Visit to Cornwall 2020
Cornwall is a feast for the eyes and the soul.
Find out more about my recent visit to Cornwall 2020 here...
We visit Cornwall every year with friends and stay in a campsite right next to the beach. This year however, things were a little different! Our usual campsite was closed due to the pandemic. Plus, our friends didn't fancy venturing away from home. So we decided to go it alone.
The plan was to book some self contained accommodation, take our own food and spend the days surfing on quiet beaches, avoiding people as much as possible. We decided not to visit our favourite town of St Ives as we knew it would be ridiculously busy but we weren't sure what the rest of Cornwall would be like.
If you're desperate to get away, like I was, then Cornwall is a great option. In spite of all the panic in the news about how busy it is, we found it fairly easy to avoid the crowds and have an amazing time.
There's lots of places to visit in the area, but as we were trying to be mindful of avoiding the crowds, we chose carefully. This is a very personal account based on our recent trip. Of course there will be lots of other places to visit that are quiet too! I've written them in the order in which we visited them - we had a week in the south with a caravan at Praa Sands and a week in a cottage near Wadebridge.
Here's a few places to visit if you want to get away from it all in Cornwall.
Praa Sands
Our first stop was, Praa Sands. We love the very south of Cornwall, the rugged beaches and blue turquoise waters are all absolutely fabulous. We booked a static caravan on a Hoeseasons site in Praa Sands. The site was perfect. It was quiet, close to the beach and with great facilities. We even managed to use the on site pool - which you could book in hourly slots, with a maximum of 6 people at a time, so we pretty much had it to ourselves. The bar was open and very quiet and we were able to sit outside and enjoy a pint of cider, whilst looking out at the ocean.
The beach at Praa Sands is a long stretch of golden sand, with crystal clear water. It was so quiet there but it also has lifeguards so we felt safe in the water. I'm not going lie - we found surfing there a bit tricky at times and not as easy as our usual beach at Gwithian. My daughters board nearly knocked me out at one point!
From Praa Sands, you can walk the South West coastal path - there's loads of fantastic walks to do and we enjoyed a 5 mile circular route along the coast. It was really quiet. We only saw a handful of people and enjoyed a picnic looking at the epic views (pretending to be waiting for Poldark - maybe that was just me).
Trelissick
We spent one afternoon mooching around the gorgeous National Trust property at Trelissick - you need to pre-book a slot online. The house isn't open at the moment but the gardens, cafe and shop are all open. It was very quiet when we visited (it was raining!).
Porthleven
Porthleven was our first foray into a busier location. There were quite a few people mooching around the pretty harbour, so we didn't stay long.
Kynance Cove
One of our favourite places in the area is Kynance Cove. It's simply stunning. Run by the National Trust, the sparkling turquoise waters make you feel like you're in Thailand (until you feel the temperature of the water!). The trick with Kynance Cover is to get there EARLY. Arrive by 9am and you should be able to park easily. It's also important to be aware of the tide times here as there's not much beach at high tide. We arrived as the tide was on it's way out, which was perfect timing as we knew we'd have a good few hours to play and relax there.
It was quiet when we first arrived on the beach and we had the sea to ourselves for a while but it quickly gets very busy there, with people streaming down the hillside all day long. We left in the early afternoon as we knew the tide was coming back in and it was getting busier and busier. There's a cafe, with outside seating and toilets too. There's a bit of a walk from the car park - with a few different routes. Some take longer than others but the views are amazing.
Gwithian beach
Gwithian is one of our favourite beaches as it's a brilliant place to surf and body board. The beach is massive so there's plenty of space to sit and not be near anyone. There's a National Trust car park at the far end of the beach but you need to get there early to get a space. There's also parking at The Rockpool Bar, which is next door to the National Trust car park. If you're looking for a tasty lunch or coffee and cake break, I can highly recommend the Hungry Horsebox on the beach.
