Southwold Pier Suffolk – Places to Photograph

Southwold Pier is an iconic landmark a little like its Norfolk counterpart in Cromer. It offers good views back to the shore as well as making a good subject in seascapes. The multi-coloured beach huts along the promenade add more colour and interest to this seaside town.

I would recommend this as a venue for landscape photographers and also as a potentially good location for portraits or fashion photography. In summer months it does get very busy, so photography is easier out of season. You can park within just a few metres of Southwold Pier. There is a pretty large pay & display car park just behind the beach huts. Alternative places are sometimes also available along the coastal road. There are toilet facilities next to the pier. 

Besides photographing seascapes from the shore, you can also look back at the beach from the pier. Southwold Pier has two arms at the end that stick out enabling you to look back at the pier and the beach. This can be an interesting view for sunsets (it faces West). 

Whether shooting out to see or back towards the shore, the pier offers a good opportunity to catch the warm light of sunrise or sunset. Its bold structure can be used to create strong leading lines in your compositions. Perhaps try taking the line of a railing or the decking from the corner of your image to draw the viewer in. Similarly to Cromer, the pier and sea defences can make interesting subjects. I have found them to work very well for long exposures.

For images such as these, a wide angle lens is essential. You may also like to experiment with mid range focal lengths, but generally wider ones are easier to compose with here. If you have filters and a tripod then do make sure to bring them. 

This video shows a selection of images taken around Southwold Pier:

All images & content © Joe Lenton, Dec 2017 (all rights reserved)