How to take beautiful photos on the beach in summer?

Nowadays, more and more photographers are looking for relaxing adventures in the form of shooting by the water-this is the real salvation from the noisy life. Beaches provide many excellent opportunities for digital camera owners, because they are places with natural beauty, colors and interesting lighting. However, shooting on the beach will also bring many problems, including camera damage, privacy issues and the arduous task of making open space interesting.

Skills and methods of taking pictures on the beach

As an enthusiastic photographer, you need to know how to shoot the beach. You should not only try to understand the appearance of the beach, but also try to distinguish it from other beaches and consider some suggestions.

First, find the focus before shooting.

Some people say that beach photos always look like people walking or sunbathing, and eventually they look boring, even boring.

Please pay special attention to finding the focus that can attract the attention and interest of the audience. Therefore, you can not only creatively display photos, but also immerse the audience in the world of summer beauty: for example, how about showing the white sand on the beach.

However, it is equally important to show the beach completely from different angles. A good example is shooting, which gives the audience a chance to explore the whole beach. The main focus of this picture is the beach, only the beach. If there is someone in this position, the number of people in the picture should be the least, and in addition, it should not be the focus. Photos should show the sand and water in the area and on the beach.

Another example is a photo of a traveler or a group of people interacting and communicating with their surroundings. In this case, the purpose of beach pictures is to inspire people to visit this place from the pictures. For example, this may be a photo of a couple walking along the beach at sunset, or a photo of people sunbathing in the sun.

Attention should also be paid to pictures showing people's activities during the holidays-boys playing volleyball, kayaking and flying kites, and people riding motorboats at the same time.

Secondly, shoot one or more overviews.

Before you shoot an overview, you should ask yourself what you want to know from an audience. What facilities are there on the beach? Is the sand white? Or is it shining like a diamond? Is the water cold enough? Do you have a sunbed and an umbrella? Where is the best place to watch the sunset? The purpose of these photos is to help correctly determine people's expectations.

Third, prime-time shooting.

If you want the magical orange/gold tone as a beach photo, please take it in prime time-a few minutes after sunrise or an hour before sunset. This soft and warm light makes it easier to work, especially in the midday sun. You should also consider that there will be fewer people at this time of the day, and you will find it easier to get interesting effects of shadows and colors by choosing an angle-especially when it turns golden at night.

Fourth, shutter speed is very important.

Higher shutter speed will stop moving, so the water will be displayed without blurring. Of course, it all depends on the moving speed of the wave, but it is usually from 1/20 seconds or less.

5. Use a flash or anything that reflects light.

If you want to remove the shadow from the face of the framed person (especially when they are wearing hats and glasses), please use a flash when shooting. This will expose your subject well, eliminate the shadows, and you will get the desired effect.

The best time to use this technology is to shoot in the sun. Before making the last photo, try a few photos to see which one looks better. If you don't have a flash, you can use a mirror or anything that helps to scatter sunlight.

When shooting with the flash fully open, the subject may appear blurred and false. If they look overexposed and you can't reduce the power of the flash, try to keep them away from the main body and use zoom to get a tighter cut, but this will reduce the effect of the flash. As usual, you need to try.

Six, the use of filters

Use ultraviolet and polarizing filters. Ultraviolet light will help correct the unwanted blue tone and filter out ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet filters can also reduce atmospheric haze (blue tone). However, they have little visual impact.

Seven, tracking the horizon

One of the most common problems in beach photography is that you have to work in an open space and keep a long and usually continuous line of sight. Make every effort to ensure that the horizon is perpendicular to the frame. You should also consider making the horizon deviate from the center, because the center of the horizon may cause the feeling that the photo is split in half.

Eight, exposure settings

Another difficulty in shooting on the beach in midsummer may be incredibly bright. If shooting in automatic mode, the camera may be underexposed. It is worth mastering the manual shooting mode on the beach and trying different exposures. Usually look at the exposure provided by the camera, and then add one or even two files, usually you will get better results. Of course, it all depends on the specific situation-bright landscapes are usually very complicated, especially when they have dark areas and are very bright. Sometimes, it is important to find out where to get good exposure and concentration, because it is usually impossible to do everything right.

Nine, spot metering

If your camera supports spot metering, you can solve some of the above exposure problems. Spot metering is a function of some cameras. You can tell the camera which part of the image should be fully exposed through this function. This is especially useful in bright conditions when you need a good exposure in a cool place.

Spot metering is particularly effective when shooting people, because it can keep you away from the sun and look directly at people, thus avoiding squint (a common problem when shooting people on the beach).

Ten, try black and white photography.

Through post-processing, we can know how many colors and their absence will affect the photos. There are some things in the black and white beach pictures that completely change the artistic conception and feeling of the frame. This is also a good way to work on cloudy days, otherwise the photos will look colorless.