Landscape and Architectural Photography in Unlikely Places: Workington
St Michael’s Parish Church in the Benefice of Workington
I arrived at this location shortly after 8 a.m.
The early morning light must have shone from just behind my right shoulder and worked to separate the highlights and shadows in each window arch.
In terms of compositional technique, one challenge in photography has always been to represent the three-dimensional world in a two-dimensional format. The sideway profile of the church building captured from this angle helps a great deal in this regard whilst the foliage adds layers of depth.
Settings: ISO 110, 50mm, f/8, 1/125, CPL
What are the top photography locations in Workington, Cumbria?
In under an hour by car, you can reach the bustling tourist hotspots of Keswick, Grasmere, Ambleside and Windermere.
On a clear day, and from a relatively low vantage point, you can see the lofty heights of Skiddaw, England's 4th highest mountain.
So near yet so far from a visitor attraction. Shame.
Sitting on the coastal edge of the English Lake District in the Cumbrian country, Workington is not exactly the first place that springs to mind as a destination for photographing picturesque landscapes and making pretty pictures.
And yet it is certainly possible to find beauty in the most unlikely of places.
Workington is characterised by that rugged industrial vibe that got side slammed against coastal scenery and the distant mountains. I love it!
Your best bet is to escape the town centre and comb the periphery. It is here that history comes alive.
Port of Workington Harbour with the South Pier C2C Watchtower / Lighthouse
This photograph was taken on the same morning as the image above. I had originally planned to shoot a coastal scene - and I did.
However, with the sun rising higher in the sky and the daytime light intensifying, the resulting image appeared desaturated and washed out. So, not one to give in, I turned my camera towards this man-made structure of metal and concrete. I love the harsh shadows!
Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, f/7.1, 1/320, CPL
My wife had this crazy idea...
At the beginning of 2026, my significant other suggested that I work towards capturing one decent photo each month.
The components of this eventual "portfolio" would then become the contributing images towards a novel idea:
the "Beautiful Workington Calendar 2027".
This calendar under my name has yet to see the light of day. We can still dream.
Workington has much to offer photographers; from industrial to idyllic.
As an outdoor photographer living in Cumbria, I recently had a morning spare to get out and shoot for fun.
So I set myself a challenge: to find local scenes that are worthy of a second glance - the kind that locals walk past because our eyes and minds have learned not to consider them.
Granted, I only managed to capture two that I consider worthy of sharing here. (I did say I only had a morning!) Nonetheless, to be clear, the images in this blog post were taken within the Workington postcode. Surprised?
Truth be told, much of my existing portfolio would qualify for this category, however I wanted to discover more.
I'm a big advocate for learning to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.
I wanted to challenge the notion of there being "nothing to photograph" in one's backyard. Let's learn to look again.