Knowledge of seascape shooting skills

20 17 seascape shooting skills knowledge

The blue of the sea and the beauty of the sunset should be photographed as a souvenir. Then I recommend 20 17 seascape shooting skills for everyone. Welcome to click to view.

1. Shoot an empty beach

There seems to be no point of interest on the empty beach, but the shape of the clouds in the sky is very prominent. At this time, you can lower your angle, adopt a slightly upward shooting method, and put the horizon in the center of the picture, or in the upper and lower third, which can get good results. At this time, it is very important to use a medium gray gradient mirror to balance the exposure of heaven and earth.

Shoot the plants by the sea.

When shooting at the seaside, you don't have to take the sea as the theme. Flowers in full bloom on the land can also be called a good subject. In this photo, we take flowers as the main body of the picture, and seawater as the place where the sea meets in the middle of the background picture, which can be used as a guiding line to lead your eyes to the distance. Pay attention to the collocation of color and shape when shooting.

3. Make full use of the prospect

The application of foreground is very important in landscape photography. Making good use of the prospect can make the picture layered and full of composition. The misuse of the foreground may lead to the imbalance of the picture and usurp the role of the host. In this photo, although the space occupied by the rocks in the foreground is not very large, it makes the picture look very balanced, and the warm sunshine hits it, which is very harmonious with the middle scene and the distant scenery.

4. Scenery of sunrise and sunset

No matter where you shoot the scenery, the short time of sunrise and sunset is a beautiful sight not to be missed. At this time, the sunshine is warm and inclined at a great angle, leaving sparkling waves on the water. You can take a close-up with a telephoto lens, or you can look for the right foreground as in the picture, wait for the sun to reach the right position, and press the shutter.

Looking for commanding heights

If you don't want to shoot on the soft beach, you can walk around, such as climbing the mountain next to the beach and looking for the commanding heights overlooking the panorama. It's easy to look empty when shooting from a height, so pay special attention to composition. For example, in this photo, beaches and rocks form the foreground, cliffs and sea water are the middle scenes, and the distant sky is the background.

Show a sense of depth

If there is no reference object, it is impossible to reflect its breadth. We can use the ships on the sea as a reference to compare the height of the display screen, and we can also photograph the coastline to show the depth of the coast. Color contrast is very important for taking such photos. In this film, green, white and dark blue are in sharp contrast.

Shooting essentials: tripod, wide-angle lens, cleaning equipment, level meter, polarizer, medium gray gradient lens.

Basic skills of seaside photography

1. Avoid underexposure in the foreground or overexposure in the sky.

2. Use a small aperture of about f/ 16 to ensure the depth of field.

3. Switch to manual focusing mode and focus at the scene depth of 1/3, which can ensure the maximum definition of the whole photo.

4. Pay attention to the elements and textures in the foreground. When shooting with wide-angle lenses, they can enrich the depth and layering of the picture.

5. If the foreground picture is strong, put the horizon in one third of the photo; If the sky is strong, put the horizon in the lower third of the photo. The composition of the photos taken in this way is more balanced.

6. Pebbles, the change of beach texture and the shape of clouds in the sky can enhance the depth of photos, which is an element lacking in conventional seascape photos.

7. When there is no reference in the picture to distinguish, it is difficult for the audience to judge the scale of the picture. Adding a few people, houses or boats to the photo can make the audience feel the magnificence of the sea view.

Advanced skills

Shoot from the air

Why not try shooting from the air? This unique perspective can bring a stronger shocking effect to your seascape photos. Few of us can afford our own planes or helicopters, but some tourist attractions have specialized companies to provide plane sightseeing services, and the prices are relatively expensive. You can also try shooting from commanding heights such as buildings or mountain tops.

Taking pictures from a height is actually a very simple matter, just make sure that your shutter speed is enough to freeze the motion. Try from 1/500 seconds. If the device supports it, you can also turn on the anti-shake function on the camera or lens.

Most helicopters are fully enclosed, so try to keep the camera close to the window when taking pictures. The rubber hood can be completely attached to the window glass to eliminate reflection, which is very practical. If your helicopter can open doors or windows, be sure to hold the camera steady when shooting. Because of the huge wind when flying, they can easily slip out of your hands. In addition, other equipment should be taken care of during the shooting process, and it is best to avoid changing the lens during the flight, which is easy to make the camera dust.

When shooting from overhead, try not to look at the distant sky, which will easily make the picture appear empty. It is best to shoot at an angle perpendicular to the ground, such as shooting scattered umbrellas and people sunbathing on the beach. The intersection of the sea and the beach can also be a tool for your composition. Try to make this connecting line form a certain angle with the border of the photo, and you can also take a good abstract photo.

