Getting the ‘through the keyhole’ sunrise shot at Durdle Door

When? Mid-December to early January (with the right weather conditions)

Where? Durdle Door, Dorset

What? A much-coveted shot of the sun rising through the sea arch

Photographing the sun rising through the Durdle Door limestone sea arch on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast must be near the top of most British landscape photographers’ bucket lists.

Yes, lots of people have done it, and lots of great photos of this phenomenon already exist – but that doesn’t mean you can’t take on the challenge and produce your own images to be proud of. You might even get the right conditions – combined with your own preparation and skill – to produce a real showstopper.

And, notwithstanding the mystique surrounding this shot, there really isn’t a big secret to it: just get there at the right time of year when the sky is forecast to be clear (or at least clear enough).

Here are my top 5 tips:

1. The main pay-and-display car park isn’t guaranteed to be open at the crack of dawn during the winter months, but if you’re coming by car there’s a small unofficial-looking lay-by near the entrance to the holiday park (followed by a short-ish walk down the hill to the beach).

2. Get there well before sunrise. This will offset any parking or navigation issues and will allow you to get a feel for the location and the types of composition you might want.

3. Be prepared to manoeuvre around several other photographers (I’ve seen up to 20 at one time) for position on the beach. Most people are friendly and considerate. And there will be a mad dash when the sun begins to rise and you all realise you’re not quite in the right place! Avoiding the weekends and bank holidays can help.

4. Think about your camera settings in advance, and try to make sure you’ve landed on the right combination before the sun starts to rise. You’ll be shooting directly into the sun, so issues to work around may include overexposure, lens flare and softening of detail – a neutral density filter may help if you have one, or bracketing the shot. A smaller aperture, meanwhile, will help with the sunburst effect and depth of field.

5. Take advantage of blue hour, and the period when the sun is still rising and glowing but has moved away from the arch – there are some nice shots available during these times, especially if the lapping waves are lending themselves to longer exposures.

Good luck!