Tips for Beach Photography
Friday 25 May 2007Many of us will be enjoying the upcoming long weekend at the beach somewhere, whether it’s at the favorite lakeside barbecue or the ocean - and with all the advances in photography (and the popularity of digital now) all of us want to take great pictures to help remember the special moments.Sand, Sand EverywhereSand at the beach is inevitable. Remember to keep lenses covered when not in use to reduce the chances of scratching your glass. Sand is also notorious for getting into any and every crevice imaginable, try to avoid leaving your camera in areas where sand may be blown or kicked up onto it (like a beach towel). The other big issue with sand is that the sun’s reflection from the sand can blow out the highlights in your pictures. If your camera has manual adjustment settings, you may want to stop down your exposure to slightly underexpose your image so your images aren’t washed out.ISO What?The ISO rating (for film and digital) refers to the film’s (or digital image sensor’s) sensitivity to light. The lower the number, more light is required to properly expose your image. For shooting at the beach, I’d recommend using ISO 100 (or slower if you can find it) film, or setting your digital camera to its lowest ISO setting. Unless it’s extremely overcast, you should have more than enough light to still use a fast shutter speed to catch all the action, and the slower ISO rating will help keep colors saturated and graininess to a minimum.Remember the Rule of ThirdsDon’t just line people up with the beach behind them, place subjects to one side with the shoreline filling up the rest of the frame. This makes for a more interesting photo while still making for a nice portrait.Foreground, Middleground, BackgroundTo add more depth and interest to your shots, try to include subjects of interest close up (like a beach ball, person, coconut, etc) in your foreground, a curvy palm tree in the middleground, and still include that beautiful sunset in the background. Don’t be afraid to let your main subject fill up a third or more of your frame.Gotcha!Not all pictures need to be posed. Don’t be shy when it comes to picture taking. Catch your friends playing volleyball, building a sand castle or just chatting it up.This is a great way to catch memories, not just picture after picture of your friends squinting at the camera and other cheesy poses.Enjoy the long weekend!
