After my road trip to Devon and settling back into life in East Sussex, the last couple of weekends of February 2024 saw me making some repeat visits to the cliff edge of Beachy Head for a sunset and dawn moonset.

Return to Beachy Head

Any landscape photographer based in east Sussex will no doubt have many photographs of Beachy Head, its lighthouses and cliffs within their portfolio. Every return journey is a chance to capture a new unique perspective. With high tide I was more interested in a walk along the cliff tops rather than down on the beach.

Beachy Head Sunset

Eager to be back in the elements after my travels, a weekend forecast of fair weather was all the encouragement I needed for an evening cliff-top walk at Beachy Head.

While I had envisioned capturing the sunset directly behind the Beachy Head Lighthouse, it was the side-lit Belle Tout Lighthouse that truly caught my eye. Through my telephoto lens, the glow of the setting sun draped over the landscape, creating a scene layered with depth from shadow to light. A solitary figure wandering the cliffs offered a poignant touch of scale within the vastness of nature.

As daylight faded, the sky bloomed with the intense hues of the blue hour, calling for a sturdier setup and warm layers against the evening’s gentle chill. Familiarity with this beloved spot didn’t detract from the uniqueness of the moment; rather, each visit adds to my collection of memories and images, with the changing light and seasons offering new perspectives each time.

Beachy Head Moonset

On the last weekend of February 2024, blessed with a promising forecast, I set my sights on capturing the full moon’s descent at Beachy Head, with Belle Tout Lighthouse and Seaford Head etched against the early morning sky. The moon’s north-westerly trajectory posed a challenge, but the cliffs of Beachy Head offered a good vantage point.

Perched on the cliff’s edge, the sight of the full moon’s graceful journey toward the horizon was mesmerizing. My 100-400mm lens was prepared to bring the moon’s imminent embrace with the horizon into view. However, as often happens with the best-laid plans, a band of low clouds veiled the final act of the moon’s performance. Even without the anticipated compression effect of the moon’s larger appearance near the horizon, the experience was nothing short of breath-taking.

Beachy Head Lighthouse and chalk cliffs

Venturing eastward from the cliffs of Beachy Head, I sought fresh perspectives of the quintessential Beachy Head Lighthouse, poised against the stark white cliffs. Treading carefully along the cliff’s edge, rewarding compositions began to reveal themselves.

With the iconic lighthouse commanding attention below, I negotiated the precarious cliffs with caution, my camera primed for the moment. Zooming in, I framed the lighthouse to dominate the seascape, while being mindful to not let it diminish into insignificance with a wider angle.

Dodging patches of dark scree that marred the chalk’s purity, I captured a series of images. The crisp, clear morning white light post-dawn, with the sun still cradling the horizon, cast a perfect glow, accentuating the lighthouse’s solitary stance and the chalk cliffs. A high tide nipped at the cliff’s base, a reminder of nature’s unyielding timetable.

Plans are set to revisit this scene during a high tide at dawn’s early light, aiming for a long exposure that will soften the sea’s texture, contrasting with the steadfast lighthouse. Beachy Head never ceases to inspire with its natural beauty and the ever-changing dance of light and tide.

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