Start Point - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure from the South West Coast Path
Grab yourself a cup of coffee because it's time for another 5 Minute Photo Adventure! In this episode, I head to one of my favourite South West Coast Path locations, Start Point Lighthouse in south Devon.
The Challenge of Getting There
There’s only one problem with going to photograph Start Point on the south Devon coast and that’s the effort required to get there. It’s not so much the 50-mile driving distance (37 miles as the crow flies), but more with the time it takes to get there. The journey time for me takes around 90 minutes and while I’m no stranger to making such journeys for the benefit of my landscape photography, it’s the roads that make the journey more challenging.
Once I leave the A38 and start driving towards Kingsbridge the quality and width of the roads start to reduce. Nothing to bad (for Devon standards) but after Kingsbridge things get dull. Lots of small villages with low-speed limits and that last five miles just seems to take an age. It’s not so bad when you are shooting sunrise as there is a lot less traffic, but during the day when you can get caught behind a tractor or a broken-down cement truck and it all becomes very boring.
However, all those complaints about the roads all disappear when you park your car and step out to one of the finest views along the South West Coast Path. Once I’m there, breathing in that glorious sea air I couldn’t care less about how long it took me to get there.
Risk vs Reward
With the apparent extra effort it seems to take to get to Start Point, I don’t go there as much as I might like to. Unlike some other coastal locations where I’ll just take a punt, I’m always looking for favourable conditions before I commit to the drive. Even with a good forecast, there is no guarantee of interesting conditions. There is always an element of risk vs reward. This is especially true when the conditions are a bit stormy or unsettled. In terms of capturing photographs, heading out in these types of conditions is risky, but the rewards can be amazing.
Back in December, I decided that I wanted to return to Start Point and capture some photographs looking at the peninsula from the west. I had checked out this viewpoint a couple of times, but the forecast was predicting some unsettled weather and the opportunity to capture this location with setting sun and some big clouds were too tempting to ignore.
Knowing very well that I could spend 3 hours in the car to end up with not a lot to show for it at the end, I packed my camera bag and set off regardless. Here is how I got on.
I hope you enjoyed my 5 Minute Photo Adventure to Start Point. While the conditions weren’t as dramatic as I might have hoped, I still came away with some images that made the trip worthwhile.
Do you have any locations that seem to be “harder” than others to get to? Let me know in the comments below.
Start Point Photographs
As always here are the photographs you saw me capture in the video. Enjoy!
Sunset at Start Point #1, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 44mm, f/11, 1.6 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND.
Sunset at Start Point #2, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 39mm, f/11, 2 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND.
Sunset at Start Point #3, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 44mm, f/11, 13 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Rippon Tor - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure on Dartmoor
In the blog this week I head up to Rippon Tor to shoot sunrise and I also share with you what I think the key to making a successful landscape photography video is.
Rippon Tor, Sunrise and Fog
There are few better ways to start the day than by grabbing your camera and heading up to one of your favourite viewpoints on Dartmoor to watch the sunrise. Fortunately, at this time of year sunrise is at a time where it doesn’t feel unnatural to be awake. I think back to some of the early alarm calls I had this summer to get up for sunrise. No one should be waking up at 3:30 am!
I’m fortunate to live close to Dartmoor so when the weather conditions don’t turn out how I expect them, I don’t feel I’ve wasted a lot of time. Even then, any morning up on Dartmoor is a positive experience regardless of how the photos turned out. My most recent visits to Rippon Tor hadn’t yielded the types of images I wanted to get from this location so when I saw fog was forecast one Sunday morning that was all the encouragement I needed to return.
I’d seen forecasts of fog for the Haytor area before but thanks to those micro-climates you find on Dartmoor, I’d often arrive there to find none. My most recent visit was slightly different though as there was a thick bank of fog in the valley below Emsworthy Tor. As exciting as this was, it wasn’t really in a position where I felt I could take a good photograph. If the conditions hadn’t looked more favourable up on Rippon Tor, I might have taken a risk and done some exploring.
As I approached the summit of Rippon Tor, I could see another bank of thick sea fog that would prevent me from getting the light just as the sun broke over the horizon. I had made the poor choice of leaving too early from Rippon Tor last time there was a lot of cloud and fog out at sea, only for the sun to break through as I descended. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake this time.
In this 5 Minute Photo Adventure, you can see how I got on on my latest visit and I also share with you what I think the secret is to creating a successful landscape photography video. Enjoy!
Do you find it difficult to get accurate fog forecasts? What’s your favourite type of foggy photograph to take? Let me know in the comments below.
Rippon Tor Photographs
Here are the images you see me capture in the video. Enjoy!
Rippon Tor at Dawn #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 28mm, f/11, 1.6 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, 4:5 crop.
Rippon Tor at Dawn #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 25mm, f/11, 1.3 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
Rippon Tor at Dawn #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/11, 1 second at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, 4:5 crop.
Rippon Tor at Dawn #4, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/11, 1/5th second at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, 16:9 crop.
East Dartmoor - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this 5 Minute Photo Adventure I head out to east Dartmoor to capture some autumnal landscape photographs.
Discovering Dartmoor
I’ve been photographing Dartmoor for many years and yet I’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to exploring this amazing national park. There are some areas that I have yet to visit and some that I have explored and photographed numerous times. One of the locations that falls into the latter category is Haytor. There are many locations around the Haytor area worth photographing including Emsworthy Tor where I undertook a project to photograph it every month for a year (click here to see how I got on).
Just a short distance from Haytor is an area known as Trendlebere Down. I discovered this area of east Dartmoor while looking for some new locations to walk my dog. On my first visit, I was instantly captivated by this beautiful location and it was made even more stunning by the vibrant autumn colours. How did I not know about this place before? I knew I would have to return with the camera.
