The Solent is an excellent place for watching and taking pictures of ships. There are various locations around the area, both on the Isle of Wight (where I am) and on the Hampshire coast, including the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth, opposite.
I have included live Google maps for the main areas. You can open them in a new window, zoom in and click on the markers for more information.
ISLE OF WIGHT:
East Cowes:
This is my favourite place for taking pictures of ships leaving Southampton Water and the best spot, really the only spot, is the road along the Esplanade – see the map, below. The ships have to turn round the Brambles sand bank and they present different angles to the photographer enabling you to get good bow shots. However, East Cowes isn’t so good for ships on their way in, because the castle at the end of the road and bend of the coast obstructs the view down the Solent towards Ryde and you can’t see what’s coming from that direction. It’s free to park along the Esplanade (at the time of writing – I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the council one day introduced parking meters). Because you face north, the sun does not interfere at any time of day.
The cons of East Cowes? The only real down side is the amount of sails, especially in the summer as the Solent off Cowes is a popular sailing spot. Also, in summer, it gets very busy and it can be difficult to park, especially if a large cruise ship (particularly if one of the Queens or a P&O is around) is leaving Southampton.
For photography, you will need a lens or lenses of around 70mm to 400mm focal length. This of course varies depending on the size of the ship and the distance – if it’s in the Thorn channel and it’s a small ship, you’ll need at least 300mm - although one of the beauties of digital is that you can crop the photo later, although you can lose some quality if this is overdone – but for something the size of Queen Mary 2 in the main shipping lane then 70mm (or even less) is adequate.
View East Cowes, Isle Of Wight in a larger map
Cowes (West Cowes):
Located opposite East Cowes on the western bank of the River Medina, this is another good spot for photography. Best spots are Egypt Point, the Esplanade and the Parade. The downsides are the same as for East Cowes – sailing boats in the way and the fact it gets very busy in summer. However, you have to pay to park on the seafront in West Cowes.
Lens requirements are the same as for E. Cowes – 70mm to 400mm.
View West Cowes in a larger map
Ryde and Seaview:
These two towns are next to each other and it is possible to walk along the coast via the concrete walkway between the areas of Appley (Ryde) and Springvale (Seaview). From Ryde you can see the ships coming through the forts into and out of the Solent. You will need a lens of between 200mm and 400mm focal length as the ships are further away than they are at Cowes/East Cowes. You get broadside views more than nice bow shots but you can get nice shots of stuff approaching the forts from the east. Also, if you are west of Ryde Pier you can get good three-quarters bow shots of ships sailing down from Southampton, but ships arriving and departing at Portsmouth are not so easy.
You can park in Ryde on the North Walk, or at the bottom of St. Thomas Street west of the pier but there’s a year-round charge. In Seaview parking along the seawall at Springvale is free, but the Toll Road is council-owned and there’s a year-round parking charge.
The map below shows the area between the two places, with Ryde to the west of Seaview. Left click and drag the map to see Seaview.
View Ryde and Seaview, Isle of Wight in a larger map
Elsewhere on the Isle of Wight:
Bembridge, from where you can see the St Helens Anchorage. Also, in Bembridge, is the Crab and Lobster Inn, from where you have a good, if a little distant, view of anything entering the Solent. Names are readable through binoculars.
Culver Cliff, above the town of Sandown, gives you a good view of the Nab Anchorage in Sandown Bay. Ships in the anchorage are generally photographable, as some anchor in quite close, although you'll need a big zoom between 200 and 400mm. There's plenty of parking on Culver Down but beware when exiting the junction back onto the Bembridge to Brading Road at the bottom of the down, it's a dangerous junction because it is hard to see what is coming round the corner from the Bembridge direction and traffic comes round the corner at speed. Also, when exiting that junction, you can only turn left.
Sandown, Lake and Shanklin give you sea-level views of the Nab Anchorage, ships entering the Solent and passing cross-Channel ferries.
From Ventnor Downs, not much passes close, except cross-Channel ferries which might pass nearby. You can get distant views of the Channel shipping lanes on a clear day but you'll need a telescope and no names would be readable, although AIS would help you identify anything you see (you can get Marine Traffic AIS as an Android and iPhone app).
