If there is any area of photography that I have even a hint of expertise, it’s taking photos at the beach. I was born and raised in Hawaii, but that was long before the invention of digital photography. My fine-tuning of beach photography has evolved over the past five years. Since my daughter’s first trip to my hometown, I have fine tuned my shots to illustrate how much fun one little girl can have enjoying the sun, sand and surf.
To capture frame worthy beach shots consider the following tips:
Framing: Static shots of kids in the sand make for very dull pictures. Try to liven up your shots by including surrounding objects such as rocks, cliffs or a lighthouse. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment with different angles. I am constantly on my knees in the sand or surf trying to get the best shots of my daughter running down the beach or hurling her rubber duck into the surf.
Lighting: The sun is the best light source for a photographer. However, direct sunlight can create harsh shadows during the mid-day hours. To avoid taking photos with too much glare, shoot from different angles. This will eliminate pictures of squinting faces and washed out backgrounds. You can also mix flashlight with sunlight to eliminate this problem.
Points of Interest: It is not necessary to include your kids in every single beach shot. Find other points of interest on the beach and snap those too. This will enable you to tell a story with your pictures once you return home. This point is especially important to remember if you are a scrapper.
Action Shots: Just because your 6-month-old can’t run down the shoreline just yet, doesn’t mean you have to forgo action shots. Fine tune your action photography skills by taking a stroll on the sand and snapping shots of people playing volleyball or Frisbee.
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