Over the autumn period, I visited this location numerous times and I was also inspired to create one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos. While filming the overcast and windy conditions made the photography challenging but I still wanted to share a small portion of what this location has to offer.
I hope you enjoy this 5 Minute Photo Adventure video and it will inspire you to look more closely at an area you know well. You never know what you might discover.
Autumn on Dartmoor Photographs
Here are the photographs you saw in the video. Enjoy!
Bridge Over the Bovey #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/8, 2.5 seconds at ISO 64.
Bridge Over the Bovey #, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/8, 0.5 seconds at ISO 400.
Autumn on Trendlebere #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/6.3, 1/4 seconds at ISO 800.
In the Danger Zone
In this 5 Minute Photo Adventure, I head further and deeper into Dartmoor National Park than I've ever been before. I leave civilisation and walk along open moorland for an hour until I reach the Danger Zone! There I find a new location to photograph and I experience some wild Dartmoor weather.
That Looks Interesting
Some days I have a clear plan of where and what I’m going to shoot. I go out with conviction and even though it might not turn out how I had hoped, I know I gave it my best shot. There are also days where I just sit in front of my computer scratching my head on what to do. This indecision is often caused by a weather forecast that doesn’t favour any particular location or scene.
It’s these times that I often look to try and go somewhere new. I’m taking a risk with the weather so I might as well take a risk on a new location. Though I’ve got plenty of locations on my custom Google Map that I haven’t visited, this time I decided to check through my back catalogue of Outdoor Photography magazines instead.
As I browsed my collection of magazines with a cup of coffee, a location called Oke Tor on Dartmoor caught my eye. I looked it up on OS Maps and saw that it was just a little bit further on from one of my favourite locations, Belstone Tor. I also noticed that Oke Tor was just inside the Okehampton military danger zone so I made sure to check if the zone would be inactive before making any further plans. Fortunately, no firing was planned so I made plans to enter the danger zone!
With plans made to visit a new location and with the weather forecast predicting anything from clear blue skies to heavy rain showers I thought it might be an adventure worth filming. While it is always nice to show a polished video with great images, I’ve always said that I wanted to show a realistic side of landscape photography on this blog as well.
While the video below is a bit rough and ready, and the photographs are not my best work, I wanted to share with you the adventure of going somewhere new for the first time, battling the weather and grabbing those early compositions. I hope you enjoy it!
Oke Tor (Dartmoor) Photographs
Oke Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/11, 0.4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Oke Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/11, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Oke Tor #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/11, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Oke Tor #4, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/14, 1/3 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Oke Tor #5, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/11, 1/3 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Oke Tor #6, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/11, 1/3 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Remembering Why I Love Photography - Dawlish Warren
Grab yourself a cup of coffee because it's time for another 5 Minute Photo Adventure! In this episode, I head to Dawlish Warren where I reminded that it's always worth hanging on for just another 5 minutes. Even after all these years, landscape photography can still surprise and delight me.
Just Another 5 Minutes
Over the years I have produced fifteen 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos, but I’ve never made one from Dawlish Warren. This is a bit odd as it is the location, I photograph the most every year. You’ll find many blog posts on this website that feature Dawlish Warren, and it has been the location for many videos. However, I don’t think it’s ever been the primary feature of a video and it’s never featured in its own 5 Minute Photo Adventure.
A few weeks ago (14th March to be precise), I had a little spare time and after checking the weather forecast, I thought that a dawn shoot from Dawlish Warren might yield some nice results. This would also be the perfect opportunity to feature Dawlish Warren in a 5 Minute Photo Adventure.
I’m not going to write too much here about my time at Dawlish Warren because I’ll only be repeating what is in the video. The one thing I will say is that it pays to be patient. The conditions at the point of sunrise weren’t great and I wasn’t expecting to get any nice light. While I was enjoying my time on the beach, I was ready to call it a day on the photography.
Experience has taught me though that it is sometimes worth holding on a little longer past sunrise/sunset and that’s exactly what I did. Once the sun broke over the lower cloud I got some glorious light and I captured some of my favourite ever images from Dawlish Warren. Sure, a little more cloud in the higher reaches of the sky would have made the photos even better, but I cannot fault the experience of being there and having the opportunity to capture those images.
I really hope you enjoy my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure from Dawlish Warren and if you scroll down a little further you’ll be able to see the images from the video in a bit more detail. Let me know which image is your favourite in the comments below.
The Photographs
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 5 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #2, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 10 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #3, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 25mm, f/13, 8 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 20mm, f/13, 0.4 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Practising Landscape Photography and Risk vs Reward
Is there value in practising your landscape photography? Do you consider risk vs reward? In the blog this week, I head to Belstone on Dartmoor National Park to capture some landscape photographs and to answer those questions.
The Value of Practising Landscape Photography
In the blog last week I spoke about the need to practise landscape photography. That trip to Dawlish Warren beach was my first trip out to capture landscape photographs in over a month. I certainly felt a little rusty so I was keen to keep the momentum going so I decided to head out again as soon as I could.
I decided I would head out a couple of days later and instead of shooting the coast again I opted to head up onto Dartmoor. The weather conditions weren’t exactly ideal for landscape photography. The forecast was predicting 100% clear skies (everywhere) and sub zero conditions.
Despite the weather forecast I was committed to going out and getting some practise in with the camera. Practising photography became really important to me after watching this video by John Free. I know John is a street photographer but the message is clear. It’s probably one of the most important photography videos I’ve ever watched.
Risk vs Reward
While the goal of my trip to Dartmoor was to practise my photography, I was still hoping to get some good photographs. This is where the risk vs reward bit comes in. It’s rare that the weather forecast is 100% accurate or the conditions are predicted to be perfect for landscape photography (whatever perfect might be), so there is always an element of risk.
Sometimes the risk is part of the excitement though. If you always knew what the the conditions were exactly going to do then some of the joy of landscape photography would be lost. While the forecast conditions wouldn’t necessarily yield a great photography, if I didn’t take the risk of going I might miss something special.
