DENMARK LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY - RUBJERG KNUDE FYR
Denmark for landscape photography you ask? Yes, I reply! There are many lighthouses on this european peninsula, and in my opinion this one is the most photogenic!
Where is it?
Located in the North of Denmark, the lighthouse sits on the west coast, close to Lokken.
There is a car park, with toilet facilites which is where you will start a 10-15 minute walk westwards towards the coast.
The elevation is slightly upwards from the car park, but nothing taxing and should be accessible to most.
It won’t take long until you peer round a corner and see the massive sand dunes in the distance and see the top of the lighthouse poking through them.
When to go?
Best time SUNSET:
Being on the west coast, the sun will be setting over the sea, which gives you the option of using most of the dunes as a foreground in your composition.
SUNRISE:
The sun will rise in the east and therefore you will have the dunes behind the lighthouse as you stand on the coastal edge. Foreground options are limited at this time of day. But you may get lucky and find it swamped in fog like the Danish photographer Christian Faber (on instagram @christian_faber_fotos) did!
NIGHT:
On a clear night there may be milky way options, a lot of my photos were facing south east, therefore check when the milkyway will be in that direction and cross your fingers for a clear night!
Composing your photos
I speak a lot about composition in my YouTube video covering this location (see above!) but here’s a few tips:
Being a lighthouse, and tall, you’re best shooting portrait on the most part. There are opportunities to shoot landscape orientation photos once you get a bit further away from the building, however up close you’ll be portrait.
Focal Length: You’ll want to go as wide as possible here, I used 20mm. But anything from 14mm to 35mm will suffice once you’re next to the lighthouse. From the approach, you can isolate the subject with a longer focal length, 70mm should do.
Use a strong foreground. There are so many patterns in the sand to use as a strong foreground, leading lines and cool textures. Wait until the light is low and emphasising the foreground.
Atmosphere can be created by the sand blowing around on a windy day, but be prepared to get your gear dirty. Even with full weather sealing, some tiny grains seem to find their way in. I shall fovever have Danish sand in my 24-70mm!!
