Our family holiday was in Anglesey staying at Gwelfor barn near to Llangoed on the east of the island. This location was near to Trwyn Du lighthouse. The weather was changeable but my Clear Outside app showed that there was a good chance of a sunrise taking place on our first days on holiday.
The day was set and I got up very early careful not to disturb the family and drove down to Trwyn Penman point. Although I had done my research, I did not realize that this area was privately owned. Driving in the darkness, I came across a burning fire and a gatekeeper standing next to it. This was 5:00 am in the morning and the sun was a long way from rising. There was a payment of £3.50 and I had no cash with me but as luck would have it, he took out a SumUp device and I was able to pay contactless with my phone. The cones were moved, allowing me to continue my drive up to Trwyn Penmon Point. The scene that greeted me was surreal with numerous camper vans parked up for the night. Some people were asleep in their cars. No one was stirring.
I quickly got all my equipment out and went down to the shoreline. The tide was going out so I scouted around looking for a good vantage point. The rocks were covered with seaweed so I was very careful with my own personal safety. The rock pools provided good opportunities for reflective photography with my iPhone. My many photographs of the of the area revealed which was the best vantage point and I set up my Cannon 5DmkVI camera on a tripod. I placed a graduated filter onto the lens. This would allow me to get a good exposure of the darker lower half of the picture and reduce the overexposure that would occur when the sun rose. I also looked for interesting foreground features to complement the composition. The background of Puffin island and the outline of the Great Orme near Llandudno was dark and therefore some compensation was required. The steps leading upto the lighthouse were starting to be uncovered by the outgoing tide. I used the steps as a leading line. I almost missed the sunrise and when you see the initial part of the sun rising, then you have about 5-10 minutes where the sun is a yellow disk as soon the the rays start to overpower your exposure. The sunrise is a very exciting experience and several pictures were taken.
I started to vary the position of the tripod although one of the problems I encountered was a large seagull that was taking interest in my camera backpack. Therefore I had to take the bag around with me! The golden hour light was falling on the old lifeboat houses and the camper vans. The North Wales coast was starting to stand put and all the time the sun was getting stronger. I remembered to take a few pictures with my Fujifilm x100vi camera. Then I stopped taking pictures and stood back to enjoy the scene. In such moments, the experience of appreciating the present and exercising mindfulness is a refreshing exercise. There were no photographs for about 5-10 minutes and I found myself sinking in and enjoying the sound of the sea against the rocks and the sun on my face.
Then I knew it was time to go. There were a few more pictures. I had my iPhone out and took a few interesting pictures of the stacks of stones that people had set up on the rocks. They mirrored the lighthouse nicely. Back at the holiday home, there was processing to be done before releasing the pictures on my social media. As a postscript, one of my iPhone pictures received many likes on Instagram, although my large Canon pictures were fun to set up. I enjoyed my time at Trwyn Du lighthouse. Unfortunately I did not get to the other lighthouses mainly through family commitments and also due to other events. Even so a magical sunrise at Trwyn Penman point was one I would not forget.
Here is a link to the lighthouse and a starting off area to other places in Anglesey.