So did my trip to Dartmoor pay off? You find out in the video below where you will see the images I took and hear me talk more about the value in practising photography and risk vs reward. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed that 5 Minute Photo Adventure <insert playlist URL>. Do you practise your landscape photography? How do you measure risk vs reward? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
As always here are the photographs from the video.
Dawn at Belstone #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
Dawn at Belstone #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1/13 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
Mountain Landscape Photography - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure from Ben Cruachan
The ascent of a Munro is a rare treat for me these days so I was really excited when I recently got the chance to walk up Ben Cruachan to do some mountain landscape photography in the Scottish Highlands.
Hill Walking in Scotland
It’s rare for me to have the opportunity to walk up a Munro these days. I live hundreds of miles away from the nearest one, and when I am in Scotland it’s usually for a family holiday and so disappearing for a day in the mountains can be a little tricky.
I almost managed an ascent of a 3000+ ft Scottish mountain last year but some unexpected snowfall put all of the Munros out of reach due to my lack in snowy mountain skills. So when I planned a return visit to Scotland over Easter, I was eager try and squeeze in an ascent.
As is the way with family holidays though, my time was squeezed, so I had to select a mountain that I could do in a few hours!
Photography from the Summit of Ben Cruachan
When selecting which mountain I was going to walk up I need only have looked out the window from where I was holidaying. Ben Cruachan, standing at 1126 m high, it definitely qualifies as a Munro, and I could make a quick ascent and still be back down before it got too dark.
In order to get up to the summit in time for sunset I need to strip my backpack down to essential camera gear. So I just took my Nikon D850, my Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8, my tripod, and a few filters. I had considered taking the drone but the wind was too strong. (Though it was very still at the summit….how annoying!)
I also decided to take my vlogging camera because I thought my little mountain adventure would make for a great 5 Minute Photo Adventure. So if you want to see how I got on, then check out my video below:
It was unfortunate that the conditions weren’t a little better. The sun really fizzled out in the haze along the horizon so I didn’t get much in the way of light on the mountains. However, just watching that dramatic sky from such an amazing location was reward enough for me.
Do you ever get the chance to combine landscape photography with hill walking? What’s your favourite hill or mountain? Let me know in the comments below.
Landscape Photographs from Ben Cruachan
Before I go here are the photographs you saw me capture in the video.
Drochaid Ghlas from Ben Cruachan, Argyll, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 24, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64.
Stob Dearg from Ben Cruachan, Argyll, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 24mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64.
Glencoe Landscape Photography - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this coffee break length video I head to the Three Sisters in Glencoe for a spot of landscape photography. Unfortunately the conditions were a little windy. Did that put me off? Of course not!
Short, Sweet, and Very Windy
When I go on a family holiday to Scotland I often make grand plans for some landscape photography adventures. The reality is that these plans rarely come to fruition and I have to scale things back. With the time I do have for photography I do try and cram in as much as possible.
This year I was on holiday not far from Glencoe so when my family suggested we head to there for a pub lunch at the Clachaig Inn. I thought there would be a great opportunity to finish the day with a little bit of landscape photography. With the family safely heading back home I decided to hit some of the photographic highlights of Glencoe. Unfortunately, the weather conditions were going to somewhat dampen my plans.
Well, I say dampen, but rain would have been very welcome. In all my excitement about photographing Glencoe I had forgotten that it hadn’t rained there in over a week. In fact, it had been hot and sunny all week. As most of my favourite spots for landscape photography in Glencoe involve water of some kind, this made things very challenging.
I wanted the video to cover three locations, but every location I visited looked horrible and dry. As it got closer to sunset I decided to head to a viewpoint that would allow me to capture an image of the Three Sisters. Unluckily for me though the weather had other ideas!
I do hope you enjoyed this short video. Do you have a favourite location in Glencoe? Have you ever taken photographs in very windy conditions? Let me know in the comments below.
Those Photographs
Here are the photographs you saw in the video.
Beinn Fhada and Gearr Aonach, Glencoe, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 VR at 25 mm, f/10. 1/8th sec at ISO 64.
Gearr Aonach, Glencoe, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 31 mm, f/13. 1/4th sec at ISO 64.
The Three Sisters - Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach, and Aonach Dubh, Glencoe, Scotland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 VR at 16 mm, f/13. 0.6 sec at ISO 64.
Looking Back
All this talk of Glencoe has made me think about the last time I made a video there, so I thought it would be a good time to share that video again:
Wengen, Switzerland - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In the blog this week I’m in Wengen in Switerzland doing a little bit of landscape photography in the snow!
Why Wengen, Switzerland?
If you are a regular reader of my blog or viewer of my YouTube channel, you will know that most of my adventures are based in the south west of England or occasionally in the wider parts of the UK. It’s rare that I’m on some epic international photography expedition!
My visit to Wengen in Switzerland over the festive period actually had nothing to do with landscape photography. I was actually there on a family holiday. A time to relax, eat too much food, drink a lot of glühwein, and maybe hit the slopes for a bit of skiing and snowboarding. This holiday was definitely not a photography trip.
I’ll Take a Camera Just in Case
No matter where I go, or who with, I normally have some sort of camera with me. It could be my current phone, the OnePlus 6, or my trusty old Sony RX100 M4, but it’s rare that I take my D850 with me on a family holiday. On a family holiday I generally don’t have enough time to spare to dedicate to landscape photography, and besides, sometimes you really do need to take a break from all that serious photography stuff!
When I booked the holiday though, I remembered watching a video from Mads Peter Iversen in which he photographed the Lauterbrunnen valley from Wengen. After watching his wonderful video again, I was inspired to photograph that location myself. Where Mads photographed it when it was all green and lush, I could photograph it in the snow.
Hopefully, I would find a spare hour during my holiday so I could get the shot.
