Rock pool visible at low tide at Seacliff beach near North Berwick on the East Lothian coast, with the Bass Rock visible in the distance.

Scottish east coast

There is plenty of breathtaking coastline on the East Coast in Scotland, from the cliffs in the Scottish Borders to the fantastic golden beaches in East Lothian and the pretty fishing towns on the Fife coast.

Blue streaks
Large waves batter the rock formations near Cove at dawn.

Upside down V
Some great seaweed-ceovered rocks on the Scottish East coast.

Purple and yellow
I have realized that some of my seascapes have become a little formulaic, with a stone placed in the foreground to add some interest. In this photograph of the Bass Rock, seen from Seacliff Beach at sunset, I have aimed for a more minimalist approach.

Sunset at Belhaven Bay
Incoming tide at Belhaven Bay, near Dunbar.

A rock and an island
Yellowcraigs beach in pre-sunrise light.

Blue swoosh
Blurred receding waves during the blue hour, Yellowcraig beach. The light of the lighthouse on Fidra was still on adnd ca be shining very faintly.

Blue razors (Dunbar)
I love the soft blue morning light when sunrise get clouded over. The tide was coming in, and I wanted to show some the currents and waves in the surge, so opted for a relatively short exposure time (3s).

Sunset at St Abbs
Jetty at St Abbs Head submerged at high tide during an intense sunset in summer.

Sea stack
Sunrise above the North Sea from the cliff edges on the Berwickshire coast

Force
Strong currents are formed when the waves are funneled through this narrow chute in between rocks at Tyninghame beach, East Lothian. As the sun had just risen, the light was beautifully soft and warm.

Red Cliffs
The cliffs and sea stacks turn red as the sun sets into the North Sea, St Abb's Head.

Filling up
A large wave causes a tidal pool to fill up, Seacliff Beach.

Chute at Seacliff beach
Rock formations exposed at low tide at Seacliff beach near North Berwick, with the Bass Rock visible in the distance.

Blue and red
I liked how the blue tones in the clouds and the red colours of the rocks work together. I found that using a long exposure gave this photograph that calm and tranquil feeling I was after.

Tantallon castle and Bass Rock at sunset
The sun sets behind Tantallon castle (as seen from Seacliff beach) in the summer months. The great seaweed covered rocks really catch my eye every time I visit this beach and make for an interesting foreground, at all tide levels..

Sunrise at St Abbs head
Sunrise at the St Abbs Head Nature reserve. I stood quite close to the edge of the clifftops to get this composition, but luckily there was only a moderate breeze and not the usual gale-force wind.

East Lothian sunset
As the tide was going out at Seacliff Beach this rock and the rippled sand made for a great foreground, with the Bass Rock on the horizon. After many heavy showers, the weather turned an hour before sunset, and what a beautiful sunset this was!

The submerged rockpool
I have a photograph of this rock pool at much lower tide and much choppier conditions I quite like. On this occasion the sea was surprisingly still. The sun had just set, and the golden light was transforming into the beautiful blue hour. Two fishermen were angling just outside this frame, what a view they must have had over the Bass Rock.

Belhaven bridge sunset
Sunset over Belhaven Bridge, Belhaven Bay near Dunbar. The causeway leading to the bridge can, very faintly, still be seen.

Dawn at Cove Bay
Muted colours at dawn at Cove harbour.

Blue morning
The sharp edged rocks on this beach in East Lothian are fantastic photographic material. I here opted for a less is more strategy, getting real close to the seaweed-covered rocks.

Streaks
Retreating waves creating streaks on Tyninghame beach at sunrise.

Giant tooth
Rocky features near St Abbs Head

Razor-shaped rocks, Cove
Parallel rocks behind Cove harbour in the Scottish Borders at dawn.

Lighthouse at St Abbs
The lighthouse at St Abbs head during the blue hour at dawn.

Sunrise in Berwickshire
There are some hidden gems along the Scottish East coast, and the cliffs east of Eyemouth are among those. While the cliffs are not very high, there is a wealth of shapes and textures to be found due to rocks and sea stacks along the coast.

Wet feet ahead(Cramond)
Cramond causeway starting to flood.

Tidal pool
Rock pool visible at low tide at Seacliff beach near North Berwick on the East Lothian coast, with the Bass Rock visible in the distance.

Belhaven bridge
Sunset over Belhaven Bridge, Belhaven Bay near Dunbar.

Streaks
Sunset behind the steep North Sea cliffs at St Abbs Head Nature Reserve

The road ahead (Cramond)
The causeway to Cramond island near Edinburgh as the tide rolls in on a cloudy morning.

Jetty at Pettico Wick
The jetty at Pettico Wick in St Abbs Head nature reserve in the Scottish Borders remains a popular subject with photographers. I was really lucky this evening, as the sky was on fire. It must have been one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever witnessed.

Tantallon castle at dawn
Large waves batter the reefs down Tantallon castle

Silky waves
Retreating waves blurred by using a long exposure, Seacliff beach at dawn.

St Monans sunrise
The sun rose perpendicular to the zigzag, leading to wonderfully soft directional light on the breakwater behind the St Monans harbour.

