Another year over, the 5th year have been into landscape photography and feel I have got better. The passion for landscape photography has only got stronger as time passes. I love getting outdoors with a camera, exploring new places and revisiting old ones. What follows is a compilation of the best landscape photography by month for the year 2021.

January 2021 Beachy Head

January and short cold winter days are the norm. During winter tend to more concentrate on the coast and seascape photography. Seascape photography not really change due to the seasons and due to the short days sunrise and sunset photography occurs at more sociable hours.

One of my favourites from January 2021 and one of my favourite locations for some seascape photography is low tide on the beach at beachy head lighthouse especially when the moon or the sun is setting to the west.

February 2021 Beachy Head

February and the days are still short and cold but getting longer and spring is around the corner. Beachy Head lighthouse features again as the best seascape photographs for February. Beachy head and its lighthouse is such an iconic location and provides many different compositions especially as the light changes.

On this February morning there was a dust storm being blown in from the Sahara and consequently the deep orange coloured sky and corresponding reflections in the sea during high tide.

March Hope Gap Sunset

March and spring is in the air, Daffodils are in full bloom, the days are getting longer and warmer. Got a few good landscape photographs during the month of March, but my favourite was another coastal shot but this time a sunset at Hope Gap Seaford Head.

Lovely March evening spent down at Hope Gap during low tide as the sun was setting to the west. What made this seascape shot special is the golden light being caught on the cliffs and seaweed in the foreground, it only lasted a minute or so.

April 2021 Cuckmere Valley sunset

A little more inland for the best April landscape photo, a sunset over the Cuckmere valley and river.

I would not known of this composition with the Seven Sisters Country park if someone had not posted a photo on social media.

May Abbots Wood Bluebells

Spring come late in May 2021. Spent the majority of the time in May trying to track down a good bluebell composition mostly on the high weald. Finally nailed a bluebell composition but on the low weald in Abbots Wood in East Sussex.

Found a lovely carpet of bluebells, undisturbed fallen trees and a sun setting through the woodland canopy. Lucky little wind as technically challenging. This combined all forms of multiple exposures, pano, bracketing and focus stacking.

June 2021 Wilmington Hill Sunset

Into June 2021 and the days are now at there longest as summer begins. One of my favourite landscape photos from June was a sunset from the top of Wilmington hill on the south downs in East Sussex.

This was just the beginning of the sunset, we were just getting warmed up. Then unfortunately the sun disappeared behind some low clouds that moved into the horizon.

July Wye Downs Kent

Come July and summer is roaring. July and you can spend long summer evenings outdoors. Had a good roadtrip to the Shropshire Hills in July during a heatwave. But the favourite landscape photo of July goes to a golden hour scene on the Wye downs in Kent.

What makes this photo is the low summer light catching the lush long grass in the foreground. As the sun dropped a few minutes later it was all in shadow.

August, Poppy fields, Lancing

August and the summer is in its last month. Compared to August 2020 was a lot more energetic August 2021, getting outdoors much more. Most summer flowers are on their last legs come August, but there was a Poppy field in Lancing West Sussex having a second bloom.

Love a poppy field, they usually peek around June, so to get them late August was quite unique but well worth the trip.

September, Holmbury Hill, Surrey

Things always get better for landscape photographers during September, they come out of their summer hibernation. The days become shorter and cooler with autumn around the corner. September 2021 was no different getting a few good photos.

My favourite though for September 2021 was a sunrise from Holmbury Hill deep within the Surrey Hills.

October 2021, Exmoor, Somerset

Into October and am considering some autumn photography over the High Weald in East Sussex and Kent. Early October though, took a road trip into Somerset exploring the Mendip Hills, Exmoor and the Quantock Hills.

My favourite composition from October 2021 though has to go to an inquisitive pony on Bossington Hill Exmoor. For a moment the light was exceptionally good as the pony looked my way.

November, High Weald, East Sussex

The autumn came late 2021. Throughout November was scouting over the high weald in East Sussex and Kent for that elusive autumn woodland composition.

My favourite photograph though during November 2021 was a sunset over the church spire of Old Heathfield in East Sussex.

December 2021, Warren Hill Sunrise

December 2021 was very productive for landscape photography and some good seascape photography along the iconic east Sussex coastline. What really helped is using various weather apps to predict things like cloud cover and prospective lighting conditions. December 2021 had been very dull wet and overcast so picking the right time slot to get outdoors was essential.

If not for the weather apps I would have missed a spectacular December sunrise from Warren Hill on the South Downs. One of my favourite all time photographs to date.

End of 2021

Despite Covid, working full time, lack of international travel, 2021 was a really good year for landscape photography. Feel I have learnt much and expanded my horizons and comfort zone. May it continue through 2022. Happy New Year!

Check out the 2021 landscape photography gallery.