On Location
When we arrived in Wengen there was a distinct lack of snow. This wasn’t a problem for my skiing aspirations as the slopes were quite a bit further up the mountain on a cable car or train, but down in the village, the snow cover was sparse. There was some snow cover, but it was patchy and it looked like I would not get any joy with the photography.
Then one morning it snowed and (mostly) covered the ground with a fresh blanket of snow. With no other snowfall forecast for the week, I knew this was my best opportunity to get a photo. Fortunately, I was able to get away that afternoon, capture an image and make another one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos.
Here it is:
And here is the photograph that I took:
Cloud and Snow Along The Lauterbrunnen Valley, Wengen, Switzerland - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 VR at 35mm, f/13, 1/20th sec at ISO 64.
Challenges
It was actually a challenging shoot. As you saw in the video, a layer of cloud enveloped me at one point, there wasn’t quite enough snow to cover the ground completely, and I didn’t get much in the way of light in the valley or sky. However, I did anticipate the challenges of light on the valley and mountains thanks to some early analysis on The Photographer’s Ephemeris.
Despite all the challenges, I’m pretty happy with the photo. It was my first time at the location, I was really limited with what time I did have, and I was trying to video the whole experience! And besides, I had a lot of fun doing it all, and isn’t that the point?
I do hope you enjoyed this (slightly shorter than) 5 Minute Photo Adventure from Switzerland. Have you ever photographed Wengen or Switzerland? What Europeans countries have you photographed, and do you have a favourite? Let me know in the comments below.
Grey Mare's Tail and Loch Skene: A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this blog post, I share with you the story, photographs and video of my time photographing Loch Skeen and Grey Mare's Tail. This is another location I discovered just off the M74.
If you've been reading my blog over the last few weeks you'll have seen that despite being on a family holiday I still managed to capture images from Dalveen Pass, Kilchurn Castle, and Glen Etive. I even managed to make the experiences into some 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos. This was far more photography that I could have hoped for or even planned for.
So when I finally finished my holiday in Scotland and started the journey back I expected that was the end of my photography activities for this holiday. However, as with the idea behind shooting Dalveen Pass, I thought I might be able to do something similar for the journey back.
Amazing scenery but…
So yet again I picked up my copy of Photographing Scotland and looked for a suitable location. Almost on the opposite side of the M74 from Dalveen Pass, I found the location called Grey Mare's Tail. It looked perfect. Only a few miles off my route it had a big waterfall and a beautiful loch. I had a plan. I would drop my family off at Glasgow Airport, drive down the M74 and then stop and grab some images.
I departed for Glasgow Airport early in the morning and I soon started driving along the banks of Loch Awe. To my surprise there the water was calm and there was a lot of low lying mist hanging over the water. I already knew before I got to Kilchurn Castle that the conditions for taking photographs there would almost be perfect. Glassy water, low lying mist and a ruined castle…what more could you want?
It broke my heart to drive past Kilchurn Castle that morning. I could have taken some amazing photographs but I had to get to the airport. There simply wasn't time to stop. The amazing conditions didn't stop there though. All along the route to Glasgow, there was mist and the low-level cloud hanging about over water. As I approached Loch Lomond I was sure there was a cloud inversion and if I'd had time to ascend Ben Lomond I would have been treated to an epic show!
Grey Mare's Tail
It was tough having to drive past all those amazing locations in those weather conditions but that's just the way it is sometimes. However, I dropped off the family at the airport and started my journey to Grey Mare's Tail. When I arrived and saw the waterfall and the surrounding hills I was not disappointed. It looked amazing. Here's what I got up to:
The conditions weren't ideal, and I was really short of time, but this is definitely a location I need to revisit. There is a lot of different spots along the path past the waterfalls and up along the loch side. I wish I could have spent all day there. However, now I know where it is and what to expect, it's definitely getting added to my custom Google locations map.
Have you visited Grey Mare's Tail before? Did you make the ascent all the way up to Loch Skene? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
Here are some of the images I captured during my brief time at Grey Mare's Tail and Loch Skeen (Skene).
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52mm, f/11, 25 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and 10 stop ProGlass IRND.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm, f/11, 13 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and 10 stop ProGlass IRND.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm, f/13, 1/8th seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
PS - The product links used in this article are Amazon affiliate links. By buying through the links I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
Creating Panoramic Images of Glen Etive with a Drone: A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this blog post, I share with you the story, photographs and video of how I went about creating some aerial panoramic images with my DJI Mavic Pro drone.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have told you about my recent photography adventures to the Dalveen Pass, and to Kilchurn Castle. To be honest, given both these adventures were undertaken while on a family holiday I thought I was doing really well. After all, I was supposed to be spending time with my family.
Beinn Duirinnis
Landscape photograph aside one of the things I was most looking forward to doing while visiting Scotland was getting up into the hills. Or to be more precise the mountains! I love Devon. It's a beautiful county but I do miss walking the hills and mountains of the Scottish highlands.
When I suggested to my brother-in-law that maybe we should climb a Munro while I was visiting he couldn't have said yes fast enough. However, there was one slight problem. Despite it being April, there was still a lot of snow on the upper slopes of the higher mountains. Unfortunately, my skills as a hill walker don't include snow so we had to revisit our plan.
Almost directly opposite to where I was staying is a hill called Beinn Duirinnis. At only 550 m this was much more likely to be snow free. However, it would deliver magnificent views of north up Loch Etive towards Glen Etive. This was highlighted in Jager Scot's video and I thought a trip up this mountain might mean another chance for some landscape photography.
Unfortunately for me, Mother Nature hadn't finished delivering snow to Scotland, and an unexpected overnight dumping of snow meant that even Beinn Duirinnis became out of reach. Another plan was needed!
Landscape Photography from Your Back Garden
With almost every local mountain out with my skill set, I decided I would try something a little different. I had been playing with the drone a few days taking some panoramic images of the surrounding landscape. This got me thinking. Perhaps I could do some landscape photography without even leaving home and maybe produce a video to go with it!
