Dorset Photography Workshops & Tours

Seascapes and long exposures

Photograph the breathtaking Jurassic Coast in Dorset

A coastal photography workshop & tour
taking in the best scenery on the Dorset Coast

During my Dorset photography workshop, we will visit some of the most beautiful locations on the Dorset section of the Jurassic Coast. You can practice working with light and the motion of the sea to create drama and depth in your images. We will explore in detail the use of filters in photography and how they can be used to create stunning long-exposure images. I use NiSi filters and during the workshop, you will get the chance to use them.

Small groups

Max 3 participants

Price

1 or 2 day workshops starting from £200 per person.

Duration

One or two days

Fitness Level

Moderate level of fitness required

Mupe Bay in Dorset, England. Dorset photography workshops with Scott Boulton.

Photography workshops on the

Dorset Coast

The Jurassic Coast stretches for 95 miles from East Devon to Old Harry Rocks, near Swanage, Dorset. This fantastic coastline holds the secret to 185 million years of the Earth’s history.

The Dorset section of the Jurassic Coast is packed with some of the most incredible coastal landscapes on the south coast of England.

On my photography workshops you will get to visit some of its most interesting features both popular and lesser-known: craggy coves in hidden bays, a lighthouse and huge rock on the Portland Bill promontory, a famous rock arch, sea stacks and glistening rocky ledges revealed by the receding tide.

Locations include:

  • Durdle Door
  • Mupe Bay
  • Man ‘o War Beach
  • Stair Hole
  • Kimmeridge Bay
  • Isle of Portland

Fabulous coastal scenery to photograph

Durdle Door & Man O' War Bay

Durdle Door Beach is a popular location situated near to Lulworth Cove. Its most notable feature is the limestone rock arch that was pounded by powerful waves until it ultimately gave way and formed the arch.

Durdle Door was England’s first UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, having been given its status in 2001. You can photograph this scene from the pebble and shingle beach down below, or from the cliff above.

It’s not just about the arch though. From here you also get a view across to Bats Head and Man o’ War bay around the corner.

This lovely bay is a circular cove running between the headlands of Durdle Door and Man o’ War. To get to both, we will walk from the main car park on the top, down the cliffside to Durdle Door head. From the top you can get panoramic views of both, or take the steps down to either.

Portland Bill Lighthouse & Headland

Just south of Weymouth is the Isle of Portland, connected by a landbridge. The southern end of this island tapers off to form a rocky promontory jutting out into the English Channel.

The shallow reefs lurking beneath the surface of the water here have claimed many ships over the centuries. On 11 January 1906 the Trinity lighthouse was built to aid passage through the English Channel.

The Lighthouse offers a number of great photo opportunities at both sunrise or sunset. It’s also perfect for some astrophotography.

Sitting beside a rocky ledge nearby is Pulpit Rock, a unique feature that was created by the quarrying activities that used to take place here.

The rock is great to photograph at sunset and also perfect for seascapes and practicing the effects of shutter speed on water. As the waves crash against the stack and surrounding rocks and ledges, you can learn to freeze or smooth out the action.

Kimmeridge Bay, Lulworth Cove, Stair Hole & Mupe Bay

The landscape eastwards from Durdle Door is characterised by a series of coves and bays. Just beyond the popular seaside town of Lulworth Cove is a fabulous geological feature called Stair Hole.

This folded limestone strata, referred to as the Lulworth crumple, are particularly visible at Stair Hole.

Just a little further along is the half moon -shaped Kimmeridge Bay, a sheltered rocky bay where the receding tides reveal its glistening rocky shore, seabed and wave cut platform which is perfect for golden hour and blue hour photography.

The bay is surrounding by low cliffs and the Clavell Tower, a Grade II listed Tuscan style tower built in 1830, sits on the eastern cliff.

Mupe Bay is less visited than Kimmeridge, but equally if not more beautiful. At the edges of this bay are some great sea stacks.