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Sand and salt water and cameras don't mix
Be sure to not overheat your camera by placing it in the sun as it can stop working. Keep lenses and cameras away from sand and water to stop any damage entering. Store in a well-sealed camera bag and use a lens blower to remove any sand rather than a cloth which can scratch your lens glass.
Choose the best lens for your desired look
When photographing a beach landscape, a wide angle lens (16-35mm) works well to capture the the whole scene. Use a lenshood to cut glare from your shot.
If you are looking for a more cropped look in the landscape, use a zoom lens which covers a range of focal lengths (24-70mm). With a zoom lens you can experiement with different focal lengths to achieve the look you are after.
Use a tripod
Using a tripod keeps your camera stable and comes in handy when shooting long exposure photography. There are many styles of beach photography and a tripod is handy to help avoid camera shake which can make your photo look out of focus and unprofessional.
Use Filters to control the light
Much like a pair of sunglasses, filters on your camera help you get well-exposed photos. There are many types of filters which are great tools when shooting beach landscapes, such as a Polarising Filter which helps your camera reduce glare and can make your water shots look absolutely amazing.
This is a must have for beach photography.
Photograph at various angles for differing view points
Use a drone from above or get down low for an ants eye view to change your perspective. Shots like these can make fasinating photographs and can give your images contrast between the complementary colours of the landscape.
Take your photographs in RAW Mode
Take photos shooting in RAW mode as these image files hold all of the data captured by the camera's image sensor. JPEG files process your photos in camera for a quick turn around if needing your pics quickly but you can not pull near as much information from this type of file as opposed to a RAW file.
Be mindful that RAW files are larger than JPEG's and take up more room on your card but you will be thankful for the extra information stored in a RAW file when you are post-processing.
Select the correct Shutter Speed and Aperture for desired look
Your shutter speed controls the visual pace of your photo. Fast shutter speeds freeze motion such as water drops and slow speeds allow you to capture motion.
Shutter speed controls the time light has on your camera's sensor. As slow speeds allow more light to enter, it's easy to overexpose images or have blurry photos from camera shake.
Use a tripod photographing slow speed images for best results.
Aperture controls how much of the scene will be in focus, so when shooting a beach landscape where you want everything in focus, use an apeture around f8-f16. Experiment with aperture settings until you find your favourite look.
If you have a main subject point you want to stand out in the photo, use wide apertures (f1.2-f4) and get close to the subject when taking the photo. Place your focal point on the subject and shoot. This technique allows the subject to be sharp and stand out from the background. Here you can create dimension.
Slow shutter speed captures movement of the wave Fast shutter speed captures individual water drops
Aperture settings change the way your photo looks.
Settings: f2.8, ISO 50, 1/1250th Settings: f9, ISO 50, 1/60th
Here you see the foreground in focus as it Here the whole picture is in focus with
leads your eye toward the background. It these settings and distance from the
emphasises the sand balls which pop out subject.
and create an interesting composition.
Think about composition
Framing correctly in camera can create stunning compositions.
When photographing beach landscapes consider the elements to find the look you want:
Rock formations
Textures - sand, clouds, water, sky, pebbles, grasses, drift wood, shells etc. these elements create interest and mood
Distracting elements - people, dogs, rubbish etc. remove what you don't want in your shot.
Shoot sun stars to create interest. These fun elements bring a different look to your photo.
Create Silhouettes using the sun as backlighting. Put your subject directly in front of the sun giving their body a beautiful glow.
Keep your horizon straight and apply "rule of thirds" in compositions.
Capture Reflections
Look for interesting angles and leading lines
Focus Points - Focus points lead the viewers eye toward an area of the image
Balance - Can either make or break composition of your image
Arrive early to ensure the sand is smooth and untouched
Remember you are capturing memories so have fun and enjoy the journey xx
Now its EDITING time
There are many free easy-to-use photo editing programs available. Check out your camera model as many have free software for editing that you can use. Some of the others include:
PhotoDirector Essential
GIMP Photo Editor
Pixlr
Movavi Picverse
Be Funky
You can also use programs like Canva, Taler, Fotor and Photoshop Express for free to help you get started.
Once you have chosen your editing software you can develop your own personal style. Many photographers use different techniques to create the image they invision as there is no wrong or right way to edit your photos.
Play around with some of the settings by adjusting the sliders such as:
Vibrance/Saturation
Cropping
Brightness/Exposure
Contrast/Highlights
Shadows
Adjust your White Balance
Play around with Vignettes
Sharpening/Noise reduction
Dehaze
The same photo edited in different ways
Most software has built-in filter presets, which are like a photo editing recipe that you can apply to your image with one click. If you need to edit a series of photos for a cohesive look, filters can speed up the process.
Remove any dust spots on the photo - do this is by enlarging your image and scanning for spots which will show when printed
Do not worry about making an editing mistake, as most programs allow you to undo any changes or start over. Its always best to have 2 copies so you can practice on one.
It's time to PRINT
Ask your printer how they want the file prepared for printing but here's some considerations:
Resolution - should be at least 300dpi (dots-per-inch)
File size and dimensions
Colour space requirements
File format - TIFF, JPEG etc.
Consider how you want to display your photograph and decide on framing with a matt or unframed canvas. Other surfaces to consider include Chromalux, wooden panels, aluminium sheets, glass, and acrylic. Consider the weight of hanging before deciding which printing surface will suit the location it will be displayed.
