Formby Coast

Like every landscape photographer, I have a local patch that I like to visit regularly. For me, it is the Formby coastline; a stretch of sand dunes, beach and pine woods located outside of Liverpool. It is a popular tourist attraction, and can be extremely busy during the summer months. The place is probably best known for the population of red squirrels that reside there.

Despite it’s popularity, and it’s proximity to a busy shipping lane into the River Mersey, I find there is something ancient and wild about the landscape. Maybe, it’s because of the 5,000 year old footprints of humans, elk, bison and deer that have been found on the beach. In winter, the character of the place changes, especially in wild weather when only the more hardy souls brave the elements and the horizontally wind-blown sand.

There is much to attract the photographer. For landscapers, the beach and sand dunes provide plenty of material throughout the year. Being a mountain photographer and keen hill walker, I am always attracted to the sand dunes as I see and photograph them as mountains in miniature. The beach is a rich source of material too, with various patterns and ripples that can form the foreground of a useful landscape shot, or be a subject in their own right.

For wildlife photographers, there are the famed red squirrels that can be seen from the National Trust car park. I have also seen a fox a number of times from this car park, at dusk and daylight, in full view of the visitors there. Wintering wading birds can be photographed chasing the tide on the beach. Natterjack Toads and Sand Lizards breed at Formby, although I am not sure what restrictions are in place for photographing these protected species and I recommend speaking to the NT wardens for advice.

It is often recommended to capture landscape images at the beginning or end of the day, to get the ‘magic hours’ light. This is especially true for Formby, because it has the additional benefit of being relatively quiet at these times. The beach is situated on the west coast, so the best time to visit is at the end of the day, but good results can be achieved at other times. All you need to do is visit the place with your camera and an open mind.

I have visited Formby for a couple of years to get one shot that I had in mind: a view along the ridge of the sand dunes in early evening light. I have failed to achieve this shot on many visits. The sky has been cloudless, hazy and bland on many visits, or the sun has been snuffed out by distant cloud as the sun approached the horizon. But on most visits, I have captured images that I didn’t originally plan for.

One such visit was a particular source of frustration for me. The light was very good, but the beach was busy, and I decided to bring my dogs with me who delighted in stomping over any bit of foreground I focussed on. The wind was blowing streams of sand along the beach that glowed as they were lit by the low sun. I attempted a composition to capture this element in a wider landscape, but struggled to make something of it. It was beginning to look like one of those ‘no image’ days when one of my dogs, Millie, wandered into the frame and my image was complete. One press of the shutter, and this photographer was happy with the fruits of the evening’s frustrations.

On another morning in May, I had (yet) another failed attempt to capture the sand dunes in a satisfactory way. Frustrated, I decided to wander down the beach to head back to the car park. The tide was retreating, leaving stretches of standing water on the sand. I noticed that the combination of low sun and blue sky produced interesting patterns and reflections that I wanted to capture in a photograph. I tried a few compositions, but a horizontal composition seemed to work the best, with the ripples converging on a central point on the horizon.

After many visits to the area, I have only recently managed to capture the sand dunes image I originally wanted, where all the elements came together into a satisfactory whole. Despite this, there is plenty of material at Formby to keep me coming back for repeat visits. I find that visiting the area throughout the year has many benefits. It allows me to practice my photography technique and improve my skills, ready for those trips to (arguably) more dramatic and scenic places like the Lake District. My appreciation of the Formby coastline has deepened, and I hope this is apparent in the images I capture of this place.

How to get there

Details can be found on the National Trust website. There is a car parking fee unless you are a National Trust member.

What to photograph

Landscape images of the sand dunes, beach and pine woods. Red squirrels are an obvious choice for wildlife photographers, but other wildlife can be found among the sand dunes and pinewoods, and on the beach in winter.

When to visit

Formby is worth visiting throughout the year. Arguably, the best time for landscapes are in the early morning and evening, though interesting lighting can be encountered throughout the day in the right weather conditions, and in the winter months.

You can see more of Peters photography at peter-heyes.co.uk

Formby Coast Images

Comments

oll1e (e2 Member)

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6 May 2009 - 12:26 AM

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Wonderful read Peter ,somewhere i have not been to and have wizzed past in the lorry .Enjoyed the pics as well .
warm regds
ollie

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1 Jul 2009 - 3:19 PM

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thebopper

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1 Jul 2009 - 3:19 PM

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Formby Point is one of my all time favourite places to go and chill out. You've captured the feel, the passion and the atmosphere of the area in these unique shots. Well done!