With all the extra snow on the hills, I decided to send the drone up and see what I could capture. Here is how I got on:
As you saw, a drone can really open up some new creative options. It would have been impossible to capture those images without a drone. While I haven't used the drone that much for stills photography, this really did open my eyes again to the possibilities that this amazing bit of technology can offer.
Do you have an amazing view from your garden? Do you use a drone for stills photography? Let me know in the comments below.
Those Images
Here are those panoramic images you saw in the video. Enjoy!
This is the image I shot the evening I made the video. DJI Mavic Pro, 1/125th sec at f/2.2, ISO 100, 26mm (35mm equiv'), stitched from 11 DNG files.
I took this image a few days before I shot the video. I much prefer the light in this one. DJI Mavic Pro, 1/125th sec at f/2.2, ISO 100, 26mm (35mm equiv'), stitched from 9 DNG files.
Kilchurn Castle: A 5 Minute Photo Adventure (Special Edition)
In this blog post, I share with you the story, photographs and video of a near perfect morning at Kilchurn Castle on the banks of Loch Awe in Scotland.
More Landscape Photography on Holiday
In my recent blog post on Dalveen Pass, I talked about my desire to fit in some landscape photography while on an Easter holiday with the family. Dalveen Pass was easy to fit in as it was a short detour off the M74 while on the drive up to Scotland.
I was really looking forward to my family holiday but there was really no way I was going to spend a week in the highlands of Scotland and not do some sort of landscape photography! Fortunately, my family agreed (kind of) and so I was able to take a morning off from holidaying and take my camera out to capture some images. But where to go?
Kilchurn Castle
I was staying in a small village just outside of Oban in Argyll, so I could feasibly drive to any number of amazing locations. The obvious choice was to go to Glencoe. I had amazing photography adventure there last year, and normally I wouldn't hesitate to go back, but in the back of my mind, there was a location I wanted to visit even more.
Scotland has many amazing castles to photograph, but to me, Kilchurn Castle is one of my favourites. I grew up only a few miles away from Kilchurn Castle and so I had seen it from the road many, many times. I'd even visited the castle a couple of times. However, now that I am a landscape photographer I was desperate to revisit the castle to photograph it.
Picking the Right Day
With the exception of one day, I could pick any of my holiday days to visit Kilchurn Castle. A quick check of the weather forecast showed that the first full day of my holiday was for very light winds. This was ideal for the type of shot I wanted as there was a good chance that Loch Awe would be very still and provide some great reflections.
The only trouble was that I would need to get up very early and I would be tired from a long drive the day before. However, if the conditions were to be as predicted it would be so worth it!
Let's see how I got on.
As you can see the conditions were a bit of a mixed bag. I certainly got the glassy reflections on the loch, but these annoyingly disappeared for a while when the sun came up. The sky was also a little too clear. Some clouds would have added something a little extra to the images, but on the whole, it was a pretty special morning. Well worth getting up early for!
One thing you didn't see in the video was the other photographers that were there. I always enjoy having a chat with other photographers and the conversations I had were very welcome and good distraction from the cold. One of the photographers I chatted to, Dan Rooke, also has a YouTube channel, and I recommend you check it out here.
So have you photographed Kilchurn Castle before? Where would you have gone if you had just one morning to take photographs? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
Here is a selection of the photographs I took that morning.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 VR at 50mm, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, f/11, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 VR at 38mm, 6 secs at ISO 64, f/11, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and 6 stop ProGlass IRND.
Bit of a bonus photograph for you. As I drove home from Kilchurn Castle I noticed the near perfect reflections on the Pass of Brander so I just had to share this image with you.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 VR at 24mm, 1/50th sec at ISO 64, f/11, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
Dalveen Pass: A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this blog post, I share with you the story, photographs and video of my discovery of a great roadside location just off the M74 called Dalveen Pass.
Landscape Photography on Holiday
Family holidays are typically not a great time for landscape photography. After all, the point of being on holiday is that one should take a break and spend time with loved ones. However, it can be difficult for me to switch off my passion for landscape photography so I'm always thinking of new ideas and how to make opportunities to get out with the camera.
So when I arranged a holiday to the highlands of Scotland my mind was full of grand ideas for photography and creating content for my YouTube channel. Most of my grand ideas though would involve being away for hours and getting out the house at unsociable hours. All these photography based plans would essentially defeat the purpose of going on a family holiday, and to be honest, I actually needed a break so I decided to reign in my ideas.
M74
There was one idea that I came up with though that wouldn't impact my holiday. Though we would all be going to the same holiday destination, my wife and kids would be flying up, and I would be driving up to Scotland with all the bags, bikes, and most importantly the camera gear. With such a long drive I would need to stop a few times for a break so surely there would be some close by locations worthy of a bit photography.
I would be passing near the Peak District and the Lake District, but I wanted to visit somewhere a bit different, and closer to my final destination. So I picked up my copy of Photographing Scotland and spotted the location Dalveen Pass in Dumfries & Galloway. It looked ideal as it was just off the M74 and a couple of recommended viewpoints were on the roadside. It looked perfect. I could stop and have some lunch, and grab a few photos.
Photographing Davleen Pass
The morning of the drive I set my alarm nice and early so I would have plenty of time for the drive, make my planned stop, and still reach my destination in time to meet my family off the plane. Despite it being Easter weekend the traffic was light and I made it to Dalveen Pass in plenty of time. When I got there I decided that I would also make video of my experience so I'm very happy to share with you my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure from Dalveen Pass.
As you can see I didn't exactly have the best conditions for photography. The grey overcast skies don't matter so much for the waterfall shots, but those beautiful hills would have been lovely with a bit of light and drama in the sky. However, I very much enjoyed my time on Dalveen Pass. This location has a lot of potential and with it being just of the M74 I'm sure to stop off again on my way up or down from Scotland.
