Texel is loved by photographers. Because of its diverse landscapes and picturesque villages, but also for its beautiful cloudscapes and sunsets. Will you be taking photos on Texel? Then read our tips.

General tips

Doe you want to photograph the sunrise over the sea? This is perfectly possible on the Wadden Sea side of the island. Watching the sun sink into the sea can be done on the North Sea side. If you prefer to take pictures without people, it is wise to get up early. Between 5 am and 8 am, you will hardly meet anyone on the beach. If you enjoy photographing animals, you can do so at Schapenboerderij Texel, Ecomare or Texel Zoo. Forgotten your memory card? You can get supplies at Combi Texel in the Parkstraat in Den Burg.

Beautiful areas for photography

The island has many photogenic spots, but where to start? Choose one of these five locations, for instance:

1. The beach. There is always something special to see on the beach. Wild sea with skuumkoppe, sea critters and wood washed ashore, a cutter on the horizon.... Play with the surf and shutter speed, take a close-up of patterns in the sand or stand on the beach entrance for a photo that gives you the ultimate Texel feeling. Also beautiful: the beach houses during sunset. Quieter stretches of beach can be found, for example, between Paal 12 and 15 and between Paal 21 and 25. A wide beach near the lighthouse and De Hors.
2. De Dennen. Mushrooms in autumn, magical sunlight in spring, wood hyacinths and orchids, watchtower the Fonteinsnol, a view through to the dunes... As a photographer, you can have hours of fun in De Dennen!
3. The Slufter. Whether you want to photograph a panoramic landscape, a flower or a family portrait. It's all possible in De Slufter. The open connection with the sea, but also the many creeks and special plants such as glasswort and sea lavender make this area unique.
4. De Tuintjes. A beautiful nature reserve, especially for the bird photographer! Special species are regularly spotted here and the landscape provides a fine background for bird photos. Be sure to resist the temptation to get off the path. De Tuintjes is a lovely place to stand (or sit) still and wait for something beautiful to pass by.
5. De Hoge Berg. The old land of Texel. The tuunwallen make a photogenic play of lines through the landscape and if you take a closer look in summer they are in full bloom. For a true Texel picture, photograph sheep next to a sheep pen. As the front of the sheepfold faces east, they are often best photographed in the morning.

Other photo hotspots: the small harbour of Sil, the lighthouse, Molen Het Noorden, the dilapidated farm on Watermolenweg, the Eierlandse Dam, the IJzeren Kaap, Fort De Schans, the jetty of De Vriendschap, the Peperstraat in Oosterend and the little church of Den Hoorn.

Special moments

1. When it freezes really, really hard, the Wadden Sea may freeze over. This gives a special spectacle of (moving) ice chunks along the dike, or a white sea.
2. A classic sight: the bulb fields. In March, the daffodils, hyacinths and blue grapes. In April the tulips and later even poppies. They produce beautiful photos every year. If you photograph the tulips near Den Hoorn, you can get the little church in the background with a bit of trial and error. But also along the Waddendijk or towards De Cocksdorp you will find large fields full of tulips and other flowers.
3. Want to capture a unique tradition? You can do so during the Meierblis, at the end of April. At the edges of the villages, huge piles of wood and pruning waste are lit, which is often an impressive sight.
4. From mid-May, the orchids on Texel are in bloom. Wonderful to photograph! You can find them in Waalenburg, De Muy and Het Alloo, for example.
5. In August, you can photograph the purple flowering heather in De Bollekamer, the Bleekersvallei, De Geul or De Muy. Can't get enough of purple? In De Slufter, sea lavender and English grass bloom around the same period.
6. About 12 times a year, there is a big difference between high and low tide. Spring tide always occurs two days after the full moon and two days after the new moon. During strong northwesterly storms and spring tides, especially in winter, De Slufter may fill up completely. You cannot walk there then, but from the top of the stairs you have a spectacular view.
7. Also special, but less predictable: a clear sky where the Milky Way can be photographed. On Texel, it is very dark at night that so there is often a chance of this. In addition, the Northern Lights can sometimes be observed.

Photo competitions

VVV Texel regularly organises photo competitions with great prizes to be won. There is an ongoing photo competition with a seasonal theme and in the spring there is a lamb photo competition. You can always win great prizes. Keep an eye on our website and social media for more photo competitions.

Inspiration

Get inspired by these pictures!

Dronephotography

The rules for flying drones differ for each type of drone. You can find them on the central government website. Also see the map with information per area here. Specific to drone photography on Texel:

• By photographing/filming with a drone, you may disturb the birds on the island. Research shows that some species already take off when drones are still 160 metres away. Birds then sometimes leave their eggs and chicks unprotected for a long time. In addition, the birds lose valuable energy, which they need to travel.
• If you fly in Forestry Commission areas, you should be aware that access rules apply. Usually this means you are not allowed to go off roads and paths. If your drone crashes down in the middle of the forest, then you are breaking the access rules if you go to retrieve the drone.
• VisitWadden advocates not flying drones at all in the Wadden area.
• Also check out this brochure on drone flying over the Wadden.

Workshop smartphone photography

If you don't have a camera or if you like to photograph with your smartphone, on Texel, you can attend a smartphone photography workshop at Bekijk het met Wim. This instructive workshop in nature is given in Dutch to groups with a maximum of 10 participants. Tickets for this can be booked via our website. There is also a smartphone photography workshop for over-65s. In our app, you will find a discount voucher for a private photography workshop by Evalien Weterings.

More about photography on Texel