Whales, Penguins & Sunsets
Top Photography Locations in Cape Town
Whales, Penguins, Lion's Head, and Golden Hour at Kulk's Bay — A Photographer's Guide to Cape Town
Cape Town is a photographer's paradise. From the dramatic coastline and towering mountains to the incredible wildlife — whales, dolphins, and penguins — there's something for every kind of photographer. Join me as I explore five of the best photography locations in and around Cape Town, from the Garden Route to Lion's Head, and share some honest thoughts on what worked (and what didn't).
Hello there folks and how is it going? Welcome back to another video and welcome to the beautiful city of Cape Town. Now we are here in Cape Town for — well, we arrived yesterday, so we're probably here for another three nights. We've got lots of fun activities scheduled for sure, and it's going to be great.
I've spent the last few days exploring this incredible city and its surroundings, and I have to say — Cape Town is an absolute gem for photographers. The mountains, the coastline, the wildlife, the light — it's all there. So I thought I'd put together a guide to the locations I visited, what I learned, and what I'd recommend to anyone planning a photography trip here.
Cape Town from Lion's Head — a view that never gets old.
So, let's get into it. Here are five of my favourite photography locations from my time in Cape Town.
1. Gans Bay — Whale Watching (and a Lesson in Wildlife Photography)
Our first big adventure was heading out to Gans Bay for some whale watching. It is actually peak whale season off the coasts of Cape Town and the southern coast of South Africa, and we were lucky enough to get out on the water.
The drive there was incredible in itself. The landscape along the Garden Route that runs across the southern part of South Africa — I mean, if you had more time to spend here just to do landscapes, oh wow, you would be in heaven. The mountains are just impressively imposing. They're wonderful.
The Garden Route — mountains and coastline at their finest.
We got to the boat launch and headed out. The water was choppy, and I'll be honest — for the first few minutes I was wondering if I was going to be okay. Thankfully, I was. We did get to see some whales and some dolphins, and it was absolutely exhilarating.
Whale watching in Gans Bay — an unforgettable experience.
A pod of dolphins — apparently 800 to 1,000 of them!
Now, here's the honest part. I was trying to photograph whales and dolphins from a moving boat with a camera I'd never used before (Brendan's Canon, remember?). The autofocus system was all over the shop, and I was trying my best to figure it out on the fly. The result? A lot of "spray and pray" and not many keepers. But you know what? It was a brilliant learning experience. Wildlife photography is hard. Really hard. And doing it from a boat is even harder.
My best attempt at a whale — not perfect, but a great learning experience.
What I did get were some moody black and whites that leaned into the atmosphere of the day. The scene was moody and had a lot of atmosphere, so I leaned into that. Abstract and minimal shots that I actually really like. Sometimes you don't get the shot you planned, but you get something better.
Leaning into the mood — black and white works beautifully here.
Abstract and minimal — sometimes the best shots are the ones you don't plan.
2. Boulders Beach — The Penguins of Simon's Town
The next morning we took a drive south to see some penguins. And I don't think I've ever photographed a penguin before, so I was way more excited than anybody else.
Boulders Beach, near Simon's Town, is home to a colony of African penguins, and it's absolutely magical. The drive down the coast is stunning, and when you arrive, you're greeted by these wonderful little creatures waddling around on the rocks.
Boulders Beach — home to the African penguin.
For the first time ever photographing penguins, I'm very happy with how these turned out. The first one I really love — he's so beautifully sidelit, with a wonderful kind of pastel gradient behind him. The second image is just three happy little penguins standing on top of a rock. Sometimes it's the simple compositions that work best.
Beautiful sidelit penguin — the light makes this one special.
Three happy penguins — simple, but it works.
We also headed down to Cape Point while we were in the area. The view is colossal, but I'll be honest — the images I got there were very snapshotty. It's the middle of the day, so the light isn't great for impactful landscape images. I tried converting a couple to black and white, but they just lost something. Sometimes you just have to accept that a location is more about the experience than the photograph.
Cape Point — the view is colossal, even if the midday light isn't ideal.
3. Lion's Head — Cape Town's Iconic Viewpoint
In the late afternoon, we headed to Lion's Head for what would be the highlight of the trip for me. We only did about half of the hike because the last section is supposedly a bit difficult — there are ladders and things like that. And honestly, the best view is from that side anyway. You don't necessarily need to do the entire trail.
Lion's Head — the view that makes the hike worth every step.
When we arrived, we noticed there was a big fire down on the hillside. It proved a challenge, obviously, but thankfully the firefighters put it out in record time. It was pretty impressive to watch.
As the sun started to set, the clouds began to form, and the whole scene just lit up. I love the range of colours that happened throughout the evening. Just as the sun was setting, the cliffs and everything about it just lit up so beautifully. The pink clouds that rolled in, the isolated scenes I was able to capture with the 100-400mm lens — it was all absolutely magical.
Sunset from Lion's Head — the cliffs lit up beautifully.
The pink clouds rolled in at just the right moment.
Black and white — contrast and punch make this one work.
If you find yourself in this part of the world, please, please, please go and do this hike. It's really not that difficult, and it gives you a really wonderful vantage point to photograph these incredible scenes. I'm super delighted with how these images turned out.
4. Kulk's Bay — The Perfect Sunrise Shoot
The next morning we were up early for a sunrise shoot at Kulk's Bay. And this place is gorgeous. Like, absolutely gorgeous. We got some epic light.
Kulk's Bay at sunrise — pure magic.
There is just something so wonderfully peaceful about a sunrise shoot. You know when you get to a scene and you think, "Oh yeah, this is nice. This is going to work well." But then as the morning progresses and you get to witness the whole unveiling of the dawn and the light that comes across the scene — oh wow. It's just absolutely pure magic.
The light caught the clouds beautifully — such a peaceful morning.
Kulk's Bay delivered everything we could have wanted.
I adore the photographs I was able to capture as the morning went on. The way the light caught the clouds, the way the scene unfolded — everything about this morning was just absolutely magical. It was a very kind of off-the-cuff location that we went to, but one that yielded some really wonderful, wonderful images.
5. The Sunset Viewpoint — A Classic Cape Town View
For our last location in Cape Town, we found ourselves overlooking a wonderful viewpoint. A very, very popular viewpoint, I should add. There was a good few folks there enjoying the sunset and having a few beers and smoking some weed and all that kind of fun stuff. Really enjoyable atmosphere.
A classic Cape Town viewpoint — busy, but beautiful.
Unfortunately, the clouds disappeared very quickly after sunset, so we lost a bit of impact. But overall, this first frame is probably my favourite one. I did try one in black and white, and it's okay — a bit meh, if I'm honest. But sometimes you just have to work with what you get.
The colours were beautiful — even without clouds, it worked.
Black and white — okay, but a bit meh if I'm honest.
Final Thoughts on Cape Town
Cape Town is incredible. I'll say that first and foremost. The hospitality we had, the people we met, and everybody in general was just bananas — super duper nice and friendly. It was just a wonderful experience.
The locations we went to, the things that we did — absolutely gorgeous. You could spend a lifetime here and still struggle to photograph everything. But we tried our best, and it was such a wonderful, wonderful experience from start to finish.
I would relish the chance to come back. And I would encourage anybody, if you have the means, if you ever find yourself coming down to this part of the world, take the time to explore. Because it really is a landscape photography and seascape photography paradise.
Have you been to Cape Town?
I'd love to hear about your favourite photography spots in the comments below. And if you're interested in joining a future African workshop, you can find all the details below.
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