If you want some very effective beach photography tips, one of the most beautiful things you could ever take shots of at the beach is a sunrise. The sun produces an orange warmth, which really makes colours pop, so the morning is usually the best time of day for photographers to go for a walkabout and shoot. Specifically if you are on the East coast of a country, the sun will rise above the ocean, forming breathtaking seascapes.
However, taking photos of sunrises can be very challenging because you are dealing with very bright light which needs to be balanced out. You can do this with ND filters, which work like tinted glass and enable you to control the light and balance specific areas of the picture. If you really plan to shoot excellent sunrise pictures, you have to commit yourself every day to getting up early for a minimum of one month or two. If you go and do photography every morning for this amount of time, you will get several mornings of brilliantly crisp top quality light.
Capturing pictures of sunsets is fairly similar to shooting sunrises. You'll be best off using an ND grad filter to let you control the light. Another thing to consider is using a good F stop, say around F11 or F22 depending on what lens you have. Different lenses have their sweet spots but it's important to get a lot in focus.
Shooting surf is something else you may be doing at the beach. For this it is a good thing to get lots of different angles. A typical surf picture will have a front-on angle and the surfer will be in the middle of the frame. This can make for a pretty boring shot and has been seen time after time. For a more interesting photo, get down low on the sand, or up on top of a cliff or a building to get an original angle. Of course, being in the water is the best way to shoot surf because you are right there among the waves and the splash. If a surfer is inside a tube, you are in that same tube with him or her. It is not that common for a photographer to be so near his or her subject.
You should always try to make your picture convey a story. One way to do this is to put an unexpected background in the picture, so for example rather than just shooting out towards the horizon, try to get a cliff in the background, or a boat. It will make your images more interesting and will also put scale into them.
For taking photos in the ocean, you will have to choose the best possible conditions. Avoid beaches that have strong rip currents. Before entering the water, stand still on the beach for about 10 to 15 minutes and have a look at how strong and exactly where the rips are. See if you will find it difficult to paddle against the current.
The clarity of the water is also very important, especially if you are planning to shoot a lot of underwater photos. If it's a sunny day with very few clouds in the sky and the tide is incoming, and there hasn't been a big swell or any rain for a while, the water will be crystal clear.
If you can see highly talented surfers in the water, it is definitely worth getting in the water because you'll be able to get much closer to them than intermediate level surfers, making your photos more exciting. A lot of great surfers understand how to work well with photographers and can time their shots well.
The shape of the waves is another factor to consider. Barrels look incredible to shoot inside, but if the waves are not really peeling and are just dribbling it doesn't look as exciting.
How to look after your equipment at the beach
If it's really misty and you're getting a lot of sea breeze from the ocean, don't set foot on the beach or your equipment will get sandy and dusty.
You don't need spray on your lens. If your lens does get covered in spray, don't wipe it with a lens cloth. You have to let it dry, then you should ideally use a rocket air to spray off the lens so that all of the dust particles fall off. After this step, you can wipe your lens. If you try to wipe the sand off too early, you may scratch the coating on the lens.
A polarizing filter can be very useful if you're taking photos on the beach, because it will give you some very nice rich, saturated skyscapes and seascapes.
If you're stepping out into humid conditions from a dry air conditioned area, you might notice condensation on the lens and it will be necessary to wait until the lens has warmed up to the same temperature as outside. One way to overcome this is to leave your camera outside somewhere safe before you venture out to take photos.
So enjoy it and head down to the beach as soon as you possibly can!
However, taking photos of sunrises can be very challenging because you are dealing with very bright light which needs to be balanced out. You can do this with ND filters, which work like tinted glass and enable you to control the light and balance specific areas of the picture. If you really plan to shoot excellent sunrise pictures, you have to commit yourself every day to getting up early for a minimum of one month or two. If you go and do photography every morning for this amount of time, you will get several mornings of brilliantly crisp top quality light.
Capturing pictures of sunsets is fairly similar to shooting sunrises. You'll be best off using an ND grad filter to let you control the light. Another thing to consider is using a good F stop, say around F11 or F22 depending on what lens you have. Different lenses have their sweet spots but it's important to get a lot in focus.
Shooting surf is something else you may be doing at the beach. For this it is a good thing to get lots of different angles. A typical surf picture will have a front-on angle and the surfer will be in the middle of the frame. This can make for a pretty boring shot and has been seen time after time. For a more interesting photo, get down low on the sand, or up on top of a cliff or a building to get an original angle. Of course, being in the water is the best way to shoot surf because you are right there among the waves and the splash. If a surfer is inside a tube, you are in that same tube with him or her. It is not that common for a photographer to be so near his or her subject.
You should always try to make your picture convey a story. One way to do this is to put an unexpected background in the picture, so for example rather than just shooting out towards the horizon, try to get a cliff in the background, or a boat. It will make your images more interesting and will also put scale into them.
For taking photos in the ocean, you will have to choose the best possible conditions. Avoid beaches that have strong rip currents. Before entering the water, stand still on the beach for about 10 to 15 minutes and have a look at how strong and exactly where the rips are. See if you will find it difficult to paddle against the current.
The clarity of the water is also very important, especially if you are planning to shoot a lot of underwater photos. If it's a sunny day with very few clouds in the sky and the tide is incoming, and there hasn't been a big swell or any rain for a while, the water will be crystal clear.
If you can see highly talented surfers in the water, it is definitely worth getting in the water because you'll be able to get much closer to them than intermediate level surfers, making your photos more exciting. A lot of great surfers understand how to work well with photographers and can time their shots well.
The shape of the waves is another factor to consider. Barrels look incredible to shoot inside, but if the waves are not really peeling and are just dribbling it doesn't look as exciting.
How to look after your equipment at the beach
If it's really misty and you're getting a lot of sea breeze from the ocean, don't set foot on the beach or your equipment will get sandy and dusty.
You don't need spray on your lens. If your lens does get covered in spray, don't wipe it with a lens cloth. You have to let it dry, then you should ideally use a rocket air to spray off the lens so that all of the dust particles fall off. After this step, you can wipe your lens. If you try to wipe the sand off too early, you may scratch the coating on the lens.
A polarizing filter can be very useful if you're taking photos on the beach, because it will give you some very nice rich, saturated skyscapes and seascapes.
If you're stepping out into humid conditions from a dry air conditioned area, you might notice condensation on the lens and it will be necessary to wait until the lens has warmed up to the same temperature as outside. One way to overcome this is to leave your camera outside somewhere safe before you venture out to take photos.
So enjoy it and head down to the beach as soon as you possibly can!
About the Author:
Before you travel to the coast this summer, you may need to know other great ideas beyond beach photography tips. We have an ever growing number of very useful articles that will help you to improve your camera skills quickly. travel on over to Digital Camera Review Guru today and start learning from our entertaining resources.
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