Seen from high altitude, the color of seawater is more changeable, because the color will change with the depth of seawater. Don't take anything as the subject of shooting. It's more interesting to shoot more abstract pictures.

Tips:

purifying equipment

Soft brush can easily clean the dust on the machine, especially before replacing the lens. Be especially careful when cleaning the dust on the lens. If you use skirts or towels, hard gravel can easily scratch the lens.

Shoot more diverse subjects.

At the seaside, take photos of macro, family and pets. At the seaside, we are easily attracted by the spectacular sight. In fact, the rocks and flowing water on the beach and the colorful and unique ecological community are also excellent places for macro photography.

Jiaochi

Whenever the tide ebbs, the pool formed by the reef will show its profound beauty in front of us. The underwater plants washed by seawater repeatedly in the reef pool are rich in color, which is rare on weekdays. You can also find a few small crabs, small fish or other marine life that have not been taken away by the sea.

The pool itself is a good theme. You can use a telephoto or macro lens, so that you can observe the details of algae, vegetation or rocks more carefully. At this time, if you have a polarizer, you can eliminate the reflection on the water. This kind of photo will be easier to take and let you see the underwater world more clearly.

Wild flowers by the sea

Flower sea generally has two expressions. One is to use traditional macro shooting techniques for close-range shooting, and the other is to use wide-angle lens for large-environment shooting. However, no matter which way you choose, you need to avoid a common problem of taking flowers on the beach, the subject jitter brought by the sea breeze. Unless you are very lucky and the weather is calm, you'd better do something to solve this problem. The easiest way is to use a camera bag or reflector as a windshield, or find a helper to hold up a coat to keep out the wind.

Portrait of the seaside

Going to the seaside with my family is a good opportunity to practice my portrait shooting skills. It is easy to find an open space by the sea, and a relaxed atmosphere is a prerequisite for taking a good-looking portrait.

Most people are willing to cooperate when the sun is shining, but this is not the ideal situation for taking portraits. Let them face the sun, their eyes can't open, and the foreground is dark. Tell you a few simple ways to solve this problem, lest you take a failed photo.

The best way is to make the subject's face slightly inclined to the sun, and then fill the shadow of the face with a reflector or flash. The flash or reflector needs to be placed right in front of the sun, and the light intensity can just brighten without completely eliminating the shadow. The more extreme method is to make the subject face away from the sun completely, and then expose it according to the light condition of the subject or use a high-power flash to fill the light. If the sun is strong, only a few flashlights are needed to meet this requirement, and it is best to use outdoor lighting of charging box or studio lighting. Manual mode shooting can control the light more comprehensively. Set the shutter to the highest flash synchronization speed supported by the camera. The mainstream digital SLR is between1125 seconds and 1/250 seconds. Set the aperture size according to the desired background blur effect, but doing so may lead to overexposure of photos around the sun.

After setting the aperture shutter, you need to manually set the flash output value. When using a small electronic flash, try from full power output, and then gradually reduce the output power according to the exposure effect of the subject. For the best shooting effect, it is best to use off-camera flash. When using professional studio lights or outdoor lights, you also need to use soft umbrellas or soft boxes to soften the light. If you are shooting facing the sun, you can let the subject wear sunglasses, which is a classic practice of sunny portraits by the sea. At this time, you only need to pay attention to the reflection on the surface of sunglasses. Another trick is that you can ask the subject to close his eyes first and then capture the moment when he opens his eyes. This method is often used when taking group photos.

Shoot a pet

The seaside is also the best place to take pictures of pets. You'd better find a helper when taking pictures, and let him help you guide your pet to the right place. You just need to concentrate on taking pictures.

Taking a static portrait of a pet, you can choose the same skills as taking a person, and of course it depends on how obedient your pet is. When shooting pets in motion, it is best to choose an empty beach with few people, leaving enough space for pets to move freely without being disturbed. Shooting this kind of photos needs to set the camera to continuous focus mode to capture the dynamics, and adjust the driving mode to continuous shooting, so that when capturing the pet dynamics, you can take multiple photos at a time and choose the most satisfactory moment from a series of photos.

No matter which shooting method you choose, you need to squat down and shoot at the same height as your pet. Compared with top-down photos, this photo has stronger visual impact, but be careful not to let the sand get on the camera when shooting.

In addition, be careful, playing with pets is likely to get the camera and seawater on you and your camera, so you might as well use a telephoto or large zoom lens to keep a safe distance between yourself and your pet and baby camera, especially when catching pets playing in the water on the shore.

Tips:

Protect your equipment.

