PHOTOS ON THE BEACH – 6 TIPS FOR A BEGINNING PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunset – There is no better time to take photos at the beach than late in the evening. The rule of the “golden hour” applies – the sun has not completely set yet, but it is slowly falling darkness. In summer, the “golden hour” is usually around 8pm. If you want to take a really eye-catching photo on the beach, wait for the sun to go down – it’s the most romantic beach scenery.
Sunrise – the second best time to take fantastic photos on the beach. The light is then a bit sharper, but in return there are much less people at the seaside. This is a great time to perform a session for your partner or children – there is a small chance that a stranger will be in the frame.
Bad weather can create a great scenery – you don’t have to wait for the perfect weather to take beautiful, effective photos on the beach. Sometimes it is just the opposite. The best shots come out when the background is made of heavy, frightening clouds hanging just above the sea, announcing a storm. Then put on your rain jacket and run to the beach to capture this amazing picture.
Still life in the frame – who said that beach photos only have to show sand and sea? On the beach, you will find a lot of items that will look great in a properly composed frame. So look for the branches of the trees thrown by the sea, go to the breakwater, find a fragment of the cliff. Such photos best reflect the extraordinary beauty of the landscape of Polish beaches.
Perfect photo proportions – The old rule of taking photos in a beach scenery says that the aspect ratio of a photo must divide the background image perfectly into 3 parts. So 1/3 of the background is sky, 1/3 sea and 1/3 beach. If you take care of it, then every photo from the beach will be successful and pleasant to receive.
Experiment! Beaches on a sunny day are quite demanding conditions, but also offer great opportunities. It’s worth taking advantage of. Try to take a picture against the sun, take an unusual perspective or do something completely new. Change the frame width (from close portraits to a small figure on a big beach) and focal length (if you have interchangeable lenses or a zoom lens). These tips can be useful to you in any situation, not only on the beach, because breaking the usual patterns often leads to exceptional results.