Pedn Vounder
I'm a bit torn about whether to post information about this place or not because I know it's a 'hidden treasure' and those that know about it don't like the word spread. However, I'm an adventurer at heart and when I first discovered Pedn Vounder beach online I knew I HAD to go there. I read all about it for years before actually going. I was very worried about the dangers and made sure that we were very well prepared. This little beach is truly magical. It's tucked away at the bottom of a rocky hillside on the rugged Cornish coastline. The water is a million different shades of blue and green and so transparent. From above, it looks like you're in the Caribbean.
Before going to this beach, you must know these things. Firstly - check the tide times. There is NO BEACH there at high tide and you will get trapped if unprepared. Secondly, there are no life guards at this beach and dangerous rip currents. There's also no phone signal, so you'll need to be super duper careful in the water. Thirdly, although the walk from the car park at Treen is fairly easy, the final descent to the beach is tricky. The advice is to wear trainers and carry a rucksack, so that you have both hands free for the climb. Finally, it's a naturist beach, so be prepared for an eyeful. It was certainly an anatomy lesson for the kids!
One more thing - please respect the beauty of the area and take all your rubbish home. I'd hate to think that this post might encourage people to go and cause damage to this glorious spot.
If visiting this beach sounds like a pain in the backside then you can still visit the beautiful beach next door - Porthcurno which has easy access!
Port Isaac
We knew Port Isaac was going to be busy as it's the filming location for Doc Martin, so we planned to nip there for a quick look around before having dinner in nearby Port Gaverne. It wasn't too bad but we didn't hang around for long. We'd booked a table at the Port Gaverne Restaurant and it was only our second time eating indoors since March. They had great social distancing policies and, as we were the first people there for the dinner service, it was really quiet. The food was amazing too.
Porthcothan Bay
I'd spotted a picture of Porthcothan Bay on Instagram a few weeks before going to Cornwall, so I had it on my list as a place to visit. I'm so glad we did. It's a super pretty bay with gorgeous clear waters and loads of space to sit. The beach was quiet by Cornish standards and so we felt really safe. We ended up going there a few times to swim, surf and bodyboard. There are lifeguards there. There's also a lovely little café serving very tasty cakes and coffee (perfect after a couple of hours in the sea).
Wadebridge to Padstow on the Camel Trail
Every year when we visit Cornwall, we drive to Wadebridge and hire bikes so that we can cycle the Camel Trail to Padstow. There's a wonderful, flat, 5 mile cycle path with views over the estuary to Rock and Padstow. The bike hire places have changed their methods and make sure there's lots of social distancing and safety measures. We use Bridge Bike Hire. We took our own bike helmets (as advised) and the bikes were ready for us to collect when we arrived. The trail was much quieter this year and felt very safe. We stopped half way as usual for a cake / ice cream at the Atlantic Coast Express.
We were a bit worried that Padstow would be packed, so we'd planned to walk through and find a quiet place for a picnic. The town wasn't as busy as usual but there were still lots of people around. We walked through Padstow and headed out of town. There are great views over to Rock if you walk along the coast. We had our picnic looking out over the water. Having never been there, we decided to get the ferry across to Rock (masks and hand sanitizers at the ready) to have a look around. The beach was lovely. We had a drink at the sailing club before heading back to Padstow to get our bikes for the cycle home.
Lanhydrock
We booked a parking slot at the National Trust property of Lanhydrock and had the most glorious sunny day to explore the gorgeous gardens and woodlands there. The gardens, cycle paths and café are all open. The house and play area is closed. Once again it was pretty quiet, with plenty of space to sit and enjoy a picnic away from others. The café had very safe policies in place. They only allowed a few people in at a time to order food to take away or eat outside.
Polzeath
The town of Polzeath is just around the corner from Rock. We wanted to find a thick wetsuit for my son as he was freezing in his old thin wetsuit. We'd been advised to go to a wetsuit shop in Polzeath. Boy, it was BUSY! The car park was packed and the beach was rammed. We didn't spend very long there but managed to get a wetsuit! We then had lunch at The Pityme Inn which is part of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. It was fabulous (the Vegan burger was amazing!). If you're planning on eating out, you'll most probably have to pre-book a day or two in advance. We weren't very good at thinking ahead and so lots of the places that we tried were fully booked.
