Cornwall photography - advice please

ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

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Hello.

I am off to Cornwall in February and I would like to make the most of the scenery and get some fantastic shots, mainly of seascapes.

I am only there for a long weekend. I will be staying in St Ives.

Can anyone who lives there/has been there let me know of some MUST SEE photo oppportunity spots? Like Port Nanven for example.

Any tips would be fantastic.

Also, as it is February, the skies might be overcast and grey. DO you think this will ruin my pictures? I was really hoping for some nice colourful skies, blues, purples, oranges etc.

I might just end up with a load of moody black and white shots (not a problem, but I also want some colourful ones)

Also, I will be using a Sigma 17-70mm for landscape shots as I don't have a wide angle. Will this be ok?
 
King4aDay! You are required Tom! :p Don't go hoping for a certain type of weather as most likely you will be dissapointed if it doesn't happen. Just shoot for whatever weather there is. Grey and cloudy = Black and white shots, or low light long exposures just before it goes dark. :)
 
Messiah Khan said:
King4aDay! You are required Tom! :p Don't go hoping for a certain type of weather as most likely you will be dissapointed if it doesn't happen. Just shoot for whatever weather there is. Grey and cloudy = Black and white shots, or low light long exposures just before it goes dark. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah good idea. If I expect one thing I know it won't happen :p

Only problem is. My girlfriend is saying she doesn't want me taking pictures all the time, she wants some chill out time with just us. She said maybe I can take pictures the morning we leave :(

I'll tell her later I plan to take pictures all weekend.
 
You're pretty much based in the best possible place for taking seascapes. St Ives itself is ridiculously photogenic whatever the weather, and you have amazing coast in all directions. Gwithian bay (with Godrevey lighthouse) is within walking distance to the east, and to the west is Cape Cornwall, Porth Nanven (just go!), Sennen and Land's End.

You're also an easy drive from the likes of St Michael's Mount, Porthcurno and all the other little coves on the south coast. Basically, you can't go wrong!

As MK has said prepare for the worst. You might get lucky and end up with some decent weather. If not, go for some long exposure stuff. I'd recommend this as a perfect time to invest in a 10-stop ND or similar, then you can take arty shots whatever the weather.
 
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Here's a bit of info, I've been there almost every year since I was born! 20 years old now.

Mans Head, Carbis Bay - looking back to Hale.. There's Porthgwidden, Porthminster and Porthmeor and also the Harbour. All three are great for shots, you just need to apply some of your own artistic touch!

Here's some info on them: http://www.stives-cornwall.co.uk/beaches-in-stives.html

The whole of St. Ives is photography heaven, from the tiny alleys and cottages, to the large open beaches and crashing sea!

We went down when it was pretty stormy so here's some examples of my dads shots and some of the sea.

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We had some bad weather when we were down there and the locals were showing off some of their skills.

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Porthmeor Beach

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Starting to get a bit stormy!

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Sun shows itself.

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Thanks for the tips guys.

I will definitely be looking into some ND grad filters for my Sigma 17-70 (can't afford to get a wide angle :()

Thanks for all the mention of names. I will make a list, plot them onto a map and then make the most of my time there :)
 
Here's a few more:

Views over the harbour. As you can see it's a good place to get a few shots, and if your missus get's bored buy her an ice cream and go sit on one of the benches (n take some photos).

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Crap, when i said ND grad I meant plain old ND :p

Grads will still be useful, but you can achieve the same effect in postprocessing if you bracket your shots. A strong ND will let you take shots such as below, which tend to work really well on overcast days and in bad weather, which is pretty likely in February! You can get exposures of up to 1-2 minutes in the middle of that day if it's cloudy. Obviously if you're not keen on the effect it gives than just ignore me!

St Ives:
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Around the corner from Porth Nanven:
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I love the effect. I started a thread about filters the other day and got some good advice in there. I just can't for the life of me find a decent shop with a lot of choice of filters. It is annoying me.

Plus I am skint :(

I might sell my Speedlite 430EX
 
It's quite hard to go wrong in St Ives it's a stunning place. Don't forget the Tate for some interesting architectural shots and Barbara Hepworth Museum for some stunning sculptures.

Will you have a car? There's so many places to go, you really need longer to be honest. If you can get to St Just and the tin mines on the rock face, there are some stunning sea scapes to be had.

Panzer
 
Gurnads Head is the point that the pub is named after. Just to the north of the pub, which provides parking and a drink after. If you wander across the neck then up the east side theres a few hidden surprises.

Another safe bet would be the three mines near Trewellard. Botallack, Levant and Gevor. Stunning, stunning place.
 
Another top venue down there and not too far from St Ives is Porthcurno. This is where the communications lines from USA first came into the UK. Also a nice little cliff top outdoor theatre (Minack Theatre)which can make for some nice shots.
 
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