Photo taken at Anne's Beach in Lower Matecumbe Key, Florida and edited using presets from Landscape Workflow Collection.
For many, summer means lots of time at the beach. So fun! Bright sunshine, playing in the water, working on a tan, reading a book while lounging on a towel, and rounding out great days with a bonfire for s'mores. There are so many great images that make you want to reach for your camera, but often the results just don't do it justice.
Are you ready to change that this year? 1. To Flash or Not To Flash
I absolutely love working with natural light alone whenever possible. It gives it a more, well, natural look! However, in bright sun, I make exceptions. Bright sunshiny days are perfect for playing with flash during daylight. Using flash during bright days helps to counteract the dark shadows that form from such harsh light {dark undereye circles, anyone?}. Keep in mind that if you're on Auto Mode, the flash will most likely not want to go off because there will be plenty of light being metered. To force the flash, you'll need to go out of Auto Mode and be sure to keep your speed well under 1/200th of a second so that there isn't any lag in the sync {if the shutter speed goes too fast, you'll get a shot that is half bright and half dark because the flash wasn't able to sync fast enough to it}.
2. Tell a Story
Too often we get caught up in wide shots, or getting a posed moment of all the family by the towel setup on the beach. Days out for a beach adventure are perfect for creating a story, though! This means making sure to get a variety of shots that will bring you back to those special moments. Maybe you want to capture a wide shot of the stunning sunset, or the detail of your baby's toes all covered in sand. Maybe you want a vignette that shows your setup on the sand, with bright colorful bags, the umbrella for shade, and your niece reading her book. Or perhaps you want a wide shot of the empty beach and one lone bonfire as your family sits around the fire to cook dinner. Be sure to capture everything from the expansive views all the way to the details and you'll have a complete story to tell in your album!
3. Go Under the Sea
If you're feeling brave and can get access to a good camera casing, consider underwater photography! Being able to take your camera underwater will give a different perspective to seeing your kids splashing in the waves! Also, having the casing will give you more courage to take the camera out into the ocean even if you stay above water - no more worrying about splashes!
Photos taken in Oceanside, CA and edited with custom settings.
4. Start Before the Beach
Sometimes the story just isn't complete without showing the journey that got you there. If you have a bit of a drive to your beach destination, have a camera handy for photos in the car! It can be a fun activity for the kids to help take photos, and the extra moments caught on camera will just add more to your visual story. From the different views out the car window to the happenings inside the car itself, the journey can make for a fantastic addition to your photo album!
5. Be Open to Imperfection
At the end of the day, it's not about whether a photo is technically perfect or if the settings are what the textbook says they should be. If a photo speaks to you and transports you back to a moment, then it has done its job! Embrace possible photos with blur or tilts, and see them as part of being 'in the moment'. Oftentimes, the least 'perfect' photos become the most dear to our hearts. This photo below is still one of my favorite beach photos to date, although there is nothing technically correct about it. It does, however, instantly take me back to that moment on the beach with all my friends...
Photo taken in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA and edited with custom settings.
Do you have some great tips for taking photos of a day at the beach? Please share in the comments!
'Till next time,
~Natalia