A photographer has an eye for capturing the most subtle and beautiful shots in the most unexpected places. However, when we talk about the beach, it’s not an uncommon landscape for photographers to choose for taking some great aesthetic and artistic shots. The beaches provide photographers with rich natural scenery that helps them capture the most breathtakingly beautiful portrait shots.
In this article, we’ll give you 11 beach portrait photography tips so that even if you are a newbie in the field, you can make use of these valuable tips to improve your portrait shots on the beach. So, let’s get to it!
1- Visit the location before the shoot:
Before you schedule a shoot at the beach, it is best that you visit the location first. Going around the place would help you observe and analyze the points where you could take photos. You could also visualize the shots in your head, try various angles and click practice shots. You might even get some inspiration and unique ideas for your portrait shots.
2- Take snaps during the golden hour:
The term “golden hour” is usually used to describe a sunrise or a sunset. The sunrises and sunsets are both mesmerizing and provide photographers the leverage to shoot highly aesthetic photos. You may click photos when the sun is about to rise till it rises fully. The soft lighting and colors that emerge in the sky would allow you to take pretty awesome portrait shots. The same goes for sunsets. You may be able to capture not only the sun that’s setting but also the blues people often feel while watching one. Once you get a photo that moves people’s hearts and makes them feel something, know that you have succeeded as a photographer.
3- Focus on your subject:
Depending on what or who your subject is, you may get a good shot using your camera’s focus points. Once you set the frame, focus manually or use the autofocus to capture your subject. There are various types of shots that photographers take using the focus technique. For instance, you could blur out the background and take a focused portrait shot of your client. You could also capture the details of your client, like their face, hair, side pose, bangles on their wrist, and so on, by using the focus technique.
4- Use lighting equipment:
If you choose to shoot on the beach during midday, you must know that the light gets pretty sharp during this time. The lighting equipment or even the flash available in your camera can help you get rid of all the shadows that may create a hindrance while taking your client’s portrait photos. Having a reflector may come in handier, but if you don’t have it, you could try using the fill flash to reduce the shadows.
5- Capture silhouettes:
If silhouettes don’t come out the best on the beach, then where? Capturing silhouettes brings out the beauty of your subject along with the background. From dreamy to fun, you can capture various frames that give your client a memorable picture to share with friends and family. Shooting a silhouette an hour before the sun starts to set would help with the lighting and create the perfect ambiance to capture one.
6- Use a circular polarizer filter:
A circular polarizer filter (CPL) is something landscape photographers own to avoid glare and reflections in their photos. It helps to bring out the contrast that makes the details of the picture stand out. So, on a beach, a CPL filter would be quite useful during the midday. You would be able to control the excessive brightness as it’ll dim the lighting, giving a dark effect perfect enough to snap a portrait shot of your client.
7- Use slow shutter speed:
You may need a tripod for this to fix the camera. Using a slow shutter speed would allow you to capture a motion blur. Also, it is a perfect technique to use after sunset or at night time. You may position your client still on the shoreline and capture the waves with a slow shutter to depict the fluidity of the water.
8- Give Black and White contrast a try:
Black and white photos come out really well during the day. You could take a colored photo in which you use brightness on your subject to make it stand out while the background comes out a bit darker. You could also do the opposite. The black-and-white effect in the post-processing will give a wonderful contrast to the photos.
9- Be prepared for candid shots:
While shooting family portraits, candid photos add to the genuineness of the emotions of your clients. It’s also the best way to create happy and fun pictures. You may help your clients create fake candid poses that could look real; however, the best ones would always be taken without their knowledge. So, you must be prepared and wait for the right moment to shoot a beautiful candid.
10- Be creative:
The setting of a beach gives you plenty of room to be creative with your photos. You can use the leaves, seashells, and rocks as props to add more details to the photos. If you use these sensibly, you can take a nice picture with diverse and colorful details.
11- Try to avoid photobombers:
If you’re going to a beach, be ready to deal with passersby and photo bombers. Passersby could become a nuisance during your shoot, especially when you’re
there to shoot the landscape. You must choose the right timing for shooting stills, like when the beach is less crowded. In case of a photo shoot of a client, look for empty areas on the beach. Our number one tip about visiting the location beforehand would help you prepare for this type of situation.
Takeaway:
We gave you the most existing 11 beach portrait photography tips. Hopefully, you can follow a few of them and take excellent portraits at the beach.