51 Different subjects in photography, and I am going to do them all. Today’s subject: “How to take photos of the beach!”
The beach is something that everyone loves. The sound of the calming waters, the feel of the sand through your toes, the beautiful sunsets, the sunburn you get the first time. It is all just a special place in so many people. So, there is some special tips I would like to share with you about taking photos at the beach that will help you out to get great photos.
- Make sure you focus on something, even if it’s way out there.
- Use the “Golden Hour” to take your photos before sunset and after sunrise.
- Bring an air blower, and a lens cleaning brush with you.
- Use a tripod
- Polarizing filters will do wonders for your photos
- Play with shutter speeds when taking photos of the waves
Ok, let’s take a look at some of these ideas so you can see what we are talking about.
Find something you can focus on. Take a look at the above photo, and notice that the person on the swing is very sharp. Also, look at the background, it is also in focus. If you can set your focus, with setting your aperture right (F16, F22, etc.) you can get it all in focus, but, if there is something in the foreground, focus on that.
Taking pictures during the “golden hour” will just give you a warm glow to the entire photo. It is so pleasing. And also, especially at the beach, you will get the warm colors that make things so perfect. Try this: take a photo of the beach around 12 noon, vs. 8pm, and you may never take a photo again at noon.
The beach is a dirty place. It seems like you always find that your camera equipment gets dirty. Two pieces of equipment you should always have is: lens cleaning cloth, and a blower brush for lenses.
This just has to be a tool that you need to get used to using: tripod for cameras. It will improve your photos more than you could imagine. Sharp photos = tripod for cameras.
The above photo should show you enough reason why you should use a good circular polarizing filter. If you care about the colors in your scenery photos, and especially the beach photos, please use a circular polarizing filter.
Just a quick note: if you click on the words in red, they will take you to a link that gives you more information about that word. Try it: circular polarizing filter
This is a great example of just one of the things you could try with a telephoto lens and a fast shutter speed. The telephoto lens will get you out on the water, and the fast shutter speed will stop the action of the waves. Have fun trying different things with controlling your shutter speed.
Another great example of a high shutter speed, and a good telephoto lens.
Find beaches that are not so crowded with people, and get some different types of photos. A telephoto lens may be able to get you this kind of photo, and get you away from the waves. There are a lot of beautiful things to take pictures of at the beach. Go enjoy.