Have you photographed Dalveen Pass before? Do you have any recommendations for great locations near motorways? Let me know in the comments below.
PS. There will be more landscape photography videos from my holiday in Scotland so stay tuned to my blog or even better make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel and remember to click on the bell icon so you receive a notification as soon as I post up a new video.
The Photographs
As promised in the video here are the photographs that I captured from Dalveen Pass.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 VR at 62mm, f/11, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR at 70mm, f/11, 1/30th sec at ISO 64
Photographing The Cobb in Dorset: A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In the blog this week I head to Lyme Regis in Dorset to photograph The Cobb. You can also watch one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos so you can see how I captured the images featured in this blog.
Finally...A Break in the Weather
After what feels like an age, the weather forecasts finally started to show some better weather. January had been a challenging month for my photography. It was the normal combination of lack of time and poor weather, that resulted in not a lot of photography. For anyone who has read my blog for long enough, you'll know that January has historically always been a challenge for me.
It's not just the photography I've been missing, but also going out there and creating new videos for my YouTube channel.
Off to The Cobb
One of the locations that I've always wanted to make a video from is The Cobb in Lyme Regis. It's one of my favourite locations to shoot coastal images. I did actually try and make a video there last year, but I failed to prepare my gear properly. You can read all about that trip here.
So when the weather, and importantly the tide looked good for a dawn shoot at The Cobb I was super excited to finally make one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos there. Here is the result:
I do hope you enjoyed that video and it has inspired you to photograph The Cobb. It's such a great location to photograph if you like shooting seascapes. Just remember to get there early in the morning (it can get busy with photographers), and watch out for those crashing waves!
Have you photographed The Cobb before? What is your favourite coastal location? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
Here are the photographs you saw in the video, plus a couple of extras.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 @ 19mm, f/13, 2.5 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 @ 22mm, f/11, 1/8th second at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 VR @ 65mm, f/8, 60 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
And finally...
Just a word of caution when visiting The Cobb...
Snow on Belstone Common
In this blog post and video, I head up to Belstone Common on Dartmoor to catch the first snow of the winter.
Snow!
I think most landscape photographers like a bit of snow. It's rare to see here in the south west of England, so when it does come it can transform the winter landscape from dull and boring, to crisp and white. It can really change the look of a location and provide opportunities to shoot something a little different.
When my wife casually mentioned that snow was forecast my first reaction was for disbelief. It was November and probably a little early for snow. However, I'm not one to miss an opportunity so I checked the Will It Snow forecast and was happy to see that there was a 57% chance of snow on Dartmoor.
I got my thinking hat on and thought the higher up I went on Dartmoor, the greater the chance of snow there would be. I then remember Belstone Common, a location that I've photographed before. It's close to home, easy to access and importantly over 400m above sea level.
Despite the 50/50 odds on it snowing, I couldn't miss this potential opportunity, so I got my gear ready and made plans for an early start the next day.
You can see how I got on in my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure video below:
The Images
Here are the images that I captured that you will have seen in the video.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 18mm, ISO 64, 3 seconds at f/13, Lee Filters 0.6 ND graduated filter.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 18mm, ISO 64, 1/5th second at f/13.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 18mm, ISO 64, 1/5th second at f/13, Lee Filters 0.6 ND graduated filter.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 19mm, ISO 64, 1/8th second at f/13, Lee Filters 0..6 ND graduated filter.
I hope you enjoyed the video and the images I captured. I certainly had fun up on Dartmoor that morning, despite the freezing temperatures. It really is mornings like that I look forward to. A lot of action, changing conditions, and plenty of opportunities to capture images.
So have you photographed any snowy scenes this winter? What is your favourite season to photograph? Let me know in the comments below.
The Rumps - 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this blog post I take you on another 5 Minute Photo Adventure. This time I'm back in Cornwall to photography the twin headland known as the Rumps. This is a great coastal sunset location and offers fantastic views of the surrounding coast. Read the blog and watch the video to see why.
Seeing More
The more 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos that I make the more I realise how amazing the coastline around the south west of England is. Over the last few years of photographing my local coastline, I've discovered many wonderful and dramatic locations. I am indeed very lucky to live in a place where I can access a wide range of beautiful photographic locations.
By shooting these videos I have started to discover more about the locations I photograph. For each video, I try to shoot lots of B-Roll so that I have additional footage to help tell the story of the location. This could be me walking around the location or using the drone to capture some aerial footage. It's from this aerial footage that I have seen some amazing coastal sights and views. It could be the elevated view or the view that would otherwise be inaccessible that provides me with a new way of looking at a location. A great example of this would be my previous 5 Minute Photography Adventure video from the Valley of the Rocks (insert link).
When I get home from shooting a video and I look at the B-Roll I often see how much more that location has to offer. Sometimes I get very focused on making an image that I forget to look around me and see what else there is. The B-Roll not only adds the video itself but also reminds me to keep my eyes open when I'm on location and not to just look through the viewfinder.
The Rumps
With so many great locations to pick from in the South West, it was hard to decide where to shoot my next video from. So, as I often do I checked out my custom Google Map and spotted the location known as The Rumps. The weather forecast was looking OK, but I thought it would be worth the risk so I packed my gear and headed out in the car. Here is what happened:
The Images
In the video, I showed you just one of the three images that I took that evening. Here are all three for you to look at:
While these images are pleasing enough, I don't feel any of them stand out. When shooting one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos it's always nice to get a standout image to finish the video with, but the video is more about my desire to share the location with the viewer, tell them about my process of shooting the image, and hopefully inspire them to visit the location. So I don't necessarily consider it too much of an issue not to have a portfolio class image at the end of each video. It would be nice if every trip out with the camera did produce a portfolio class image but this simply isn't the case. For me, any time out with the camera is time well spent. Getting an awesome image is a bit of a bonus.
