The beach in summer is a classic, but beyond the photograph of your little feet in the sun with the sea in the background, there are many artistic possibilities to exploit between the sand and the sea. Now, how many times have you found when you come home from your vacations that your beach photos are a disaster, they are boring, they are badly exposed or they have no interest artistically speaking? You are not the only one, we have all been through it. The sea is so beautiful that it deceives us, because although it seems to us that its beauty in itself is already a great image, the truth is that it is usually not true on many occasions. It takes more, much more ;-). And since on this side of the hemisphere we head into summer, and consequently many of us will go to the beach, we are going to have our homework done to avoid the most classic mistakes in beach photography :-).
oh! But first, if you are into nature photography, do not miss this mega guide that we have prepared for you with tricks, tips and a lot of inspiration.
1. Crooked horizons
It is the most classic and most attractive error and, although it is true that it is easy to correct with an editing program, it is also true that you will not be able to correct it without cropping the image in some way. I am very maniacal about framing and composition and I can’t stand having to re-frame a photo, I can’t forgive myself ;-).
So as the horizontal lines that mark the sand and the sea are very dominant in beach photos, if you decide to include them in the frame, give them due attention before pressing the shutter. You can help yourself by activating your camera’s on-screen help guides (see your instruction manual).
2. Unclear center of interest
This is another classic mistake in beach photography, the result of which is that we do not understand the image or that it does not attract us enough to pay much attention to it. This can be due to several factors:
a bad composition
Learn to Turn your gaze by the frame is a compositional work that you can achieve through the basic composition rules. In this case, rules or regulations will be especially helpful, such as:
- The rule of thirds
- The law of the gaze (for portraits)
- The law of the horizon
- Lines to guide the viewer’s gaze
- Perspective
Everything you need to know about composition in this mega guide that we have published for you, with tips, tricks and much more.
crowded images
Unless you are lucky enough to find a secret corner of paradise, you will probably share the beach with more than one beach tourist, with more than one umbrella, armbands, loud swimsuits, floats, mattresses, coolers, etc., so it is especially important that you pay Pay attention to your surroundings when taking your picture. Look around you and think before you shoot. Everything that does not interest, try to keep it out of the frame. To do this, try come closera change the framea change point of view, search details photogenic, etc. In short, think before you shoot ;-).
Not knowing how to play with depth of field
The depth of field is the area in focus in the image and is directly related to the aperture of our camera’s diaphragm. The depth of field allows us stand out to our protagonist isolating it from the background (open diaphragms) or integrate it in it through a high depth of field (closed diaphragms).
3. Not taking care of the background
Related to crowded scenes, it is especially important that we focus not only on what we want to highlight but on everything that surrounds it. A bad background can easily ruin a photo. A beautiful portrait with an umbrella sticking out above the head, an arm, an elbow… Surely it’s not the first time it’s happened to you and probably not the only one, but with practice you’ll learn to be attentive to several things at the same time .
4. Flat images
Another typical mistake in beach photography is flat images, no depth or with little sensation of it, in which the foreground and background are practically glued and the distance between one and the other is not appreciated.
In order to solve it:
- Try to work the vanishing lines and points
- Work the different planes from image. Imagine a stone against a blue sky, you will see how that image hardly has a sense of depth. On the other hand, if you imagine a path of stones that gradually recede, the sensation of depth increases.
- Play with the opening of the diaphragm to highlight a particular area in the image.
- If you have a wide angletake advantage of it, it increases the sensation of depth of the images.
5. The light
As always, but especially in beach photography, light can be your great ally or your worst enemy.
The main problems on the beach are the hours at which we usually photograph our daily scenes. I don’t know if you’re one of those who go to the beach from 7am to 9am, at least not me, so I usually find myself in situations where the sun is high and the light is hard and zenithal (from above). That translates into scenes of much contrast between light and shadowin little sensation of volume of objects and, in portraits, in unpleasant shadows under the eyes.
What solution do we have then? Things look bad, huh? 😉 Don’t worry, there are solutions:
In portraits:
- Try to find the shade of an umbrella or the like.
- don’t forget the parasol of the camera at home.
- Change the shooting angle from which you portray. That is, ask him, for example, to tilt his head slightly backwards looking at the sky so that the shadow areas are eliminated.
- Use the fill flash of your camera. Although we do not love this type of flash, in this case it will be very useful.
- Take a look at this article if you are interested in delving into beach portraits: 13 tips to successfully capture portraits on the beach.
Usually:
- The best hours of the day are the first and the lastwhen the lighting is lateral, the volume of the objects increases, it is soft and warm.
- join the enemy, Take the opportunity to shoot against the light, take advantage of the silhouettes, in short, be creative :-).
6. Boring images
The best ingredient to escape from boredom is to look for what is different. Try to focus on details that you find around you, pay attention to repeating patterns, color, curious scenes that happen near you, or vary the shooting angle.
7. Exposure metering
Depending on what the objective of your photograph is (a landscape, an object, a portrait…) as well as what the quality or direction of the light you face, the measurement mode It should be adjusted to what the scene in front of you is like and what is the result you want to get from it. I mean, in a scene hard light (high contrast) if you want to take a portrait, probably the best option is to use a metering mode punctual. On the other hand, if you have before you a landscape with a more homogeneous light, you may be more interested in a reading matrix that allows you a correct general reading of the scene.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry, we have a great article on exposure: Detailed guide: how to measure and expose your photos correctly
8. Not taking care of the equipment
This is the definitive error, because the rest of the errors have more or less solutions, but not taking good care of the equipment near the sea and the sand can cost you dearly. Pay special attention, especially in those acts in which the inside of the camera is exposed (change of lenses, cards, batteries…). But, in general, try to keep it well away from the sand, store it in a suitable backpack or bag, avoid splashes and, obviously, be careful with the enemies of others. A camera on the beach is a juicy candy, don’t get lost.
How about? Have you ever made any of these mistakes in beach photography? Let’s fix them then ;-). And if you want to help someone else get better beach photos this summer, share this article on your favorite social network. Thank you and see you next time.