Busier places...
Of course, there will be plenty of places in Cornwall that will be very very busy. It's probably best to avoid the big tourist towns like Bude, Newquay, Perranporth, Padstow and St Ives if you're looking for a quiet break.
But, if you venture a little off the beaten track, it's perfectly possible to find lovely quiet areas for a visit to Cornwall 2020.
I am a Cardiff family photographer, covering South Wales. I offer outdoor location family photo shoots and love the beach!
I'm fully booked for August and getting pretty booked up for September too, if you fancy an outdoor family photoshoot - get in touch.
Have a look at my portfolio and pricing pages.
Follow me on Instagram.
My lockdown highlights
Lockdown may have stopped me from shooting but I've still got some lockdown highlights to share with you!
Since the start of lockdown I've had to postpone so many client shoots. Family shoots, beach shoots, toddler group sessions, school class photos and commercial sessions. It was an abrupt end to what was gearing up to be a very busy Spring season. But, I've still been squirrelling away behind the scenes. It took me a few weeks to get my camera back out again, after trying to establish some sort of homeschooling routine for my kids and worrying endlessly about running out of bread and tea bags.
I started doing some shoots with my children, at home and in the garden. You can see my sessions with my daughter in my blog post - Lockdown photos at home, and some with my son, in How to shoot your own lockdown images.
But that's not all I've been up to. I tend to share news and information on my Facebook and Instagram accounts but not so much on my blog. So, I thought I'd write a post to share my lockdown business highlights with you.
I've been a Cardiff family photographer and Cardiff business photographer for 14 years but I've only recently started to share my work with industry peers. I'm quite shy (although no one ever believes that I am!) and so it's a strange feeling submitting and sharing work to the wider world.
It's such an honour to have my work recognised and featured, both online and in print. See below for my business lockdown highlights!
Italian Vogue
The first bit of exciting news was that I had a some images published on Italian Vogue! It's something I've been trying to do for quite a while and lockdown gave me more time to get around to submitting them. I'm so happy that they accepted these client images, which are some of my favourites.
JUNO Magazine
I also had an article and images featured in the latest edition of the fabulous JUNO Magazine. It's the second time I've been featured in the magazine and this article is all about how proud I am of my son, who is a ballet dancer, so it's even more special.
September brought another feature in JUNO Magazine!
This time, my daughter was featured as part of a home-school series. She's the one with the rainbow of books on the right.
United Art Gallery
My images have been published on the United Art Gallery, which was set up to showcase COVID 19 related art from around the world. I was so happy when they contacted me and asked if they could feature some of my 'Lockdown Ballet' series of images. You can see the whole set in my Lockdown Ballet post. Visit the United Art Gallery website to see some amazing and inspiring work from artists from all over the world.
Shootproof blog
I was also contacted by Shootproof - an amazing company providing an online gallery platform to photographers around the world. They have the most brilliant blog, which I read on a regular basis. They got in touch to say that they loved my personal branding work and that they'd like me to write an article to help other photographers start shooting personal branding images too. It was published online and emailed to all their contacts in May. You can read it on their website.
DIY Photography
DIY Photography also kindly published my Lockdown Ballet article, with tips to help shoot your own lockdown images at home.
This Detailed Life
This Detailed Life is a new professional photography magazine to showcase artwork by photographers around the world, to educate and inform, and above all to inspire. I'm very pleased to have had an image selected for publication in the first edition. The magazine is due out Summer 2020!
British Photography Awards
The British Photography Awards shared my COVID 19 Assignment on their social media pages.
First News
Even my son got in on the act and wrote a little article for First News, the award winning newspaper for children, which was published a few weeks ago.
