From rugged mountain ranges and high ridges to sweeping beaches, forests and wildlife-rich cliffs. Living in North Wales means I get to see how dramatically these places change with light, weather and season, and understand which locations truly reward time spent with a camera.
My work as a freelance photographer spans capturing landscapes, expeditions, festivals, small businesses, weddings and elopements.
North Wales is recognised as a Dark Sky reserve making it an exceptional location for astrophotography. With minimal light pollution, the night skies can provide ideal conditions for capturing stars, the milky way and the aurora borealis which is frequently seen in North Wales.
Below are some of my favourite photography spots in North Wales - places I return to often and believe offer some of the most rewarding opportunities for photographers exploring this part of the country.
The Carneddau
I spend a lot of time in the Carneddau mountains. It’s a range that I can access from my doorstep and I return to in all seasons, not just to photograph, but to slow down and reconnect with the landscape.
Why the Carneddau is a great location for photography
- Expansive, open mountain landscapes with a strong sense of scale
- Long ridgelines and high plateaus offering layered views in every direction
- Subtle light, mist and weather that transform familiar scenes
- Wild ponies adding movement, atmosphere and a unique wildness
- Quieter, less photographed than neighbouring ranges
- A lived-in upland landscape shaped by farming, conservation and tradition
Pen yr Ole Wen is one of my favourite viewpoints. The stream flowing down from Ffynnon Lloer creates a natural leading line through the frame, drawing the eye towards Tryfan and across the Ogwen Valley.
The Carneddau reward patience rather than quick visits. Seeing the ponies and livestock move freely across the land, emerging through mist or standing silhouetted against the skyline - reinforces the feeling of a working, lived-in landscape.
The Glyderau
The Glyderau mountain range is a landscape that refuses to be rushed. A maze of ridges, plateaus and rock fields, every route offers a different way of seeing the mountains, rewarding time spent exploring rather than chasing summits.
Why the Glyderau is a great location for photography
- Dramatic, sculptural rock formations and fractured terrain
- Elevated viewpoints into classic glacial valleys like Cwm Idwal
- Strong graphic shapes ideal for careful composition
- Frequent cloud drama and cloud inversions
- Iconic features including Castell y Gwynt and views to Yr Wyddfa
- A sense of scale that feels wild, ancient and other-worldly
While Tryfan is rightly iconic, I’m repeatedly drawn to Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr. The terrain here feels raw and sculptural, with fractured slabs, balanced boulders and jagged edges that appear deliberately arranged rather than shaped by ice and time. What truly sets the Glyderau apart are the views into the surrounding glacial valleys.
Castell y Gwynt captures the spirit of the Glyderau perfectly. With its jagged forms and commanding views, it feels almost unreal, a place that challenges your sense of scale, rewards careful composition, and reminds you just how powerful landscape photography can be.
On rare, calm days, a cloud inversion can transform the range entirely. Peaks rise through a sea of cloud - Tryfan, the Carneddau and Yr Wyddfa appearing like distant islands. These are the moments that stop you in your tracks and make you forget the climb.
Newborough National Nature Reserve and Ynys Llanddwyn
As much as the mountains feel like home, North Wales is full of places where you don’t have to climb high to find picture-worthy landscape. Newborough and Ynys Llanddwyn (Llanddwyn Island) are among my favourite locations for that very reason.
Why Newborough and Ynys Llanddwyn are great locations for photography
- Long sweeping beaches and large dune systems
- Views across the Menai Strait to the mountains of Eryri
- Forest, sand and sea offering varied compositions in one location
- Wildlife opportunities, including birds and red squirrels
- Graphic coastal features and lighthouses as natural focal points
- Accessible landscapes that change dramatically with light and tide
The wide beaches and dune systems create a powerful sense of openness, while the surrounding forest adds texture and contrast. What stops me every time, though, are the views back across the Menai Strait. On clear days, the peaks of Eryri rise beyond the water, tying sea and summit together in a way that feels uniquely Welsh.
The forest itself is one of the best places in North Wales to spot red squirrels. Catching a glimpse of one moving through the pines adds a quiet moment of magic and gives you something fun to capture if you’re quick or patient enough.
Out on Ynys Llanddwyn, the two lighthouses provide a structural focal points, with the hills of Penrhyn Llŷn (the Llŷn Peninsula) completing the scene across the water. It’s a place that suits both quiet reflection and slow exploration - one I return to often, whatever the season, camera always in hand.
South Stack, Holyhead, Anglesey
For photographers drawn to wildlife and dramatic coastal landscapes, South Stack is hard to beat. This is a place defined by movement and anticipation, where patience is often rewarded.
Why South Stack is great location for photography
- Dramatic sea cliffs where land, sea and sky constantly interact
- Seasonal seabird colonies, including puffins and guillemots
- Raptors such as peregrine falcons and choughs in flight
- Marine wildlife offshore, including seals, dolphins, and rare sightings of basking sharks and Orca.
- Strong coastal compositions anchored by the South Stack Lighthouse
- Dark skies ideal for night and astrophotography.
In season, the cliffs are alive with activity. Seabirds crowd the ledges, while peregrine falcons and choughs cut sharp silhouettes against the sky. Slow down and look closely and you may also spot adders or lizards basking among the rocks, adding another layer of interest beyond the birds alone.
The waters offshore hold their own sense of possibility. Basking sharks are occasionally seen cruising past the cliffs in summer, and on rare occasions even orca have been recorded moving through the Irish Sea. That knowledge adds an edge to every visit - the sense that something extraordinary could happen at any moment.
Even without wildlife, the landscape itself is reason enough to return. Sunset over the Irish Sea, with South Stack Lighthouse anchoring the scene below, is consistently rewarding. As darkness falls, minimal light pollution transforms the area once again, making South Stack an exceptional location for astrophotography - a place where you can photograph cliffs, seabirds and stars in a single visit.
Yr Wyddfa
Why Yr Wyddfa is great location for photography
- The highest viewpoints in Wales with vast, open panoramas
- A constantly changing landscape shaped by light, weather and season
- Multiple routes offering very different photographic journeys
- Iconic ridges, cwms and skylines carved by ice
- A powerful sense of scale and place at the heart of Eryri
It's remarkably difficult to take a bad photograph here. From sweeping ridges and serrated skylines to deep cwms carved by ice, the views are expansive and constantly shifting. On clear days, the scale is extraordinary, with views stretching across much of Wales and, at times, as far as Ireland on the horizon.
Each route up the mountain offers a different experience. The Rhyd Ddu Path is my personal favourite, quieter and more gradual, allowing the landscape to reveal itself steadily along the way. For those with experience, Crib Goch delivers one of the most exhilarating ridge walks in the UK, while completing the Snowdon Horseshoe or climbing Y Lliwedd offers further dramatic perspectives on the mountain.
Its popularity means timing matters. At peak times, Yr Wyddfa can feel busy and hurried, which is why I prefer visiting during quieter periods, when the mountain feels more open and unpressured. In winter conditions especially, this is not a beginner’s mountain -snow, ice and rapidly changing weather demand experience, good equipment and careful planning.
When everything comes together, calm air, clear skies and softening light - standing on the summit with a camera feels like standing at the centre of the country, looking out across it all.
Whether I’m photographing a commercial project, a wedding or heading out alone, these places continue to shape my approach to photography. I hope this guide helps you discover some of the best places to photograph in North Wales and encourages you to slow down and really spend time with the landscape.
Follow Dan on his social media channels for more photography inspiration and information on his work.
