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Cape Town Golden Hour Spots: A Photographer's Map
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items I'm a Cape Town photographer and cinematographer based in Sea Point, and chasing light around this city is basically my job. These are the spots I keep coming back to at sunrise, sunset and blue hour, with timing tips, parking notes and what to shoot...
Map
Sections
3
City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard
False Bay & the Deep South
Worth the Drive
City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard
The sunrise hike that's worth the alarm. Start about 45 minutes before sunrise with a headlamp, and you'll watch the light roll over the city bowl while Camps Bay is still in shadow. The chains and ladders near the top are fine for most people, but p...
Lion's Head
My go-to when I want a sunset without a hike. Drive up, park along the road, and shoot over Sea Point and the Atlantic as the sun drops. Stay for blue hour: the city lights come on under the mountain and it's the easiest cityscape in Cape Town. Parag...
Signal Hill
Go early on a weekday morning, before the tour buses arrive, for soft side-light on the colourful houses along Wale and Chiappini Street. Remember this is a living, historic neighbourhood, not a set: be respectful, don't block doorways, and always as...
Bo-Kaap
One of the most photogenic coastal roads in the world. Late-afternoon light hits the cliffs and Hout Bay perfectly, and there are several lookout points where you can pull over safely. A long lens compresses the road curving around the cliffs beautif...
Chapmans Peak Dr
Easily one of the best sunset beaches on the Atlantic side. Huge granite boulders give you instant foreground, and the sun drops straight into the ocean. Parking is tiny and fills up fast in summer, so get there at least an hour before sunset. Bring ...
Llandudno Beach
The classic: palm trees, white sand and the Twelve Apostles turning gold, then pink, as the sun sets. Shoot from the rocks at the southern end for a cleaner composition, or use the tidal pool for reflections. It's a fantastic backdrop for lifestyle a...
Camps Bay Beach
My home turf. The promenade is perfect for street, lifestyle and portrait shoots at golden hour, with the ocean on one side and Lion's Head on the other. Joggers, dog walkers, kids on the playgrounds and the red-and-white Green Point Lighthouse give ...
Sea Point Promenade
False Bay & the Deep South
Colourful fishing boats, weathered fishermen, seals hanging around the slipway, and the mountain rising right behind the village. False Bay faces the sunrise, so come early when the boats head in and the whole harbour glows. Get the fish and chips af...
Kalk Bay Harbour
The rainbow beach huts are one of Cape Town's most recognisable scenes. False Bay faces east, so sunrise is the move here, with the surfers already in the water. Overcast days work well too, because soft light makes the colours pop. Shoot low and wid...
Muizenberg Beach Huts
Yes, the penguins. Go at opening time for soft morning light and far fewer people on the boardwalks. There's a SANParks conservation fee, and please keep your distance: a 70-200mm lets you fill the frame without disturbing them. Foxy Beach has the bo...
Boulders Beach
Wild, windy and dramatic. The cliffs glow late in the afternoon, but check the gate times first: the reserve often closes before sunset in summer, so plan around the light you can actually get. Watch out for baboons (keep food out of sight and car wi...
Cape Point
Worth the Drive
The ‘Boomslang’ is a curving steel-and-timber walkway that snakes through the treetops of Kirstenbosch with Table Mountain towering behind it. Go at opening for soft light and no crowds, and shoot it from the path below as well as on it. The gardens ...
Boomslang Canopy Trail (Kirstenbosch Tree Canopy Walkway)
This is THE postcard view of Table Mountain across the bay. Come for sunset: the sun drops into the ocean off to your right and side-lights the mountain and city in warm tones. Windy afternoons bring the kitesurfers, which adds action to the frame. O...
Bloubergstrand Beach