White Clifftop view

I’ve put together a series of images taken from on top of the White Cliffs of Dover. Facing East, this is a great spot to watch the sunrise from and catch the ferries as they cross the Channel to the continent.

ferry crossing the english channel at sunrise
A ferry from Dover heading towards France in the distance.
english channel at sunrise
The Strait of Dover on a dramatic looking morning.
calm seas of english channel
Pre-dawn calmness over the Channel.

The Strait of Dover is the busiest shipping route in the world and the ferries leaving from Dover can make for great subjects as they catch the first rays of light on their sides. A simple shot of sea and sky can work nicely though when there is a gap in the traffic.

sunrise light on the boats in english channel
First light on the ferries crossing the Channel.
ferry from dover crossing the channel
Into the abyss. The French coast can usually be seen but for thick fog that morning.

It is hard to plan shots like this as you have to get lucky with the weather and then react to the light. Often I have been out with the intention of shooting something else and have just happened to turn around and change my plans. For example, this above shot was taken on a very frosty morning at South Foreland. My original plan was to capture first light on the lighthouse surrounded by frost but as you can see I got distracted by these incredible skies out to sea!

stormy skies over the english channel
A glimpse of light breaks through the clouds. You can see the outlines of a town in the left hand corner.
sunrise from the white cliffs of dover
Fiery skies at dawn.

Thank you for reaching the end. I hope you have enjoyed the images..!

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