The surge
Large waves batter the rocky outcrops at Seacliff Beach

The waves
Large waves at Seacliff beach, East Lothian.

Dark clouds above Seacliff beach
Incoming waves at low tide at Seacliff beach near North Berwick captured with a long exposure, with the Bass Rock visible in the distance.

Last rays
Looking west towards North Berwick from St Abb's Head at sunset

Blue hour at St Abbs head
The grassy cliffs at St Abbs Head Nature Reserve at dawn

The snake (St Monans)
The breakwater at the old picturesque fishing village St Monans on the East Neuk coast in Fife.

Sundown at St Abbs in the Scottish Borders
Jetty at Pettico Wick, St Abbs Head, partly submerged at high tide.

The Leithies
The Leithies (a group of small tidal islands) seen at sunrise from the North Berwick coast. Craigleith island can be seen in the upper left corner.

Pastel flowers
Wild flowers on the North Sea cliffs of St Abbs Head Nature Reserve

Orange and blue (Seacliff Beach)
I really like the soft and more diffuse light just after sunset. I was debating whether to choose a short or long exposure, but I liked the textures in the blurred waves in the shorter exposures. This was taken at my favourite East Lothian beach: Seacliff beach, which offers countless compositional possibilities as I am crazy about the combination of rocks, seaweed and the Bass Rock as a backdrop..

Nesting
Seabrid colony on the cliffs at St Abbs Head Nature Reserve.

Radiation
Cloudy conditions prevented a spectacular sunrise from happening, but the blue hour light in combination with the radiating clouds was wonderful. Yellowcraig Beach near North Berwick, East Lothian.

Parallel rocks at East Beach, Dunbar
Sunrise on the rugged East Lothian coast, Scotland

The rib
Some very muted colours as sunrise approaches on a cloudy morning. Cove, Scottish Borders

Twilight at Eyemouth
The coastline near Eyemouth is craggy, rocky and stunning. The wealth of textures created by the various rocks and cliffs is fascinating, and makes for great foregrounds. This was shot during the dawn twilight in anticipation of sunrise, and the colours were very pleasing and subtle, and I preferred the light over the light after sunrise.

Blue stacks
Large colonies of guillemots and kittiwakes nesting on the sea stacks at St Abb's Head at dusk

Storm over Seacliff beach
Stormy weather at Seacliff beach near North Berwick, with the Bass Rock visible in the distance. Tantallon castle sits on the cliff edges on the left.

Tantallon castle and Bass Rock
Incoming tide at Seacliff beach near North Berwick, with Tantallon castle sitting on the cliffs on the left, and the Bass Rock visible in the distance.

Cliffs and clouds (St Abbs)
A sea stack and interestingly shaped cliffs at St Abbs head Nature reserve with sunrise imminent.

Shades of blue and purple
Wonderfully coloured clouds at sunset, Seacliff beach on the Scottish east coast. I liked the reflection of the sky in the wet sand as the tide was going out.

Sentinels
Sea stacks at St Abb's Head at dusk.

The reef
Large waves hit the reef during the blue hour, at the East Lothian coast near Dunbar. More through luck than anything else, my camera and I managed to stay dry.

Zig-Zag pier (St Monans)
Jetty at the picturesque harbour of St Monans on the East Neuk coast at sunrise

Blue
Blue hour before sunrise at a beach near Dunbar, on the East Lothian coast. The long exposure has given the sea this silky appearance, hiding that the waves were actually quite impressive.

Lonely rock (Seacliff Beach)
Lonely rock awaiting sunrise, near North Berwick. St Baldred's boat can be seen in the distance.

Lighthouse on the cliffs (St Abbs)
The coastline at St Abbs head is truly spectacular. Its steep cliffs provide excellent viewpoints to look out over the crystal clear North Sea water, and are the nesting grounds for countless seabirds. Here the lighthouse can be seen perched on the cliffs in the blue hour before sunrise.

White streaks
Yellowcraigs beach at dawn.

Beached
Shipwreck at low tide on Longniddry beach.

Sunrise at East Beach
Sunrise on a very still morning at East Beach, Dunbar.

Blue Cove
Cove harbour at dawn.

Derelict pier, Aberdour
Old wooden pier near the village of Aberdour, Fife. The views from here are nice, across the firth of Forth the Pentland hills can be seen.bbb

Fidra
The island of Fidra in the Firth of forth as seen from Yellowcraigs beach.

Sunrise over St Baldred's boat
Sunrise at Seacliff beach on the East Lothian coast, near North Berwick.

Purple
Seaweed-covered rocks at the North Berwick coast. The Bass rock can be seen in the distance.

The light is on
Lighthouse at St Abbs Head Nature reserve at sunset

Storm
Showers over the North Sea at dawn, Berwickshire coast

Seacliff beach
Rock formations exposed at low tide at Seacliff beach near North Berwick, with the Bass Rock visible in the distance.

Blue reef
Large waves pounding the reef at Thorntonloch during the blue hour before sunrise.

Sunrise at Cove bay
A colour display at sunrise, Cove bay in the Scottish Borders

The Bass rock at sunrise (Seacliff Beach)
Beautiful golden light on a beach near North Berwick. No matter how often I visit this beach, I never tire of it.