The seaside is windy and humid, so it is especially necessary to take good care of your expensive photographic equipment. Do not change the lens frequently. If the weather is particularly bad, when replacing the lens, it is best to find a clean plastic bag big enough to wrap the fuselage and lens inside. The camera bag can effectively protect the equipment from wind and sand.

Necessary for shooting: telephoto lens, macro lens, flash, reflector and polarizer.

Advanced skills

Outdoor shadow shed

Good beach portraits can be taken with simple equipment, but if you want to get more professional picture effects, you need to strengthen your lighting equipment. The most common method is to use battery-powered outdoor lights. If you want to take a full-length portrait in the sun, you'd better use a powerful flash. This outdoor lamp is powered by a large-capacity battery. Like studio lighting, you can choose light control equipment such as reflective umbrella, soft box and beam tube according to your needs, and arrange various lighting effects. This kind of equipment is heavy and complicated, and you may need several assistants when shooting. In addition, don't forget to find someone to fix the lamp holder when shooting, so as not to be blown over by the sudden sea breeze.

A paradise for wild animals

As long as you know the living habits of wild animals, it is easy to find them.

In addition to people and scenery, countless wild animals can be photographed by the sea. The seaside has a wide view, and it is easy to find the whereabouts of wild animals, but we have nothing to hide, and it is easy to scare away shy animals. But it's also part of the fun of wildlife photography.

seal

Seals, with their lovely appearance and funny expressions, are one of the most suitable wild animals to shoot at the seaside. From Cape Donna in Lincolnshire to the Farne Islands in Northumberland, there are countless beaches in Britain where seals can be photographed. Most of autumn has passed, and the period before winter is the breeding period of seals. At this time, they can be seen everywhere on the beach.

Like all wildlife photography, the first thing to care about when shooting is how to get close to them without being discovered by them. Being too close may make them nervous and even hurt themselves. It is very important to keep your distance, especially when the baby seal is around the mother seal. Slowly approach the shooting position with a telephoto lens. As long as you wait patiently, you will be able to shoot excellent works. In order to wait for the right opportunity, you may have to stay in the hot sand for a long time.

seabird

There are many kinds of birds living by the sea, some live in groups and some live alone. If you want to shoot them well, you need rich skills. It is the most traditional way to shoot a single bird with a telephoto lens, and it is not bad to put multiple birds in the same picture. You can even shoot through a shaking or wide-angle lens. In tourist attractions, birds are not strange to people at all, and they are willing to be close to people. At this time, it is suitable to take unusual photos with a wide-angle lens.

The group action of seabirds provides rich shooting options. At this time, try to slow down the shutter speed and take an abstract picture by shifting the axis. Sunrise and sunset are good opportunities for shooting, and the sky provides a perfect background. The scene of a flock of seabirds foraging by the sea is also an option. Shooting from a lower angle can make them look closer. Shooting with a large aperture and telephoto lens can make a bird stand out and blur other animals around.

Faroese puffins

It is easy to see colorful puffins on the seashore of Britain, which is a must-see theme for all wildlife photographers. The Farne Islands in Northumberland, the island of Skolmore in Wales and the island of Setland in Scotland are some of the best shooting locations. These places have special tourist routes, and the best viewing season for puffins is from May to August. Most of the shooting locations are located in wildlife reserves, and you can't run around the shooting locations. But even so, it is not difficult to get close to them. The best way is to find a fixed resting place for puffins and take a picture of them when they have just returned from foraging with their mouths full of food.

otter

Otters are very likable, but they are also very smart. Don't waste time with them if you just want to pat and have fun during the holiday, or if you don't have much patience. If you want to shoot them, you need patience and a telephoto lens. When they appear in the viewfinder, the results will definitely satisfy you.

Dolphins and whales

Whales and dolphins are not as far away as you think. In fact, it is possible to shoot them not far from the beach, and reports of finding them near the beach abound. But even so, it is not so easy to stand on the shore and take pictures of them directly. But the sightseeing boat rented by the shore can keep you close enough. When shooting dolphins, besides luck, you need to be fast enough to catch them when they jump out of the water. It is more difficult to photograph whales because they rarely jump out of the water. However, after adding a polarizer, you can also shoot through the waves when you are close to the water surface.

Necessary for shooting: telephoto lens, clothes covering or similar to the color of the beach, tripod, bean bag.

underwater photography

The seaside is a good place to try underwater photography. First try the depth in the reef pool, photograph the plant ecology there, and then experience the feeling of diving. Olympus, Pentax, Panasonic and Fuji all produce special waterproof digital products, which can be shot underwater 10 meters. If the requirements are higher, you can also match a corresponding waterproof sleeve for your digital SLR. Search on Taobao can find many suitable sellers.

Use your imagination.

Use creative skills to take different seaside photos.