Cardiff Life Magazine
Just before we went into lockdown, I visited the independent shopping hub, Castle Emporium in Cardiff to photograph the indie shops and their owners for Cardiff Life Magazine. When lockdown hit, Cardiff Life Magazine stopped production for a few months but came back in September! Here's the 6 page spread featuring all my images!
Coming up...
There's a few other things in the pipeline too that I won't mention just yet but I'll come back and add them to the blog when they are released!
Socially distanced family photo shoot
Your socially distanced family photo shoot
As a family photographer, based near Cardiff, I'm officially allowed to return to work. I'm allowed to meet up with one other family and so, is it time to pick up my camera bag and start shooting families again? Well, sort of. I've been thinking long and hard about how I can offer clients a socially distanced family photo shoot during these strange times.
I'm a stickler for the rules and so I want to make sure that it's as safe as possible to go back to working with family clients. I would not feel comfortable meeting families in a public place for a shoot. There are too many variables that I can't control (other people!).
So, I'm going to make some tentative steps towards going back to work in a safe and measured way.
I know that with my long lens, I can take photos at a distance of 2 metres, or further. I took the pictures below of my children, in my garden, at 2m away to illustrate the point.
With that in mind, as of this week, I'm offering very limited edition Front Garden Mini Sessions for the residents of Colwinston. There are 5 slots available initially. If there's interest in socially distanced family photo shoots, I may add more. I'll be giving 20% of the fee to the charity, 2 Wish Upon a Star, who provide bereavement support for families who have suddenly and traumatically lost a child or young adult aged 25 years and under.
I don't want to rush into a shooting frenzy and shoot multiple families in one day. It may take me longer but I only want to offer ONE mini shoot per day, to ensure maximum safety.
See below for all the details.
How much is a Front Garden Mini Session?
I'm offering these mini sessions at a special introductory price of £60. This price may change in the future. The £60, includes a £12 donation to charity, your session and 3 digital images.
Can I buy more images?
Yes. You'll be sent a password protected online gallery of all your images. You can choose the three digital images included in your package and then add additional images, prints or products if you wish.
How do I book a Front Garden Mini Session?
If you're a resident of Colwinston and you'd like to book a socially distanced family photo shoot, please contact me via my website or email directly at gemma@gemmagriffithsphotography.co.uk. I will get in touch to let you know if there are spaces available and we can choose a date together.
Can I book a session if I don't live in Colwinston?
Initially, I'd like to start offering shoots in my village only. If the shoots are a success, I may roll them out to other villages too. Interested in a session? Please drop me a line and I'll add your name onto a waiting list. If I decide to extend the sessions, I'll be in touch and let you know.
What time will the session take place?
The best place for your shoot will be in an area of open shade. Once you've made a booking, we can chat over the phone to discuss the best time for the shoot to take place, depending on the chosen spot in your garden. It's likely to be early in the morning or later in the evening.
What safety measures will be in place?
I am only offering one shoot per day, so I'll come straight from my house (most likely on foot), with clean hands. I do own a mask but I won't be using one during the session as I'll need to direct you. I'll also bring a tape measure with me, to ensure that we're all aware of the 2 metre distance during the session. I will bring anti bacterial gel with me too. If you have young children, it's important to have a think about whether they are able to understand the 2 metre rule. If you don't think that they will be able to stay in a directed area, we'll need to discuss other options (holding them in your arms etc).
What shall we wear?
Don't worry about outfits, I will send advice once your session is booked.
Are you donating any of the money to charity?
Yes, I'll be donating 20% of the fee to the charity 2 Wish Upon a Star, who provide bereavement support for families who have suddenly and traumatically lost a child or young adult aged 25 years and under.
Follow me on Instagram to see what I've been up to during lockdown, or read my lockdown blogs - How to shoot your own lockdown images and Lockdown photos at home.
I'm looking forward to seeing you, from a safe distance soon!
Gemma Griffiths is a family photographer based near Cardiff. She works with families outdoors to create fresh natural images.
