Structural skills of coastal photography

Lead: Many photographers choose to shoot along the coast in order to capture the magnificent scenery of the sea. So how does coastal photography compose a picture, and what skills are there? Come and have a look with me.

In order to capture the level of seascape, coastal photography composition skills must set off the sea with the ground, rocks and sky as the foreground and background. Try to put the horizontal line between the sky and the sea in the top third of the picture to show the beauty of the sea; Or on the contrary, put it in the lower third to catch the rich clouds in the sky. In addition, you can try shooting from different angles to make the foreground more interesting. Condescending shooting can macro the whole beach and coast; Or look down from a low angle, moderately use sand and stones as foreground or emphasize their textures to increase the level of photos.

Choose the right time and background

Timing is very important to shoot ever-changing waveforms. It is suggested that when we arrive at a fixed point, don't rush to shoot. Start by observing the waves: what is the height and range of the waves when they hit and then fall? How long should it be exposed? Is the light too bright? Do you need a dimmer (such as ND64 or ND400) to extend the shutter time? In order to make the picture show the momentum of stormy waves, these preparations must be considered.

In order to improve the chances of success, you can press the shutter when the waves hit the rocks and capture the instantaneous movement of the waves. Every time the waves are different, you should shoot as much as possible to gain more experience. In addition, it is important to choose a dark background; Bright background (such as white clouds in the distance) is difficult to clearly set off the appearance of waves.

▲ Canon EOS 5D Mark II+EF 24-70F2.8L USM 67mm End+ND 400+tripod. Aperture F/8, shutter 1/3 seconds, ISO 200, manual exposure mode, automatic white balance, RAW to JPEG (Kenting/Cat nose).

Make full use of the prospect

The application of foreground is very important in landscape photography. Good prospects can make the picture layered and the composition full and tense; The misuse of the foreground may lead to the imbalance of the picture and usurp the role of the host. In this photo, the rocks in the foreground occupy a lot of space, which also makes the picture look very balanced. Plenty of sunshine shines on it, which is in harmony with the children in the middle scene and the violent blue sky in the foreground.

▲ Canon EOS 5D Mark II+EF 24-70F2.8L USM 24 mm end. Aperture F/9, shutter 1/250 seconds, ISO 100, aperture priority mode, automatic white balance, RAW to JPEG (Kenting/Baisha).

The vast momentum of the commanding heights

Looking for commanding heights, you can climb high and look far, climb the mountain near the lighthouse or next to the beach, and look for commanding heights overlooking the panorama. It's easy to look empty when shooting from a height, so pay special attention to composition.

Take the following figure as an example. Brightly lit docks and houses form the foreground. Kaohsiung's important landmarks, the Eighth Five-Year Plan Building, the seagoing trail and the Five Mountains of Peking University, are all in the middle scene, and the clouds in the distant sky become a beautiful background. If you use the medium-long focal length, you can also take photos with long artistic conception through the sense of compression and layering.

▲ In the twilight of the morning, the quiet picture of the harbor cabin that closely relies on the sea. Canon EOS 5d Mark II +EF 24-65438+88mm 005mm F4L has USM as its base. Aperture F/22, shutter 5 seconds, ISO50, manual exposure mode, automatic white balance, RAW to JPEG.

▲ Canon EOS 5D Mark II +EEF 24-65438+40mm 005mm F4L ends with USM. Aperture F/ 14, shutter 25 seconds, ISO 100, manual exposure mode, automatic white balance, RAW to JPEG (Kaohsiung Port).

Horizontal line and capture silhouette

The endless sky by the sea is the ideal background for silhouette, and the horizon at sea level is even more important. It is easy to take a silhouette at the seaside, as long as people appear between the sea and the sky, and then expose them normally according to the sky light conditions. Pay special attention to accurate metering when shooting. At this time, you can use spot metering or central partial average metering mode to measure the sky with moderate brightness above the sun, which can darken the area dyed red by the sun and greatly improve the success rate of exposure. In the foreground, carefully selected silhouettes can be used to enhance the depth of space through the contrast between light and dark, thus setting off the brilliance of the sun.

▲ Canon EOS 30D+EF 24-65438+78mm 005mm F4LISUSM bottom. Aperture F/9, shutter11000s, ISO 400, aperture priority mode, automatic white balance, RAW to JPEG.