Looking at the images now I don't think the compositions work particularly well. Sure, not having great light didn't help, but I'm not entirely sure nice side lighting or a pink sky would have helped. The images lack balance and in some cases, they need more negative space in the lower part of the foreground.
So while these images might not necessarily be my best work, they are still important. Every image I take, good or bad, I will personally critique to see how I might improve next time. Photography is a journey of constant learning and improvement, but one that I still very much enjoy.
Looking back at my previous visits though, I think I prefer this viewpoint. This image was taken south of the viewpoint in the video and shows a bit more of landscape around The Rumps.
Have you been to The Rumps before? How much do you critique your own images? Are there any locations you like to me make a 5 Minute Photo Adventure video on? Let me know in the comments below.
Valley of the Rocks - 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In the blog this week I head off to the Valley of the Rocks in north Devon to shoot another 5 Minute Photo Adventure video. See the images I took at this dramatic coastal location and be inspired to visit yourself as I show you grandeur of this location from the air.
Drama!
Photographers will often use the word dramatic to describe the coastline of the south west of England. I've even been know to use the word once or twice in my own videos! While it is true that much of the coastline in the area is indeed dramatic, there are few such locations as the Valley of the Rocks in North Devon that have really earned that title.
No matter if you are a photographer or not, walking along the South West Coast Path as it cuts through the valley is a sight to behold. On a good day you can see out over the channel and onto Wales, or just appreciate the steep and rocky cliffs as you stroll along the path at what appears to be a dizzying height.
But enough of me waxing lyrical about the location, take a look at my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure video to see what I'm talking about.
On Location
I hope you feel inspired to visit the Valley of the Rocks. I shot a little more drone footage than I probably would have for one of these videos, but sometimes you need more than 15 to 30 seconds of video footage to help tell the story of a location.
I opted to shoot from an elevated position so that I could get a long view down the valley and hopefully get some nice evening light across the rock faces. These are two of the images I took, just taken a little time apart.
Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 @ 22mm, ISO 100, 1 second, f/16, Lee Filters circular polariser and ND grad.
Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 @ 22mm, ISO 100, 1.3 seconds, f/16, Lee Filters circular polariser and ND grad.
I'm reasonably happy with both images. They are probably the best images I've captured there. However, being the picky photographer that I am, there are a couple of things I would like to have been a little different. Firstly it would have been nice for the golden light to be a little stronger and more widespread. You can just about see the golden light coming through on the foreground rocks, but having more it along the valley would have been nice. However, it did light up the sky very nicely.
While things like the light are sometimes out with my control, the composition is my job. It's not that I'm unhappy with the composition of both photos, but for the first image, I should have shot just a little wider. Perhaps around 17 or 18 mm. The setting sun in that image is very close to the edge of the frame. I should have either excluded it all together or given it more room. I was probably concentrating on other elements around the frame or just waiting for the sun to go from the frame. It might have been that this was a test shot while I was waiting for the sun to leave my composition. It's strange how sometimes that an image you never intended to be the "one" can end up being the favourite from a shoot.
Go Explore
Though I only photographed from one location that evening, there are numerous spots along that part of the South West Coast Path to shoot from. It's well worth getting there a little early just to have a wander and take in the location. No matter what you shoot with or what you like to photograph you should find something inspiring. It might even be the wondering goats or the cricketers playing a match on the valley cricket field!
So have you been to the Valley of the Rocks? Did the video and images give you the inspiration to visit this stunning location? Let me know in the comments below.
And before you go....
Oh, and one last thing. I'm very happy to be in Feedspots Top 75 Landscape Photography blogs. Why not check out out the other 74! There are some top names in there so it's well worth checking out.
Trevose Head - 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this blog post I take you on another 5 Minute Photo Adventure. This time I'm off to Trevose Head on the north Cornish coast. This amazing location has a lot to offer the landscape photographer. Read the blog and watch the video to see why.
As a landscape photographer I'm extremely lucky to live in the south west of the UK. Even if I didn't have Exmoor and Dartmoor, I would still have over 630 miles of the South West Coast Path to photograph. With so much to choose from I couldn't possibly pick a favourite location, but when it comes to Trevose Head, I'd have to say it's up there in my top 10 Cornish coastal locations to photograph.
So what makes Trevose Head so special? Well, for me it's the drama of the location. It's got the lighthouse perched on a cliff edge, the rocky inlet where the waves come crashing in and it makes for a great sunset location just about all year round. And did I mention you can drive within 200m of the best spot to shoot from?
On the downside it is very exposed and getting blasted by rain, wind and sea spray isn't to be unexpected, so sometimes it's nice to have the car nearby after you've been battered by the elements!
If this sounds like the kind of location you might want to photograph, why not check out my 5 Minute Photo Adventure video below:
Padstow Lifeboat Station
As I showed in the video, the lighthouse isn't the only spot to photograph at Trevose Head. Located not farm from the lighthouse is Padstow Lifeboat station. As you can see on the map below both locations are close together and so if you have time it's worth visiting.
This was my first time visiting the lifeboat station. I remembered it after looking at the area on my custom Google Map while I was wondering about. It's not that easy to photograph if you want to include the surrounding elements such as the stairs down to the entrance, but with the right lens and a bit of moving about, a good image can be made.
Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 22mm, ISO 100, 30 seconds, f/13, Lee Filters circular polariser, Little Stopper and ND grad.
Trevose Head Lighthouse
Though the forecast for Trevose Head was to be for relatively clear skies, as you can see from my first image this wasn't exactly the case.
Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35 f/4 at 19mm, ISO 100, 2 seconds, f/11, Lee Filters circular polariser, 3 stop ND and ND grad.
While I do like this image what I was really hoping for was for some golden light from the setting sun (off to the left) to illuminate the rock faces. This would have really lifted the tone of the image. However, sometimes you just have to work with the light you have so I decided to adopt a slightly different style.
