How To Photograph Your Beach Vacation

Damien Franco | Jun 23, 2009 | Comments Comments

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Summer is in full swing here in the States and vacation photography is hitting it’s peak. While there are plenty of vacation destinations around the world, none is more utilized during the summer than a day at the beach. Of course, you’re gonna want to capture those vacation memories with great photography and here are a few things to thing about when doing so.

High noon is not your friend.

Children's Beach

As photographers we utilize light to capture our images, but sometimes it just wants to work against us. During the high noon peak hours the sun is right overhead and blaring down with full force. While we’re trying to work on our tans and avoid sunburn we’re also squinting at the sun or hiding behind sunglasses. This can really put a hamper on portraits so try placing people in shade or waiting for some well timed clouds to give you some solace. While this isn’t always ideal, it’s certainly something to keep in mind. Another option is to do an overall scenic capture and not worry about raccoon eyes in people portraiture at all.

Details matter.

Winter, a lingering...

Sometimes vacation is best remembered through nostalgic visual ques similar to the way certain smells bring back childhood memories. Try taking pictures of seashells or sand castles and they’ll make great backgrounds for all of you scrapbookers.

Compensate your exposure.

HONEYMOON

If you’re lucky enough to be at one of those pristine beaches where the sand is almost pure white you’re probably going to need to use the Exposure Compensation on your camera to adjust. Otherwise you’ll end up with blown out sand. Remember to check your histogram and turn on your “blinkies”.

Watch your horizon.

Floreat Beach Sunset

The rule of thirds can really make an image stand out when you’re photographing the water. Put the horizon on the top third if the sky is clear and the bottom third if there are interesting clouds in the sky. Also, if you have a hard time keeping the horizon level you can always use the focus points in your camera view finder as a guide or fix it later in image editing software.

Patience is a virtue.

Somer in Paradise...

If you can manage to keep your freinds and family out on the beach until sunset you’ll utilize that wonderful golden hour light to create beatiful and dynamic images. The golden hue will also help to create a warm and flattering tone for the people in your pictures unless they’re already red as a lobster from sunburn. Only aloe and photoshop can save them now.