Lockdown photos at home
When a family photographer can't work for weeks on end, it's time for some lockdown photos at home...
Lockdown
A week before the official UK Coronavirus lockdown started, we were self isolating at home. We were caught on the back foot a bit, without the necessary stockpiles of toilet roll and pasta. Friends dropped over food parcels (some included gin!). We felt worried. Panicked. Scared.
I wanted to capture this peculiar time and try to express how we were all feeling. So, in the beginning, I took a handful of images of my kids looking out of the windows. It felt right to look serious. The future was uncertain and bleak for many in the UK and around the world.
After a while, we got into a rhythm. I'm a list writer and planner by nature and I soon had a schedule pinned on the fridge (cue everyone else in the house rolling their eyes). We started to slow down. We slept longer and stayed up later. When it was warm over the Easter 'break', we pretended to be on holiday and we'd meet up in the late afternoon to drink coke (or gin and tonic) and play cards. We decorated the windows with rainbows for the local children to spot. We started to go out for walks and bike rides. I calmed down a bit.
Creating
After a few weeks, I picked up my camera and started to experiment. I tried different things, like shooting indoors. I did a whole ballet shoot around the house with my son, to show how he's keeping up with his practice at home. You can see the Lockdown Ballet shoot on the blog. The images got featured on the Covid-19 related art website - United Art Gallery!
One day, whilst trying to help to my daughter with her history work, I noticed the variety of coloured books on the bookshelf in my office. I had an idea - to create a rainbow of books. Something pretty and joyful. I grabbed an armful of books and presented them to my son. He's a perfectionist and expert on rainbows, so I asked him to blend the colours for me. My daughter, reluctantly, lay down on the itchy grass so I could take the picture (see below).
I took photos of her with the bluebells (all gone now) and learning to skate with a penny board we found under the stairs. March ended, April sped by and now it's the middle of May.
We don't know how long this situation will last. We're trying to take each day at a time and think about all the wonderful front line NHS staff and key workers out there, risking their safety every day.
I'm looking forward to being able to get together again with clients, whether it's in weeks or months, I'll be raring to go when the time comes.
More ideas
In the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram to see what I'm getting up to - I've got a few more ideas that I want to try out!
Stay safe everyone.
Gem x
How to shoot your own lockdown images
How to shoot your own lockdown images.
UPDATE JAN 2022
I first posted my Lockdown Ballet series of images in 2020, during the first lockdown. I'm very proud to say that it was well received by the photography community and beyond. The images were published on United Art Gallery, which was set up to showcase COVID 19 related art from around the world. Visit the United Art Gallery website to see some amazing and inspiring work from artists from all over the world.
Here's the story of how they were taken:
I wanted to try and capture what it's like being in lockdown at home during this pandemic. My son is a ballet dancer and so is, of course, missing all his classes at the moment. He's been practising at home with videos from his teachers.
As I was watching him practice, I wondered whether I could do a shoot with him, dancing around the house. He's always moving. Whether it's dancing on the edge of my bedframe, on one leg, or cartwheeling across the lounge. We did a shoot together a few days ago and I thought it might be useful to share how we went about it and to help anyone that is thinking of doing their own lockdown photo shoot at home.
Here's 7 quick tips on how to shoot your own lockdown images, based on how I planned and shot these images of my son.
1. Research and planning
My son is a ballet dancer and has great natural poise but sometimes classical ballet poses need a bit of a tweak to look even better in photos. I follow some fantastic ballet photographers on Instagram - the awesome Richard Calmes and Magda Hoffman are two of my favourites and I love all the movement in their work. My son and I discussed, practiced and researched poses in advance of the session. Some things worked and others didn't. As a male dancer, he doesn't have the fabulous outfits that ballerina's wear and so we just had to work with him and his black tights. The most important thing was making sure that his 'lines' were as perfect as he could make them (taking into account his ability). No dodgy hand placements or bent legs if possible. If you want to capture a person's hobby at home, then take time to research other images in the genre. Work out what your subject can do and what they can't do. Tweak and adapt ideas to suit your subject and the environment that you have to work with.