By embracing the grey and opting for longer exposures I was able to create a set of darker and moodier images. I also varied the exposure times by choosing different ND filters. The longer exposures allowed the crashing waves to paint white lines and create shapes on the image.
I'll be back...
Though I didn't manage to create the image I had planned for I still came away with some images that I'm very happy with. I also got a chance to to photograph Padstow Lifeboat station, so it was good to get two locations for the price of one! One thing is for sure, I'll be heading back to Trevose Head again in the near future.
So have you been inspired to visit Trevose Head? Have you photographed this location before? Let me know in the comments below.
Bowerman's Nose - 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this blog post, I show you my 5 Minute Photo Adventure video of Bowerman's Nose on Dartmoor. I also discuss the image I took there and how it compares to the previous images I took of this unique location.
I have a bit of a long history with Bowerman's Nose on Dartmoor. I last wrote about this location back in October 2016 in a post entitled Perseverance - Photographing Bowerman's Nose. In that post, I talked about my desire to capture an image that I felt did this unique location justice. On paper, it shouldn't be too difficult to shoot but it's a location that needs good light. I've come close a couple of times and last time I got pretty close to what I was looking for.
Probably my best image of Bowerman's Nose.
But there's more to this location than just my desire to create an image that meets my vision. Simply put I like shooting there and I think you would to. To help inspire you I thought I would create one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos.
You can see the Bowerman's Nose video right here:
Near Epic Conditions
As you'll have seen in the video, I had near epic conditions. It was looking like I wasn't going to get any good light when all of a sudden the sun dropped below a cloud and bathed the moor in a bright orange light. It was spectacular.
If only the light had reached Bowerman's Nose... Nikon D750, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35mm, ISO 800, 1/50 second, f/16, Lee Filters ND 0.9 soft edge grad.
What that image is really missing is light on the side of Bowerman's Nose. The light being scattered on the trees in the background is lovely and if it had just reached where I was it could have lifted the image from OK to spectacular. Just take a look at the image at the top of this blog post to see what a difference good light can make to Bowerman's Nose.
I've seen Bowerman's Nose in all sorts of light, and this last visit to shoot my video has actually inspired me even more to visit it again. I know this location has all sorts of potential and I hope you have seen that to. As I said in the video, Dartmoor is one of the best places to come as a landscape photographer and if haven't already been hopefully this video will give you that extra nudge.
Have you photographed Bowerman's Nose? Have you experience near epic conditions? Let me know in the comments below.
Bedruthan Steps Photo Adventure
In the blog this week I share with you the story of my latest trip to Bedruthan Steps to photograph the coastal thrift. Not only will you see the images from that trip, but I also share with you my top tips for photographing Bedruthan Steps. And if that wasn't enough for you, I also share with you my latest 5 minute photo adventure video!
Why Shoot Bedruthan Steps
I have a great many locations on my custom Google map, many of which can be shot at any time of year. There are a few however that are best shot at particular times of the year. Bedruthan Steps on the north Cornish coast is one such location. It has plenty to offer the photographer with golden sand beaches (at low tide) and miles of dramatic Cornish coastline.
It's spring time though when Bedruthan Steps comes to life. Like many areas along the coast, springtime brings on the flowering of the thrift, a beautiful pink flower that likes to cling to the side of the coastal cliffs. If you can find a nice clump of thrift and you are lucky enough to get some great morning or evening light, you'll have everything you need to produce an amazing image.
While there a number of locations to shoot the thrift in Cornwall, my favourite place to shoot them is at Bedruthan Steps. There is nothing quite like seeing the thrift flowering all along those stunning coastal cliffs.
The Clock is Ticking
The thrift flowers in spring but it may only be in its prime for a couple of weeks. This unfortunately isn't exactly the same time every year so knowing when to go isn't easy. Bedruthan Steps is a 1 hr 40 minute drive so I want to be reasonably assured of good conditions if I go. I would also need to the good conditions to match up with a free evening for photography!
However, time was ticking for me. I had started to see some spectacular shots of the thrift at Bedruthan Steps on Instagram so I was starting to panic that I was going to miss the best of the thrift this year. Luck had not been with me. When I had a free evening the weather was rubbish, and when the weather was forecast was good I didn't have free time. I was getting frustrated!
As mid May rolled round I came to the conclusion that I would have to go now or forget about for this year. So with a dubious Sunday evening forecast I decided to put caution to the wind and go for it regardless of the conditions.
A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
As I announced in my recent blog post for Daymark Tower, I've started a new series of videos that aim to give the viewer an introduction to a location and inspire them to photograph it. So for the 2nd of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos I've created this video of Bedruthan Steps which I filmed on my recent trip there:
I hope you enjoyed that video and that it has indeed inspired you to visit Bedruthan Steps. If you want to see the images from the video in a bit more detail you'll find them below.
So if that has inspired you to visit Bedruthan Steps, here are my 3 top tips to help you make the most of your visit:
Lenses - Take a wide angle lens for shooting the thrift, but also take a medium telephoto (like a 24-70mm) and shoot and isolate some of those rocky sea stacks.
Walk the Walk - Though there are a couple of great viewpoints just a short walk from the National Trust car park, you'll find so much more by walking along the coast path. So give yourself sometime to explore the area. The beach at Bedruthan Steps is also worth checking out, but only at low tide and you don't mind the steep descent.
Be Careful - It should go without saying, but do be careful on the cliffs, especially when photographing the thrift. It's all too easy to get very close to the edge in search of some nice thrift, and if it's windy up there you don't want to loose your balance.
Though I was keen to get to Bedruthan Steps to photograph the thrift, it is a location I will visit at anytime of year. The coast line is beautiful and spectacular there and given the right like it can make for some epic photographs.
So have you visit Bedruthan Steps? Have you photographed thrift before? Let me know in the comments below.