Blackpool Illuminated

Every Autumn, and now through to  New Year, Blackpool puts on a fantastic light display that stretches over 6 miles along the seafront and features over a million bulbs. They are, of course, the world famous illuminations and well worth a visit – obviously when it’s dark! They’ve been a fixture here since 1879 and apart from a 10 year gap during and after the Second World War have entertained millions of visitors. If you grew up in the North West they were probably part of your childhood.

However just as spectacular is the lightshow created by the biggest natural light we have – the Sun – and this takes place every day of the year.

Blackpool, like anywhere on the western coast of the UK gets spectacular sunsets and with an unobstructed vista over the Irish Sea, given the right conditions, is a perfect place to watch the sunset - ideally with a bag of chips in hand.

With a choice of 3 piers and a well populated beach there’s plenty of opportunities for some different styles of photography. We both enjoy pushing our cameras to the limit, experimenting with different exposure levels and metering settings. With the right approach even a bright sunny day can be transformed into a moody, sepia-toned, silhouette-heavy landscape. Add in a setting sun and some foreground interest like people, water or even the piers themselves and the results can be spectacular.

So, whilst the Illuminations brighten up the dark skies for several months in the year, get there before it goes dark, look out to see and watch nature’s own spectacular light show.