Devon’s wild Hartland coast photography workshop
A rugged, rocky coastline, cliffs, waterfalls, and night skies
Sunday 9th May 2027, Welcombe Mouth and Hartland Quay, on the north Devon coast
Course location: On the Atlantic coastline at Welcombe Mouth cove and Hartland Quay, between Bude (north Cornwall) and Bideford (north Devon)
Times: 3pm to sunset (approx 9pm), plus an optional extension to photograph the night sky, weather permitting.
Price: £100 per person.
About the Devon’s wild Hartland coast photography workshop
Our wild Hartland coast photography workshop focusses on the wild, rugged Atlantic coast of north Devon, specifically around the little cove of Welcombe Mouth and the old harbour at Hartland Quay, both in north Devon and close to the Cornwall border.
These locations are a dream for landscape photographers, places of sheer cliffs, coves, and waterfalls cascading straight onto the shore. Facing west, this coast is ideally photographed in the afternoon, and so this course runs throughout the afternoon until the sun sets over the sea.
Looking out for the night skies
This wild Hartland photography course is set up to coincide with a New Moon evening, an ideal time to photograph the night skies, provided the sky is cloudless, of course. So, weather permitting, once the sun has set and the dusk has come on, there will be the option to stay on to photograph the night sky.
There is little light pollution along this remote stretch of the north Devon coast, so coupled with the absence of any moon that night, this will be an ideal opportunity to try some night sky photography. This will focus largely on the Milky Way, which will be visible over the Atlantic, to the southwest, and constellations such as Taurus circling around the Pole Star to the north.
What I will be teaching
The course will aim to teach the following skills:
- Spotting potential image compositions within this wild coastline, juggling juxtapositions of jagged rocks, sand and water;
- Controlling and making use of the balance between shutter speed and lens aperture to gain the best exposure, and to control depth of field (ie the amount of the image that is sharply in focus);
- Making the best use of some of the camera’s most important features, such as semi-manual modes, in particular shutter-priority and aperture-priority, as well as the ISO settings, image histogram and exposure compensation;
- Executing the image, using positioning, perspective, focus control, use of light, and lens focal length to create simple, strong compositions;
- An overview of certain specific techniques, such as the use of a tripod, the blurring of moving water to add mood and dynamism, and the use of neutral density graduated filters (ND grads) to darken over-bright skies;
- If we have clear skies, I’ll be providing guidance on how to set the camera up to get the best chance of shooting the night sky.
Participants should have an understanding of what shutter speed and lens aperture mean, plus a knowledge of how to operate their own camera in order to get at least basic images. Beyond this, the main requirements are enthusiasm, an open mind and a readiness to learn!
One final, general note:
Since we’ll be working outdoors, what we are able to do during the day is very weather-dependent. Weather conditions may make it necessary to vary the itinerary.