Essential Guide to Photographing the Landscapes of Cornwall

Cornwall lies in the southwest of England and is one of those places I cannot get enough of. Getting around Cornwall is easy by rental car. If you book a cottage or apartment somewhere around Newquay, you'll reach every photo location from Cornwall's north to its western tip within 90 minutes. To help you plan your trip, here is a summary of the top locations and their characteristics:

• Holywell Bay: Best for sunsets and receding tides; features Gull Rock.
• Godrevy Lighthouse: Ideal for stormy days and low tide; famous for its lighthouse and craggy rocks.
• Porth Nanven: Features roundish rocks and the Brisons islands; best at sunset.
• Pednvounder Beach: A sunrise location known for coastal flowers and turquoise water.
• Nanjizal: A hidden spot where winter light shines through a hole in the rocks.
• Rinsey: Perfect for astrophotography featuring the historic mine building.

Top Coastal Photo Locations

Holywell Bay

It's a wide stretch of golden sand surrounded by dunes and cliffs. Toward its western end, you find two large sea stacks called Gull Rock. At sunset, those provide a beautiful subject in the distance. The best time to photograph Holywell Bay is when the tide is receding. During high tide, most of the beach is submerged. When the tide is out, you'll have a lot more areas to explore. Closer to the water, you'll find interesting patterns in the sand, and near the cliffs in the west, a river is leading out into the sea.

Godrevy Lighthouse

A little north of Gwithian, the rocks facing Godrevy Lighthouse provide another spectacular photo spot. Again, keeping an eye on the tides is crucial when photographing this location. Between the rocks, you find many crevices you can use to frame your photos. But getting there is only possible at low tide. If you spend some time in Cornwall, try to visit Godrevy Lighthouse on a stormy day. With waves crashing on the rocks, the scenery around the Lighthouse will look even more spectacular. Interestingly, the night sky here can be rewarded with an unexpected sight; once the moon has set, the stars beam brightly from an inky canvas.

Porth Nanven

Close to St Just in the west of Cornwall, you'll find a cove very popular with local photographers - Porth Nanven. The roundish rocks at the beach offer beautiful foreground interest. And again, similar to Holywell Bay, two little islands called the Brisons offer a subject in the distance. Not only will you find great foregrounds and middle ground to compose your photos, but in many locations, sea stacks or little islands on the horizon provide additional interest.

Sunrise and Southern Locations

Pednvounder Beach and Porthcurno

Now it's time for a sunrise location you can photograph at any tide - Pednvounder Beach. From Porthcurno in the south of Cornwall, you follow a beautiful path along the coast toward this beach. In late May, this area is filled with coastal flowers, making it a beautiful coastal garden. Nearby, you might catch the fleeting moments of Cornwall’s everchanging weather, such as a stunning rainbow descending into the heart of the coastline.

St Michael’s Mount

On a winter morning, you can set up overlooking the bay towards St Michael’s Mount. As the sun rises, the Mount’s turrets protrude up into the air, prominent against the colourful sky as the sun is just moments from peaking over the hillside. Using a telephoto lens, you can focus in on the view of the Mount with the Marazion coastline in the background.

Hidden Gems and Landmarks

Nanjizal and Rinsey

Nanjizal is a hidden natural beauty spot that only locals tend to know about, heading in the direction of Land’s End. During the winter months, the sun sets in such a way that a magnificent glow of light shines through the hole in the rocks. For those interested in the night sky, Rinsey offers a breath-taking scene of Cornwall’s mining history. You can capture the mine building underneath the Milky Way, with the rift of stars falling either side of the building’s tall chimney tower.

St Ives and Smeaton’s Pier

St Ives offers unique and consistent patterns across the image that are absolutely worth the wait. You can capture a particular sunrise image over the 18th Century Smeaton’s Pier, an iconic landmark. In the clear, calm waters of low tide at Porthminster Beach, you can see the rippled sands from the overnight tidal currents, with the sun casting a golden glow onto the buildings of the harbour front.

Seasonal Considerations

I always visited Cornwall in late May or early June, which is one of the drier times in that area. It is also when you can expect many coastal flowers along the Cornish coast and bluebells in the forests. Another interesting time to visit Cornwall is winter. With frequent storms, you can encounter dramatic weather with huge waves in the area. Just google "Porthleven Storm" to get an idea of what to expect at that time of year.