Devon family photography: Dartmoor, the coast & the best portrait locations

Dartmoor: England's Best Landscape for Family Portraits

Dartmoor National Park is one of the great wild landscapes of lowland England — high granitic moorland, blanket bog, dramatic tor outcrops, and steep-sided oak woodland valleys (locally called combes or cleaves). For family photography, Dartmoor's remarkable quality is its accessibility: no gates, no access fees, no timed entry. The National Park's Open Access provision means every square metre of the moorland is walk-in. Haytor Rocks, the most visited of the tors, provides a photogenic viewpoint with long views south across the South Devon AONB coast. Hound Tor, slightly quieter, has better foreground variety. The Teign Gorge oak woodland — Fingle Woods — is among England's finest sessile oak woodland, with the River Teign running through its base.

Saunton Sands & the North Devon Coast

Saunton Sands is three miles of north-facing beach backed by Braunton Burrows, the largest sand dune system in England. The beach faces north-west into Atlantic swells and catches evening light from the west that makes it one of England's most beautiful beaches for family photography. The dune system behind the beach — a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — is a remarkable photographic environment: marram-covered dunes, slack ponds, and views to the Taw-Torridge estuary. Croyde Bay to the north is smaller, more enclosed, and particularly good for family sessions with younger children in summer.

The East Devon AONB Coast

The East Devon coast from Exmouth to Lyme Regis is classified as a Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site — the geological record visible in the red Triassic cliffs west of Sidmouth and the white Cretaceous chalk east of Branscombe. Branscombe, Beer, and Ladram Bay are among the most photogenic sections of this coast for family portraits. The red sandstone cliffs catch late afternoon light with a warmth that is characteristic and immediately beautiful. The combination of beach and cliff setting provides photographic variety within short walking distances.

The Exe Estuary & Killerton

The Exe Estuary's tidal mudsflats and the RSPB reserve at Exminster Marshes provide an unexpectedly beautiful landscape just south of Exeter — wide sky, flat marsh, and the estuary's reflective surface create a distinctly different Devon portrait environment from the upland drama of the moor or the coastal drama of the cliffs. Killerton Estate (National Trust), 5 miles north of Exeter, has a woodland garden with unusual specimen trees and parkland that is consistently beautiful from early spring to late autumn.

Holiday Portrait Sessions in Devon

A significant proportion of Devon family portrait sessions are for families visiting on holiday. I schedule Devon sessions flexibly to accommodate visiting families — typically a 90-minute golden hour session at a beach or moorland location that combines effectively with a family holiday. I can photograph at Dartmoor, the North Devon coast, and East Devon beaches, and can usually accommodate sessions at short notice in the off-peak season.