6 Beach Photography Tips for Capturing Beautiful Images

You don't always need post-processing to develop great photos. These tips are best practice when photographing the beach.

1. 1. Play around with shutter speed. Shutter speed dictates your exposure time. A slow shutter speed means the camera shutter is open longer, resulting in a longer exposure that allows you to capture motion blur when shooting subjects like crashing waves; long exposure softens your images and suggests the passage of time. A fast shutter speed allows you to capture crisp, pristine images of objects in motion, like flying seagulls or surfers.
2. 2. Experiment with filters. You can use two types of filters to improve the look of your beach photos on DSLR cameras: polarizing filters and neutral density filters. Polarizing filters negate some of the reflected light in a landscape, resulting in clearer, more vibrant colors and negating haze. Since they enhance deepen colors—particularly blues and darker tones—they make blue skies and the ocean appear richer in color. Neutral density filters, or ND filters, on the other hand, make colors less intense. You can use these on very sunny days to abate the bright light source.
3. 3. Shoot during golden hour. Golden hour—the time of day right after sunrise and right before sunset—gives your photos a warm, rich light. Photographing during dawn or dusk can prevent overexposure and other lighting issues.
4. 4. Use wide-angle lenses. Wide-angle lenses expand the horizontal scope of your photographs, which makes them perfect for landscape photography. Wide-angle lenses also generate a longer depth of field, which allows you to capture more expansive vistas.
5. 5. Remember the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is a compositional technique that divides your frame into a three-by-three grid with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines that intersect at four points. To use the rule of thirds when shooting photos at the beach, consider where you place your horizon line: Create a sense of expansiveness by positioning the horizon line along the lower third of the grid, drawing the viewer's eye to the sky above; or position the horizon along the upper third to draw the eye to the foreground to create a sense of proximity with the landscape. Each intersection point on the grid is a potential point of interest; align your main subject with one of these points to create a balanced image. Many digital cameras, including smartphone cameras, come equipped with settings to display the rule of thirds grid on the screen.
6. 6. Experiment with ISO. ISO is a camera setting that determines your camera’s sensitivity to light. In terms of image quality, a low ISO value means your image will be darker and have less grain (or noise). A high ISO number means your image will be brighter and have more grain. Other camera settings, like spot metering, can help you achieve your desired lighting and exposure without filters.

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