Some Ideas for Stunning Beach Portraits

Being outdoors, taking images of the beach requires some adjustments that are not found or necessary in other images. Since the photography industry is competitive, a photographer who lives near a beach may want to become an expert in this type of photography in order to stand out from the competition. The following are some ways you can do this:

1. Find some point to focus on. There is a lot of blue ocean on all the beaches. If that’s all there is to the background of the shot, it’s probably not very interesting. However, if there is a lifeguard tower or an interesting rock with waves crashing on it or some other point of interest, you can use these points of interest to make the shot clear and interesting.

2. Keep your eyes on the horizon. One of the great challenges when photographing beaches is that there are usually some open spaces. These will have sloping horizons that are not broken by anything. It takes a lot of work to be in the frame of the shot. You may want to consider offsetting the horizon, thus following the rule of thirds.

3. Go to the beach when others avoid it. Most people will schedule a session when the weather is bright, windless and mild. While some clients prefer this, many will tolerate a bit of discomfort in order to get the best shot. Rough, stormy seas, threatening clouds, and strong winds that blow down trees and hair can create very dramatic shots.

4. Use fill flash. As any photographer who has ever photographed at the beach has found, in beach portraits subjects almost always have shadows under their faces. Turn on your flash to eliminate this problem. You can experiment with the flash to see how strong you need to make it before using it. As with most things in photography, experimentation is key.

By following the suggestions above, a photographer can dramatically improve their beach portraits.