing if the tide is going in or out isn’t enough.
Next time I visit, I will pick a time where the tide is going to support my creative vision!
Sandymouth Rock Channels #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/11, 0.5 seconds at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Sandymouth Rock Channels #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/11, 3.0 seconds at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Sandymouth Rock Channels #3, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/9, 1 seconds at ISO 200, Kase K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Bite-Size Blog Post #3 - Sandymouth
In this Bite-Size Blog post I share with you the photographs I captured after a near disastrous trip to Sandymouth Beach in Cornwall.
Sandymouth Beach, Cornwall
Yes, another week, another Cornish Beach to photograph. However, this trip was almost a disaster! My original plan was to go there and photograph the patterns in the sand that sometimes get left by the receding tide. Like my previous visits that you see here and here.
With high tide at 7:30 pm and sunset around 9:30 pm I thought my timing would be perfect. The only thing I thought I had to worry about would be people walking all over the freshly washed sand. How wrong was I! When I arrived at 7:30 pm I realised just how high the tide gets there. There was no beach to photograph. Even with two hours to go before sunset I still wasn’t sure there would be anything to photograph.
I stuck with it and as 9 pm came around some of trock formations started to make an appearance. I wouldn’t be photographing the sand pools that I was hoping for, but these lines of rock might just save the day. The forecast was for clear skies but just as I was able to access the beach the sun disappeared behind a bank of cloud. I wasn’t going to let that put me off though and I got to work capturing these images.
I have since made a note in my location library for Sandymouth not to visit at high tide!
Sandymouth Rocks #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1.6 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
Sandymouth Rocks #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1.3 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
Sandymouth Rocks #3, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1.3 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
Sandymouth Rocks #4, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 4 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
Sandymouth Rocks #5, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 2.5 seconds at ISO 100, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations in Cornwall
What are the best locations in Cornwall for landscape photography? In this blog article, I'm going to show you 3 GREAT landscape photography locations in Cornwall that I think will inspire you to photograph Cornwall.
Landscape Photography in Cornwall
When it comes to landscape photography in Cornwall, where do you start? With so many amazing and inspiring locations to pick from it can be a challenge selecting locations to visit. So a few months ago I decided to put together a video of 3 locations that I think you should visit. It's not a top 3 or best 3, but just 3 great locations that I think will inspire your landscape photography.
After driving hundreds of miles, dealing with challenging weather, and hours of editing I'm delighted to be able to share with you my video, 3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations in Cornwall.
A Bonus 4th Location
Gurnard's Head was probably one of the most challenging locations I visited while creating this video. It was so windy that it made shooting video and taking images very difficult. However, I thought it was a great location and worth sharing as your bonus 4th location.
More Information on Those Locations
If you want a bit more information on these amazing locations or the images from the video, then I've already published blog posts on the featured locations:
Sandymouth Beach - this blog post was written before I shot the video, but it still has location information in it plus a couple of photographs to inspire you to visit.
All Those Landscape Photographs
For your viewing pleasure here are all the photographs from all 4 locations:
Even More Landscape Photography Locations in Cornwall
If those 4 great Cornish locations weren't enough for you, I've also compiled a playlist of all my other videos that I've made from locations in Cornwall. Enjoy!
What Next?
Though the creation of this video was quite the effort I would like to do more videos like this. I'm already planning one for Dartmoor, but are there any other others in the south-west you would like me to do a similar video on? Or where there any locations in Cornwall that you think I should visit? Let me know in the comments below.
Sandymouth Beach
Does bad weather inspire your landscape photography? In the blog this week I head out to Sandymouth beach in Cornwall to discover that inspiration can be found even in the dullest of evenings.
Friendship over Photography
When it comes to weather forecasts I tend air on the side of optimism. I often find myself looking at different forecasts to find one that gives me the best outlook. Sometimes those risks can really pay off. However, there are some weather forecasts that are just so poor that you'd have to be mad to go out.
In the world of landscape photography there aren't many more things that are a depressing as going to a location that has a forecast of 100% low cloud coverage and heavy showers. But that's exactly what I did recently.
So why would I drive all the way to Cornwall when the weather forecast was so rubbish? To see a mate of course! It had been a couple of months since I'd see my friend and as he is a photographer also, we are always looking for an excuse to head out with the cameras. The trouble was the weather forecast was rubbish.
Though we were both keen to do some photography, the lure of chips, chat and the chance to finalise our plans for an upcoming photography trip won the day and we decide to meet up anyway. We would of course both turn up with cameras, just in case the weather wasn't that bad.
Beach Life, Cornwall
Even with a hefty sense of optimism there was no way we were going to commit to a big drive given the weather conditions, so we decided to settle for a local location. I had never visited Sandymouth beach before so when it was suggested we go there I jumped at the chance.
When we arrived at the beach we were surprised to see the car park completely empty. Even on the worst of evenings you normally see a dog walker or two on the beach. It soon became apparent why no one was here as a heavy rain shower came overhead. There was nothing else to do but to sit in the car, eat chips and discuss all the latest mirrorless camera news from Canon and Nikon.
Once the chips were done and the rain shower passed we thought we might as well take a walk along the beach and see if anything catches our eye. It soon became obvious why my friend comes to this location. Miles of sandy beach, sea pools, and rocks could all be used to make some very interesting compositions. Despite the poor weather I felt really inspired and decided to get my camera out!
Tidal Pools at Sandymouth Beach, Cornwall - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 20 mm, 1.6 secs at ISO 64, f/11, Lee Filters ND Grad.
Out to Sea, Sandymouth Beach, Cornwall - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 20 mm, 5 secs at ISO 64, f/11, Lee Filters ND Grad.
As you can see the weather had cleared just enough to make the sky a bit more interesting, but it was those pools of water that really caught my eye. It's not that I think those images are amazing, it's more that I think how great the future possibilities of this location might be. With some evening light and the sky being reflected in one of those pools, I think it could make for a great image. As the beach is a constantly changing thing, I could end up with a unique image on every visit.
I had been searching for a interesting beach location for a while, and one that wasn't too far away. Despite the poor weather, I was really inspired by this location and I will definitely be heading back there again soon. Just shows how you get can inspired even in the dullest of conditions.
Do you get inspired in sorts of weather? What is your favourite beach location? Let me know in the comments below