Capturing the Perfect Beach Shot: From a Photographer

As an avid beach-goer, one of my favorite activities every summer is taking photos at the beach. Whether I'm traveling with friends or family, I always set aside time for a photo-shoot to capture the memories of the trip. Over the years of shooting at the beach, I've learned what works for better photos, and what doesn't work. Here are 4 of my tips that have helped me improve my beach photos over the years.

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1. Use the sun to your advantage

One of the most important aspects of photography is how light is manipulated in a photo. As a natural light portrait photographer, it's important for me to know how the sun will affect my photos at any given time of day. Over the years, I've learned that my favorite time to shoot is somewhere between 1-2 hours before the sunset, otherwise referred to as golden hour.

While the light cast from the sun during this time can be brash, if used right in your photos, it can make your composition pop and stand out. My recommendation is to place the sun behind the subject, creating a "halo" or glow around them. If the subject is in the right spot, the sun will create a lens flare that makes for some artistically tasteful shots.

2. Use props

When taking photos in an area with plenty of background to interact with, such as the city, props aren't usually a necessary tool for photographers. However, in an open area like the beach, photos begin to look repetitive and empty without something extra added to the photos. I always recommend bringing an item or two with you on your beach photo-shoot to add character and create a more interesting photo.

My brother happened to bring his ukulele on the trip to play every evening by the water. I thought this would be a perfect prop to set these photos apart as unique and interesting.

You can see in this photo that the simple addition of this one prop created a whole series of photos perfect for Instagram and even an 8 x 10 print for grandma!

2. Utilize your surroundings

In most cases, beaches are pretty barren, but making use of the few items on the beach could create some great photos. For example:

Shoot with objects in the foreground. Whether it be a seashell held close to the lens or shooting behind tall grass or a bench, adding something to the foreground of an image will help create an interesting blur that will add depth to your photos. Here is an example that I used with a wooden beach chair we found.

4. Edit with warm tones in post-production

When someone thinks of the beach, they're not imagining a cold, dreary place. They picture a warm, sunny day, and your photo editing should be reflective of that. Great beach photos almost always enhance the natural warmth of the environment. Try adjusting the color balance of your photos to add more warm tones or adding orange hues to the highlights. Here is a before and after of an edit where I added warmth to the color balance.

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Be sure to tag my Instagram @sun.rise if you try out any of the tips I mentioned!