Beach Photography Hints

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Imagine standing in front of a beach scene, the white sand, blue translucent waters and the palm trees. No doubt a powerful and relaxing environment and a magnificent place to take great beach photos anytime of the year, in any weather and from sunset to sunrise.

Use the following beach photography hints and take your images to the next level:

• Emotions

First of all ask yourself what kind of emotions you would like to convey in those pictures. Do you want to show anger, solitude, the beginning, defeat, loss, or maybe determination ?

• Theme or Point of Interest

Find out if there is there anything in particular about this beautiful beach scene that you would like to capture (what is the subject that I want to draw attention to ?). Don’t rush, take your time, observe the surroudings and try to see beyond ordinary beach shots. These steps are extremely important, otherwise you might end up with a boring and uninteresting picture.

• Elements

Become aware of how the different elements interact with each other and how the particular characteristics of each one can be combined to express emotions and emphasize the point of interest ? Let your imagination run free, the beauty of beach photography may be found in the detail:

• a set of footprints
• patterns in the sand
• waves hitting the rock
• rock formations
• lighthouse or
• little things like sand castles, beach chairs, stones on the beach.
• Colours

Recognize the power of some unique colours or colour combinations

• Simplicity

Simplicity is one of the main determining factors of a great picture (include only what is necessary, minimize or eliminate what is distracting). Keep It Simple.

• Different angles

Find and try different angles for extraordinary photos,

• higher or lower grounds
• looking at the beach from a new perspective ( including beach to sea or vice versa )
• Timing

Choosing the time of the day is very important. Sunrise and sunset are the perfect times for beach photography, so use them to your advantage. Imagine the interesting effects of shadows and colors (warm and colorful sky ). Pay special attention to the wonderful glow in the sky after sunset (it can add warmth and excitement to your images).Take extra time to stay through the full sunrise or sunset. It is also best to arrive early to scan the surroundings and to have enough time for equipment setup. Don’t miss any shots as the beach scenes change minute by minute. Add some silhouetted subjects as appropiate for depth and perspective like:

• person or group
• beach chairs
• beach umbrella
• palm trees
• shrubs
• Black and white

Consider switching to black and white or post-process your pictures with a photo editing software afterwards for some dramatic effects.

• Extreme weather conditions

While most people would avoid beaches during extreme weather conditions, they present unique opportunities for the landscape photographer, but be particularly aware of the potential dangers of these extreme conditions (don’t take unnecessary risks).

• Anger can be expressed with the power of the sea pounding and hitting the shore (freeze the action with the proper shutter speed and at the right moment).
• Solitude…the darkness of the environment (f.i. overcast sky) emphasized with a polarizing filter and absence of any living form.
• Mystery represented with Black and White for some drama.

There are of course many, many possibilities, only limited by your imagination.

• Bracketing

Bracket your shots to increase your chances of getting the images with the desired effect.

• Filters

Lighten up your images with different kind of filters.

• The polarizing filter, appropiate for black-and-white and color photography as well, cuts down unwanted glare and reflection from any non-metallic surface like water. One of the most useful accessories you can have to darken the sky in color and black and white photos.
• Go beyond the ordinary and experiment with special effect filters under varying conditions. Who knows what kind of wonderful photos you might come up with (again don’t limit yourself to color photos).
• UV filters filter out ultraviolet light, but also act as a protection for your lens. It adds more depth to the color of water and make it look more clear and transparent.
• Framing

Last but not least take note of views that can add a natural frame to your beach pictures.

...A lot of beach photography challenges and fun await you... Enjoy.



Don't forget to protect your valuable camera.






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