In the west, the occasional small ship passes Yarmouth and Fort Victoria, but most traffic goes via the Nab rather than the Needles these days.
HAMPSHIRE:
Southampton: One of the UK’s premier commercial ports and THE premier UK passenger port.
There are a few good locations in the Southampton area. If you are on the Southampton side of the water, the sun will interfere after midday while if you are in Hythe the worst time is the morning. It is possible to join boat trips round the docks during the summer months, and these enable you to get good photos. The trips leave from Town Quay, by the Hythe ferry.
Town Quay – this is good for everything arriving at and leaving the docks, although there is now a really annoying high fence at the end of it which ABP keep saying they will remove once repairs to the quay are complete (apparently it is ‘damaged’ and allegedly ‘unsafe’), although this has been a long while now and there is still no sign of the repairs being done. Equally annoyingly for ship enthusiasts, while we are discouraged the fishermen seemingly get away with scaling the fence and continuing to fish beyond it with complete impunity! Also, if you drive there, watch out for the clampers – they miss no opportunity to stick a clamp on, sometimes even if you’re at the machine buying a parking ticket!
After midday, however, the light is against you for photography for anything coming in.
Mayflower Park - Mayflower Park is excellent for anything in berth 101, and stuff arriving at and leaving from 101 and the berths further up particularly if it is port side to so the bows are facing you. However, Mayflower Park is inaccessible during most of September when the annual boat show is on and also gets very busy in the summer evenings and weekends when parking spaces become scarce.
The Hythe ferry – this passes anything berthed at 38/39/40 and you can see into the Ocean terminal.
The Red Funnel vehicle ferry to and from East Cowes – one of the best vantage points. It’s easy to see everything in 38/39/40 plus the Ocean Terminal and berth 101.
Hythe – I have only been there once or twice so I don’t know too much about it. The pier is quite good and the marina is pretty good for anything docked at the QEII terminal. I visited the marina and, if I recall correctly, there is a parking charge. The ferry over from Southampton is excellent for anything in berths 38/39 and the Ocean Terminal (berth 46) as well as for anything underway. As it's a small ferry, ships look very impressive.
Calshot – an excellent place for photography, located at the entrance to Southampton Water. Ships pass very close here and it is possible to get great shots at close range. As this is on the western shore of Southampton Water, the light is best here after midday. There is parking – at a cost, as usual, it used to be £3 but has probably gone up since 2004 when I was last there. However, it is plagued by sailing boats, windsurfers and jet skis, particularly in summer.
View Southampton ship photo locations in a larger map
Portsmouth: Of more limited interest than Southampton, unless you are into warships. However, Brittany Ferries and LD Lines ferry services to the Continent operate from here, as do the Wightlink services to the Isle of Wight and there is a small commercial port which handles refrigerated cargo.
The Round Tower and beach – excellent for ships (mostly ferries with the odd cruise ship now and again) arriving and leaving. Pay and display parking on the road.
Southsea beach – much as above but with a better all-round view. Parking (pay and display) along the seafront. Ships in the Swashway are very close here.
Spice Island Inn and the Still and West – two pubs near the Round Tower. You can sit outside in the summer and photograph ships arriving in and leaving the harbour.
The Gosport ferry - this is a short ride across the harbour, but quite good if something is on the move.
Gosport – it’s possible to take pictures from there but the light’s against you in the morning and there is a marina with yachts in it, meaning loads of masts get in the way.
View Portsmouth ship photo locations in a larger map
For both Southampton and Portsmouth, you do not need telephoto lenses or long zooms. Anything between 28mm (if you’re in Mayflower Park and something is in berth 101, for example) and 200mm will do nicely.
There are other locations along the northern (mainland) Solent shore, but I don’t know these so well. However, I will give a mention to Hill Head, just adjacent to Lee-on-Solent, because I often go over there to go birdwatching at Titchfield Haven – which has species which do not often visit the Island – and it is possible to get distant shots of ships moving up or down the Solent, plus ones coming in and out of Southampton Water.