If the above content leaves you wanting more, then the following rich special creative skills may stimulate your imagination. Similar to the effect of blurring the slow door, although we can pass the later simulation, even so, we should consider the picture we need before pressing the shutter.

Although it is no problem to deal with the photos after they are taken, don't treat the later stage as a remedy, but as part of your own workflow. Take a look at the following techniques, think about whether they can be used in your future shooting, and then try them sometime.

Slow door

Whether it is stormy or calm, all kinds of sea surface dynamics are excellent objects for us to try the slow door effect. One of the most classic methods is to blur the sea surface with a slow door, forming a dreamy blur effect.

According to the state of the sea surface, get? Dreamy blur? The shutter speed required for the effect is also different, but it is generally more than one second. If you want to blur the water surface so that you can't distinguish any texture, then the shutter speed should be extended to at least 15 seconds. If you shoot after sunset or before sunrise, this is easy to do, otherwise you need a mirror with medium gray density such as Lee Big Stopper or TAG Heuer NDx400 to do this.

In general, it is almost impossible to capture all the shades of sky, beach and water in common seaside scenery at the same time. But through a process called. High dynamic range? You can use photos to record the full hue from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows. Using this technology, at least three photos should be taken for the same picture according to different exposure settings. The exposure value of these photos is gradual, which can record the details of different areas such as highlights, medium brightness and shadows. In order to ensure the consistency of the picture, it is necessary to install the photo frame on a stable tripod.

You can use a constant aperture and then adjust the shutter speed, and vice versa. However, it should be noted that the depth of field and the virtual reality of photos should not change much.

Direct hot rolling system

Then use Photoshop? Merge into HDR? HDRsoft's Command or Photomatix software can combine them. It is not difficult to achieve this effect, but you need to be careful when setting software parameters to avoid leaving obvious traces of processing. Especially where the light changes obviously, if you don't pay attention, it is easy to have obvious bright spots and other phenomena. These problems also need to be considered in the early shooting.

Black and white photography

The natural sense of the seaside scenery provides an ideal material for black and white photography. Rocks or beaches in the foreground, rich texture changes in the middle sea surface and clouds in the sky are all noteworthy elements that need to be paid attention to when shooting. Before shooting, we should expect the effect after conversion.

When you find that color photos lack layering and color, converting to black and white may bring new vitality to your photos. You can adjust the local brightness and sharpness to make the picture look deeper.

Abstract creativity

Beaches, rocks, shells, etc. You can see them on almost all beaches, and their textures and shapes are excellent subjects for shooting abstract paintings. Simply aiming the camera at the sea or the sky is also an option. This photo has no other details, leaving only the simple influence of color formation.

The contrast between seawater and rock reality can also be a source of creativity. You can use slow doors and tripods to photograph rocks that are still in the wind and waves.

Medium gray gradient mirror

If you are not a Photoshop expert and want to balance the exposure of Haitian, you'd better choose a medium gray gradient mirror. This filter is an essential equipment for shooting sunrise and sunset. Medium gray gradient lenses are mostly made of glass or resin, and gradually transition from transparent at one end to medium gray at the other end. We can shoot the foreground through the transparent end according to the normal exposure, while the sky light with higher brightness is weakened by the gray level at the upper part. The specific weakening degree depends on the model of the medium gray gradient mirror.

Shoot a silhouette

For example, the picture of children playing at the top left, the endless sky by the sea is the ideal background for silhouette shooting. It's easy to take a silhouette at the seaside. The only thing you need is to let the characters appear between you and the sky, and then expose them normally according to the sky. In this case, the average metering system on mainstream SLR cameras usually needs to use the exposure compensation function, so you can also set the camera to central focus metering, and then reduce the exposure compensation by 1 to 2 steps to get the shooting results of completely underexposed people.

Tips:

Use a tripod

There are many problems that need special attention when using a tripod at the seaside.

First of all, it's difficult to hold a tripod on the beach. Before shooting, you can press the tripods deeper into the sand to prevent them from sinking due to their own weight. But on the wet beach, if you use long exposure, the picture will still be blurred because of this problem. In this case, try to disperse the pressure on each foot, such as finding a few flat stones to pad under each foot, or trying to cut half a tennis ball to pad it.

Secondly, fine sand and salt water can easily enter the Yuntai and other parts, which is hard to avoid, so you can only rinse with clear water immediately after shooting to avoid corrosion.

Third, sometimes you need to put the tripod in the water to shoot. Seawater may erode the inside of the tripod. If you have confidence in your hands-on ability, you can remove the tripod and clean it yourself.

Shooting essentials: tripod, cable release, gradient gray filter, medium gray gradient mirror.

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