How to Take Pictures at the Beach
The beach can be a great place for photography with its beautiful scenery and excellent light. However, the beach does present several challenges for photographers. To capture the beauty of the beach or document a fun family outing on the beach you'll need to consider the following.
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Instructions
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Protect your camera. Water, wind and sand are all hazards which can damage camera equipment. When taking your camera to the beach, be sure to bring it in a camera bag and leave it in the bag at all times when you are not using it. For extra protection, enclose your camera and any lenses or batteries in plastic bags to make sure they do not get wet.
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Hit the beach in the morning or the evening for the best photography. The light in the morning and evening will provide for interesting shadows in your pictures and will give them a warm glow. The midday sun washes out colors. Another good reason to go in the morning or evening is there will be less people at the beach, making for better landscape and family shots.
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Use the rule of two-thirds. The rule of two thirds is a photography composition rule which says the horizon should be in either the lower third or upper third of your picture. Eyes are naturally drawn to the tops and bottoms of pictures.
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Position your subjects at one side of a photograph. Not only will this make your photography abide by the rule of two-thirds, it will allow the background, such as sand, water and the sky, to play a dominant role in the picture.
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Turn on the flash for portraits when the light is bright. In bright light situations people's faces will often be hidden by shadows at the beach. Avoid this by turning your camera's flash to on instead of auto. The flash will not affect the scenery but will bring your subjects out of the shadows.
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Take pictures of people up close. By getting close to your subject you can still incorporate the scenery, but the people will not be overwhelmed by it. This will provide a balance between people and scenery.
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Look for subjects to add interest to landscape photography. The standard sunset over the water shot may need something to liven it up. Look for a palm tree, a sail boat or someone going for a stroll to add some interest to the picture.
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Tips & Warnings
Pick an overcast day for beach photography if you plan to take pictures in the midday sun. The clouds will mute the washout effect from the bright light.
