Porth Nanven
I was up at 3am this morning. I really wanted to catch the early morning light. I packed my camera gear and the all important thermos mug of tea and I was on the road by 3.45.
After just over an hour’s drive I arrived at the small village of St Just. Here my Sat Nav got a little confused. It kept trying to direct me down roads that were no more than alley’s, more suited to bicycles than cars, but I finally managed to find my way onto an only very slightly wider road that lead me through the Cot Valley to Porth Nanven. I arrived about a half hour before sunrise..
24mm f/11 0.81 sec. ISO-100 – Click for a clearer, sharper view ;-)
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Cornwall Photographic 
Very nice, Adrian…I like that you’ve got some rocks/island out in the sea…helps give some definition or depth to the great expanse of water. And thank you for your efforts in capturing such a beautiful shot…waking so early. I’d say it was worth it. :)
May 30, 2013 at 5:30 pm
Thank you Scott. Really appreciate that. :-)
May 30, 2013 at 5:42 pm
Most welcome, my friend. :)
May 30, 2013 at 6:58 pm
:-)
May 30, 2013 at 7:13 pm
Very nice. Heroic for you to get up so early to catch a picture. But I used to do similar things.
May 30, 2013 at 5:46 pm
Thank you Shimon. I really quite enjoy the adventure of an early morning shoot and the advantages of no traffic or tourists outweigh the initial struggle of getting out of bed, plus the light is often so nice first thing of course. :-)
May 30, 2013 at 6:08 pm
No stranger myself to getting up at what my wife terms ‘stupid o’clock’ to take sunrise photos – this one was well worth the effort.
May 30, 2013 at 6:57 pm
Thank you very much Gerard. I think it’s the best time of the day! :-)
May 30, 2013 at 7:13 pm
There might be quite a few times when I could easily stay up to catch the sunrise :D
Very nice shot indeed!
May 30, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Thank you very much Gunta. This time of year I think staying up, rather than going to bed and getting up, might be the easier option. :-)
May 31, 2013 at 5:50 am
That is just beautiful. The smoothness of the textures, and the light on the horizon. Kudos to you for getting up so early. Such a fine result!
May 30, 2013 at 9:39 pm
Thank you Marina. It was such a beautiful morning. Reward in itself. :-)
May 31, 2013 at 5:49 am
Liquid light. It looks so fresh, and absolutely beautiful. I like the way the sand is eroding.
You are very committed to your craft, Adrian! Impressive. : )
May 30, 2013 at 9:54 pm
Thank you Karen. I love the beach when nobody has been since the tide was up last. It is all so fresh and new. :-)
May 31, 2013 at 5:52 am
This is art-photography
May 30, 2013 at 10:59 pm
Thank you very much Lou. Much appreciated.
May 31, 2013 at 5:53 am
Beautiful! It almost looks like snow…
May 31, 2013 at 3:06 am
Thank you very much John!
May 31, 2013 at 5:53 am
Stunning! :)
May 31, 2013 at 7:50 am
Thank you very much Norma! :-)
May 31, 2013 at 10:36 am
Reblogged this on DOWNINDEVONOUTINCORNWALL.
May 31, 2013 at 10:05 am
Thank you for the reblog! :-)
May 31, 2013 at 10:37 am
Lovely photo, Adrian. Glad you finally made it. It can be a busy little cove, quite often with lots of photographers, but I think at 5am you had the place to yourself.
May 31, 2013 at 11:59 am
Thank you Malcolm. I was alone and it was woderful if not a little tricky to navigate. I think I spent more time on my backside. Sliding from one dinosaur egg like boulder to the next. Took me a while to get to where I wanted to be. Fascinating place. :-)
May 31, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Absolutely amazing!
May 31, 2013 at 6:26 pm
Thank you Ese! :-)
May 31, 2013 at 6:50 pm
Beautiful!!
May 31, 2013 at 6:48 pm
Thanks Yvonne. :-)
May 31, 2013 at 6:51 pm
ChillB this is wonderful . I love it . It looks an narrow inlet there , and what with that sand being nibbled by the tide and those large boulders it sounds like an adventurous photo shoot . Such a lovely light with the dawn breaking …
May 31, 2013 at 7:50 pm
Thanks Poppy. Every Cornish cove has a stream and I was happy to find this one eroding the sand as you say. The tide was rising very rapidly and I just got out of there before I got my feet wet. the tide will have replaced all that sand, ready for the stream to start eroding it again as the tide turns, just as it’s done for thousands of years. Isn’t that marvellous? It’s timeless and being on the beach, on my own at dawn was a magical experience. Feeling small in the grand scheme of things but comforted to know that one day my atoms will be released back into the universe to be recycled once again into who knows what. What a incredible system it is. :-)
May 31, 2013 at 8:24 pm
… it most certainly is ChillB … Thanks for sharing those thoughts ….
May 31, 2013 at 8:49 pm
:-)
June 1, 2013 at 8:34 am
I was awake around three too, just turned over and went back to sleep! Not a bad view for an early start, Adrian. St Just in Roseland – go back about 500 years and our ancestors lived here and one of them was the vicar of the little church. We visited this place (but not this precise point) about 2 summers back.
May 31, 2013 at 10:00 pm
St Just in Roseland is beautiful. This is actually the other St Just though Andy, down near Land’s End. :-)
June 1, 2013 at 8:42 am
My mistake!
June 1, 2013 at 6:16 pm
I love St Just in Roseland Andy. Which church was your ancestor vicar of? The little one down on the water?
June 1, 2013 at 6:37 pm
Yes – that’s the one. The family we traced were based originally in Exeter in the early 1500s.
June 1, 2013 at 7:21 pm
That’s quite something! My roots are in France on one side and Greenwich on the other where I ended up teaching. My ancestors were shipwrights on the Thames. Perhaps this explains my love of the sea. :-)
June 1, 2013 at 7:43 pm
The early start was well worth the effort. The light in this picture is lovely!
June 1, 2013 at 8:20 am
Thank you Finn!
June 1, 2013 at 8:35 am
What a marvellous photo, Adrian. Your early start was well rewarded. :)
June 1, 2013 at 5:54 pm
Thank you Sylvia. It was just so nice to be on the beach, totally on my own, surrounded by this beauty! :-)
June 1, 2013 at 6:25 pm
Hi Chillbrook. I like the juxtaposition of those dramatic rocks with the tranquil pastel sky. It’s meditative and engaging at the same time. Your sunrise pursuits are resulting in a delightful new series of signature works. Well worth sacrificing a few hours sleep! :-) Viv
June 9, 2013 at 5:08 am
Hello Viv, Lovely to hear from you. Thank you for your lovely comment. I enjoy being up early and really enjoy the photo opportunities that dawn brings. I hope all is well with you. :-)
June 9, 2013 at 5:40 am
You do such beautiful seascapes. I’m impressed by your stamina, getting up so early – and worth it of course!
June 12, 2013 at 4:55 am
Thank you very much!
June 12, 2013 at 5:56 am