Yana Skakun
Yana Skakun
Cornwall
Natural family photography across Cornwall — the Penwith coast's Atlantic cliffs, St Ives's harbour and beaches, Kynance Cove's serpentine stacks, Bodmin Moor and the quiet creeks of the Roseland Peninsula.
Cornwall has the most dramatic and varied family photography coastline of any English county. The Atlantic-facing cliffs of Penwith (the westernmost peninsula of mainland England), the arc of St Ives Bay, the serpentine sea-stacks of Kynance Cove on the Lizard, the white-sand coves of Porthcurno and Gwynver, the north Cornwall slate-cliff coast from Bedruthan Steps to Boscastle — each provides a completely different lighting character, geological colour palette, and scale of landscape for family portrait sessions. With the Eden Project, the Tate St Ives, the Minack Theatre, and the tranquil tidal creeks of the Fal and Helford estuaries also within the county, Cornwall offers family photography variety unmatched anywhere else in England.
I photograph families naturally — sessions respond to your family's energy and the location's specific character. With young children, Cornwall's beaches and accessible coves work brilliantly; with older children and teenagers, the coastal paths, moor summits, and tidal creeks provide genuine adventure and exploration as a portrait context.
I cover the whole of Cornwall from Launceston and Bude in the north-east to Land's End and the Isles of Scilly. I base sessions at the location that works best for your family and the time of year.
St Ives — the former pilchard-fishing town and artists' colony on the north shore of the Penwith Peninsula, with the Tate St Ives, the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden, and some of the finest beaches in Cornwall (Porthmeor, Porthminster, Carbis Bay) — is the most popular family photography destination in west Cornwall. The harbour, the whitewashed cottages of Downlong, the Atlantic-facing Porthmeor Beach, and the headland of The Island between them provide family portrait settings of coastal town character specific to St Ives's artistic and maritime history. The Penwith coastal path beyond St Ives — to Zennor Head, Gurnard's Head, and Land's End — provides progressively wilder Atlantic cliff and cove settings for extended family sessions.
Kynance Cove — the National Trust cove on the west side of the Lizard Peninsula, with its serpentine sea-stacks, turquoise water, white sand, and caves — is one of the most photographically extraordinary coastal locations in England. The serpentine rock of the Lizard (the oldest rock in England, formed on the ocean floor 380 million years ago) weathers to rich red, green, and grey — colours entirely unlike the granite and slate of the rest of Cornwall. The Kynance stacks at low tide, with the turquoise water and the white sand between them, provide family portrait settings of Caribbean-quality light in a distinctly Cornish setting. The Lizard Point (the most southerly point of mainland Britain) and the Lizard village provide further south Lizard family portrait locations.
Bodmin Moor — the granite upland plateau in the centre of Cornwall, rising to Brown Willy (420m, the highest point in Cornwall) and including the Rough Tor and Showery Tor outcrops — provides Cornwall's most dramatic upland family photography setting. The open moorland, the granite tors, the ancient field systems (prehistoric Bronze Age clearances are visible across the moor), and the atmospheric Dozmary Pool (associated with the Arthurian legend of Excalibur) combine to give Bodmin Moor family sessions a wild, elemental character very different from the coastal cove settings. The Jamaica Inn at Bolventor, the Cheesewring quarry above Minions, and the stone circles of the Hurlers provide additional Bodmin Moor family photography locations of historical character.
The Roseland Peninsula — the quiet tidal-creek peninsula east of the Fal Estuary, accessible only by foot, boat, or the long inland road through Tregony — is Cornwall's most tranquil family photography landscape. The ria creeks of the Percuil River, the tidal inlets of Porthcuel and Froe, the village of St Mawes on its promontory, and the extraordinary St Just-in-Roseland church (the churchyard tumbling down to the tidal creek, described by John Betjeman as possibly the most beautiful churchyard in the world) provide family portrait settings of quiet Cornish estuarine character entirely unlike the exposed Atlantic coast. The Roseland is best in summer and early autumn when the creek tides are warm and the sub-tropical church garden at St Just-in-Roseland is in full growth.
The north Cornwall slate-cliff coast — from the Camel Estuary at Padstow north to Boscastle, Tintagel, and Bude — provides Atlantic-scale family photography settings of cliff, beach, and cove landscape dramatically different from Cornwall's south-facing ria coast. Bedruthan Steps (the National Trust cliff-top above the beach with its stack rocks), the Camel Trail (the disused railway line along the Camel Estuary from Padstow to Bodmin), Polzeath Beach (the best surfing beach on the north Cornwall coast), and Tintagel (the legendary Arthurian castle on its clifftop headland) provide family portrait settings of varying mood and accessibility across the north coast.
Porthcurno — the sheltered white-sand cove with its turquoise water 3 miles east of Land's End — is one of the finest beach portrait locations in west Cornwall. The Minack Theatre (the open-air cliff theatre carved from the granite above Porthcurno by Rowena Cade from 1929, with its seating tiers looking across the Atlantic to the Scilly horizon) provides an extraordinary outdoor theatrical portrait setting above the beach. The Logan Rock headland above Porthcurno and the coastal path east to Treen and Penberth Cove provide further west Penwith family portrait locations of cliff and cove character.
£275
45 min
£445
90 min
£645
Half day
Late May to early June and late September to early October give the best combination of warm light, manageable crowds at popular locations, and settled weather. August is the most popular month but Kynance Cove, Porthcurno, and St Ives can be very busy; I recommend early-morning sessions (7–9am) at those locations in peak summer. October's golden light and near-empty beaches are a favourite for many families.
Many Cornwall coastal locations are fully accessible with buggies and toddlers — Carbis Bay and Porthminster at St Ives, the Camel Trail at Padstow, Trevaunance Cove at St Agnes, and the Roseland creek walks are all pushchair-friendly. The Kynance Cove beach access involves steep steps; Bodmin Moor is best for children who can walk a mile or more on uneven ground. I plan sessions around your family's capabilities.
Yes — I offer Isles of Scilly family portrait sessions by arrangement, travelling by ferry from Penzance or by helicopter from Land's End. The beaches and wildflower moorland of St Mary's, Tresco, and Bryher provide some of the finest family portrait conditions in the British Isles. Please enquire for Scilly session availability and pricing.
For summer peak (July–August) I recommend 3–4 months ahead. The popular coastal locations at peak season are heavily visited and early-morning session availability is limited. Autumn and spring sessions are typically more flexible. Use the form below to check your preferred date.
Tell me about your family and your preferred Cornwall location — I'll reply within 48 hours.
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