Beach Photography – How to take better beach photos

Summer is coming (right )… and hopefully you’re planning some great adventures with both friends and family. It can be difficult to remember everything including your camera, especially when you’re due to hitting the beach. Yes, you can take your camera. I promise you’ll regret it if you leave it behind, however make sure your read these summer beach photography tips first.

Beach photography tips for beginners

The most common question I get from beginners is what settings should I use for beach photography? As always, It depends. If you’re working with the midday bright sun then you’re going to want to keep you ISO low and a larger f-stop number (F8-F16) to allow for a more It’s important to understand your beach photography settings and knowing which ones you want to focus on (pun intended). I’ll always recommend you shoot in RAW, simply because it gives you more room to wiggle in edit. When it comes to choosing your camera settings, think about your subject. Is it close or far away? Is it static or moving? If you don’t already know which settings suit what, it’s time to get back to basics.

Choose something to focus on

Make sure you pick something to actually take a photo of. Whether that be the sun on the horizon, a family member, a pattern in the sand (ie foot prints or water lines), a rock. You should always know what your point of interest is that you want to focus on.

Straighten your horizon

There’s nothing worse than a wonky horizon, or losing a critical part of the photo in post processing because of a wonky horizon. Do as much as possible in camera to avoid disappointment later on.

Turn around

Yes, the sea horizon is beautiful, especially during golden hours but there’s so much behind you as well. So remember to turn and see the other elements. Birds, rocks, seafronts, Umbrellas etc.

Recognise your light

UV filters can be a life saver for your lenses, especially during the summer months.  They give a lot of protection and they also help with haze. These are the bare minimum you should be using.However, if you want to combat that summer harsh light around midday, then you’ll need a polarising filters, they are like sunglasses for your lens. I love how it reduces certain light and reflections while boosting the contrast.

Beach sunrise photography tips

Check the weather forecast

You’re not going to get that gorgeous sunset if it’s overcast and stormy, using a weather app allows you to know exactly what time sunrise and sunset will be. However, don’t let the weather stop you. There’s some really great stormy beach scenes out there.

Exposure Compensation

If your exposure is struggling consider using exposure compensation or HDR (high dynamic range) for mobile and experiment until you get the exposure you want. You can always take multiple shots and merge them later. The hardest part is that your eye will do a better job than your camera, so learning to read the light and adjust it takes practice. Don’t worry if you need to take a few test shots before you get it right. Remember that as the sun moves you’ll need to adjust accordingly.

Get creative with your composition

Think about your composition – you don’t always have to go for a traditional landscape appropriate. Mix it up with leading lines, juxtaposition and silhouettes.

Beach photography ideas

Capture the details

It’s very easy to get caught up the with the landscape that surrounds you, however don’t forget those little details. There’s plenty of things you can choose from; shells, feet, patterns in the sand, pebbles, seaweed, molluscs, or drift wood.

Sun Flares

To flare or not is the question. If you want a sun star, then use a wider zoom lens and zoom in using a higher aperture. If you want to avoid those sun flares then remember your lens hood, it also helps you with the sun haze.

Play with Shadows

The best part of the summer sun, is the interesting shadows it creates and how you can use them as part of your photography. Keep an eye out for them and think about whether they help or hinder your photo. It’s important to remember you can always diffuse the light if you need to.

Black and white beach photography

The beach has a good dynamic range and loads of textures which makes it great for black and white beach photography.

Play with your shutter speeds

Whether you hitting the beach or the water park. You can still have fun with your camera.A slow shutter speed with make water move, this is a nice effect.

Reflections

Look for reflections in particular places, like wet sand and sunglasses.

Water Photography

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Beach photography tips for photographers

Keep your gear clean

The sand and sea water can be really harsh of your camera and lens.Where possible keep your bag closed. Not only does it keep the sand out, it also help keep the humidity out.Make sure you clean your gear when the day is done because the salt and sand can be difficult. Just use a micro-fibre cloth and give it a good wipe down.

Avoid changing lens in the open.

I know it might sound obvious but when you swap your lens. Your camera is so exposed. Turn your back to the wind, shield your camera with your top or towel and BE QUICK.

Use a good strap

Not only will it help prevent that momental drops, that make you cringe and cry, but it can also help you with keeping it safe in busier places.

If you found any of these useful, I’d love to hear about it, or if you know of any more drop me a message.