2. Consider the setting
Doing a shoot at home is different to shooting in a studio or outside. There's a lot more general debris around a family home! I looked around my house for suitable areas to shoot (my bedroom, upstairs landing and lounge) and made sure that I cleared away any mess (the guitar, dumbbells, wet towels, paper work, abandoned socks and framed pictures). Depending on the sort of photography you like, you might like to include general household detritus. If not, then find an area that you can clear, or dress to suit your images.
3. Outfits
Outfits for this sort of shoot are super important. I didn’t want my son to wear his usual ballet outfit, as things are different in lockdown. I wanted a sense of informality but still needed to see his body shape properly. So, he wore his ballet tights, but with a t-shirt instead of a leotard. He wore his hair down too, instead of wearing a bun to add to the informal ‘at home’ feel. If you’re planning a shoot at home then outfits should be a top priority. Try and avoid writing, or logo’s on clothing as well as pictures as they can be very distracting. Consider colours, textures and style of clothing and work out what you think would suit the situation. Do you want something colourful, joyful or fun? Or perhaps something more serious, classic and formal. Planning and thinking about clothing in advance will make a big difference to the end result.
4. Find the light
I've spent a lot of time in the house lately! Haven't we all? So, I've become very aware of the light and shadows at different times of day. I knew that the sun would be shining through the lounge window, casting lovely patterns onto the carpet in the late afternoon, so I planned the shoot at that time. Look around your house, find the lovely patterns made as the sun moves during the day. Look for naturally shaded areas or bright spots, depending on what you like. You could plan a silhouette picture (shooting into the light), or use the patterns cast on the walls or floor to make interesting shadow images.
5. Kit
I used my Sony A7iii for the shoot and chose my 35mm Sigma Art lens. I needed a wide angle lens, so I could capture him within the setting and not have to stand miles away (plus there wasn't enough room to use my 85mm!). Shoot with what you have. Use a phone if you need to! Work out in advance what you can fit into the frame before the session. I did a couple of test shots a few days prior to the actual shoot, just to work out what I could fit in and where I would need to stand.
6. Settings
I can't advise on what settings you should use for your shoot, as it totally depends on what you're shooting and the available light etc. I can tell you the settings used for this shoot though. For the static images, I used a wide aperture (f2.8) and a shutter speed of around 1/250. Upstairs my ISO was a little higher (400) as it was darker. Downstairs, there was more light streaming through the windows and my priority was to capture his movement, so I used a faster shutter speed (between 1/640 -1/800). My ISO was 100 and aperture f1.8.
Dance photography isn't easy. I'm no expert at this sort of thing but photographing my son over the years, I've realised it's easier to ask him to jump from standing, rather than across the frame, to make sure that I can get the focus correct. It took quite a few takes to get the images in this set. The slightest movement in the wrong direction can ruin an image. He's more of a perfectionist than me, and so won't let me use an image unless he's happy with it.
As with most things, practice make perfect, so just keep trying and learning as you go. If your images are too light or too dark or too blurry, consider your settings, change something and try again.
7. Processing
I knew in advance that I wanted the whole set of images to be in black and white. The woodwork in my house is a pale green colour and I didn't want it to distract the eye away from him so I thought black and white would look better. With that in mind I chose a dark outfit for him, so there would be contrast between him and the background. I processed the RAW files in Lightroom and did any small tweaks and cropping in Photoshop.
Lockdown photo sessions can cover any hobby or activity. What does your child love to do? Can you work out a shoot that will show them in action? You could do a shoot showing them dancing, exercising, practising a musical instrument, painting, drawing - there's loads of options. I'd love to see your lockdown images! Share them with me on my Facebook or Instagram accounts.
If you want to learn about dance photography - then check out Dance Photography Workshops from the fabulous Nina Mace.
Follow me on Instagram to see more of my work. Check out my work with families and local businesses in my portfolios.
