Tips for Taking Great Pictures at the Beach

Taking great photographs at the beach can be difficult. There are often times that there are very few things in the background, and many beaches tend to look similar. While it is possible to take great pictures at the beach spontaneously, you will take even better pictures if you keep a few tips in mind and put a little effort into setting up the pictures.

Here are a few things to keep in mind for taking great photos at the beach:

1. Take most of your beach pictures at the beginning or end of the day when the sun is not as bright. The bright noontime sun tends to wash out objects, leaving them colorless. The softer light of dawn and dusk will make your pictures more colorful and beautiful. As an added bonus, there are generally fewer people on the beach at these times of day which makes it easier to compose your pictures.

2. Include a subject in your beach pictures. Photographs of empty beaches tend to be boring because all they contain is sand, water, and sky. Even if a colorful sunset fills the sky, it is best to include something in the foreground of the picture such as a person, a starfish, a shorebird, or a wave. Including a subject will lend interest and scale to your beach pictures.

3. Don't be afraid to use a flash. While it seems counterintuitive to use a flash while taking pictures on a sunny beach, oftentimes there are shadows on the faces of your subjects created by hats or sunglasses. These shadows can be removed or lessened with a flash. This is particularly true when taking pictures of people using a sunset as a backdrop. The subject of the photograph will have no natural light on his face (the sunlight is at his back), so a flash will make the face more visible without detracting from the beauty of the sunset.

4. If you have a camera that will allow you to do so, use filters. Polarizing filters have the same effect as polarized sunglasses. Polarizing filters will reduce the glare from objects, and make the colors appear richer.

5. Become familiar with the manual settings on your digital camera. Some digital cameras come with settings that will make beach photography more beautiful. For instance, bracketing is a setting that takes pictures at different exposure settings. By learning to manipulate the aperture and shutter speed yourself, you can completely control the exposure of each photograph which can be particularly important when taking pictures on the beach.

Remember to protect your camera while on the beach. Sand and salty air are a camera's enemy. Keep your camera in a clean camera bag while not in use, and it will be ready and available to take beach pictures day after day, all summer long.