People love beach vacations as they’re always nice and calming; you get to enjoy the vast ocean and listen to the sounds of nature. As a photographer, you can capture this unique atmosphere in your pictures and develop your creator potential. After all, lighting conditions at seaside locations can be unpredictable, allowing you to experiment.
To fully dive into the creative process, read on to discover useful beach photography tips that can be easily tried out by beginners.
What equipment do you need to take the best beach pictures?
In most cases, it’s humid and sandy near the beaches. That’s why you will require special equipment like a waterproof and dustproof camera and protective covers. An IP rating is the first thing you should consider when searching for appropriate equipment.
This classification determines the level of a device’s protection against liquids and solids, marked by numbers. For example, IP66 is the highest grade on the scale. The convenient option for taking pictures by the beach is approximately IP54.
To take professional photos, invest in additional equipment, such as polarizing filters, a tripod, extra batteries, cleaning products, and memory cards. A polarizing filter reduces glare and increases color saturation, while a tripod helps capture sharp, stable images. Cleaning products, extra batteries, and memory cards will help protect your technology and manage any possible problems.
Tips and ideas for taking beach photos
Sometimes, taking photos at the beach requires working in extreme conditions. You should be prepared to stand long hours in the blazing sun. Protect yourself against direct sunlight by wearing a hat and using SPF50+.
Experiment with camera settings
You should be familiar with manual camera settings, especially ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. By combining different values of these options, you can achieve the desired atmosphere in your shots. For example, reducing shutter speed can blur the motion of waves. This will create a dramatic atmosphere. It’s also essential to understand how much light is absorbed by your camera lens. By properly setting ISO and aperture, you can avoid overexposed shots.
Pay attention to the background
Beaches are crowded places where it’s hard to find a good, desolate location for shooting. That’s why your scenes’ backgrounds may not be as perfect as you want. Moreover, complex scenery contains many unnecessary details that distract viewer attention from the main subject.
Before the photo shoot, scout appropriate locations; you can find wild, non-tourist spots. But, if beforehand location hunting is impossible, plan your photo shoot at an unpopular time, e.g., early morning or late night.
Don’t worry if you already have a picture with a distracting background. Online tools can easily fix this issue. For example, Depositphotos Background Remover is an excellent solution for quick backdrop removal. This online eraser utilizes AI-based technology and a neural network for automatic image processing. Just upload your file to the website, preview the result, use editing brushes to make minor manual adjustments, and download the backgroundless visual. This method doesn’t require proficiency in design. Also, you can find a lot of pictures at Depositphotos.com that will inspire you for a good photoshoot.
Find the main object
One of the top tips for beach photography is usually about creating complete, unusual compositions. A lot of landscape pictures look unappealing because they don’t contain focal points or exciting objects to catch the viewer’s eye. Such scenes are desolated and bland. To avoid this, simply find an interesting subject that can serve as the main emphasis. For example, capture people, animals, rocks, palm trees, buildings, or dunes in your shots.
Play with perspective
Experimenting with perspective in beach photography can add depth, interest, and a unique point of view to your image. It can also highlight the size and scale of the subject. Playing with different angles, object distances, and zooming can result in creative compositions that stand out from ordinary photos taken at the beach.
Beware of shooting at midday
Midday is a challenging time for landscape photographers since the sun is at its highest point. This leads to the appearance of harsh shadows, blown highlights, and high contrast in your images. Moreover, unsuitable lighting conditions make it difficult to achieve good color balance. It’s best to avoid shooting at midday and opt for early morning or late afternoon when the light is softer and more diffused. Also, remember that staying in direct sunlight may be hazardous for your health.
Conclusion
Beach pictures taken by aspiring and seasoned photographers alike often portray a calm atmosphere and nature’s harmony. When practicing this genre, you can significantly improve your skills and learn more about photography basics, such as perspective, composition, and light. Moreover, you can find creative inspiration by observing natural surroundings. Explore useful tips for beach images and portraits from this article and put them into practice the next time you visit the nearest or the coolest beach.