8 Beach Photoshoot Ideas

Arranging a beach photoshoot ? What are some beach photography tips? I know how it can be to figure out exactly what you need to know before going to the beach. You don’t want to lose valuable sunlight or an opportunity to take the best photos you possibly can. In this article I will share tips to have a best beach photoshoot. This can relate to beach photoshoot poses, beach photoshoot ideas and beach photoshoots with families!

1.What You Should Wear

There are many different ways to dress to the beach, however the number 1 rule is to be comfortable. This means leaving the heels or fancy shoes at home. You will likely be carrying thes while you are in the sand and can be distracting and can be an annoyance to carry.

Try going either barefoot or wearing light sandals. Remember that you will be encountering dirt, sand and water. Something Casual. This can be for both the picture takers and the people in the photos.

Some ideas for shirts and color shirts include bright colors, flowery or midtones. Bright tones can be great on slightly cloudy or bright days. This will give a felice feel to your photos and bring warmth to your beach photoshoot. Midtones are also great because they are subtly. This way the viewer can focus on the face a lot more and even the water!

You can also try matching and coordinating with the family. Although this can be sometimes cheesy–thats alright! You can coordinate shirts amongst men / women.

2.Where to take photos at

Where should you take the photos at? The Beach! But lets dive a bit deeper. First off avoiding large crowds of people is always a go to so you don’t get photobombed. This may be off to the side of the beach or in the water a bit farther.

Another way to avoid people is shooting late at night or early in the morning. This way either people will be leaving as it gets darker or will not be there at all for the morning sunrise.

Try out your favorite beach as well in your area.

You can take some amazing photos next to trees as well for both lighting and a leaning object. Trees offer shade from the sun that you can keep yourself cool in as well.

You can also get low to the ground and take photos with the sand as a main focus for your photographs. Involving sand photos can be crucial for getting the entirety of the photo scenes, setting and mood.

4.Plan for the lighting

Often you can predict the kind of weather that you will have that day. This can be followed with what you bring and how you shoot. Planning for the lighting is another beach photography tip.

Although sunny days may be preferred, cloudy and overcast days can also be welcomed! When it is sunny make sure to use a high enough shutter speed so you don’t blow out the highlights. On cloudy overcast days make sure to have the proper balance among your settings for a bright enough photo to light your subject.

Another fair warning is exposing too much of the sand. Often sand allows the sun light to bounce back to your camera making the entire exposure brighter, even when the face might not be. The same goes with the water. The water may reflect the sunlight directly to your camera and may look too bright. At that point you may want to invest in a polarizer filter that will reduce the lighting reflection of the water.

5. Select your subject

If you haven’t already decided what to take photos of –beyond portraits– there is a lot of free games. And if you are doing portraits, this can amplify any portrait photos by having photos to compliment them.

Some examples are people, sea life and animals, and the landscape. Involving people can include things like portraiture as explained. You can also try taking a portrait silhouette that allows the person to be silhouetted against the sun on the beach. These are great to take during golden hour.

You can also take photographs of the sea life and animals. If you are living in the southern hemisphere you may have more options here. Or if you are on the east coast you may have water animals there as well. Don’t forget the crabs, seashells and other sea animals around the beach.

Another tip is to use the landscape. Either natural passages, rocks or something in between. Drawing in the sand , creating sand castles and the like would be a part of this. Look for repetition and patterns in the sand that you can go off of and compose out of that. Be weary however of getting your electronics or camera full of sand. Try to stick with one lens for the purpose you are intending while at your visit.

There is also the option to take large landscape photos. This way you are taking a photo of the potential of the sand and the water. Make sure to watch the horizon and make sure it is straight. Also try composing for different ratios and the rule of thirds. In this case you would want to bring a wide angle lens. There are many different options of shooting this way as well.

One option would be attempting the long exposure that makes the water a lot more silkier. This can be achieved by taking a long duration photo or using a Neutral Density (ND filter).

Any of these options are viable to take photos at your next beach photoshoot.

6. Camera Accessories and gear

While planning your beach photoshoot it should be noted that the beach can be a cautionary palace for your camera. You could end up with a camera full of sand. So before that happens take the precautions beforehand.

Try and clean your camera before you step foot near the beach and ensure that there isn’t lens dust or additional cleaning you may need to do at the beach.

Also ensure that the lens you chose is the one you would like to keep on your camera. Think of what you are shooting and which will give you the bang for your buck. Try and go light into the beach, the less you have the less you have to worry about sand.

If you need multiple frames of a landscape try using a tripod! This way you can maintain the same composition without holding your camera. You can also achieve great long exposure effects by doing this.

Try ND filters, this can go with long exposure images that you can create. These filters will reduce the amount of the light coming to your camera and allow you to shoot with alterated settings you otherwise wouldn’t be able to use.

Also a very underrated tips is to wear the lens hood! This is one time where the sun will be undesirable in most cases. The lens hood will block the sun from creating unwanted glares in your camera and allow you to create “sharper” photos that won’t be hazy.

If you are shooting portraits you can also try and use Flashes. Certain High Sync Flashes will be able to light your subject from the front or the side and outpower the sun. This way you can add drama to your photographs.

Either way there are some great camera accessories and setups that can make your Beach Photoshoot a success.

7. Creating special effects.

One special effect you can try and create straight out of camera for a Beach photoshoot ideas includes creating a sunburst. Set your aperture to a high F-stop number such as F/14 and this will create an effect from your aperture blades that is made like a star.

You can also try creating long exposures as mentioned before. This is best when the light is already low and there is a lot of flowing water or waves.

You can create the silhouettes as mentioned before , often this happens when the subject is completely being backlit and the subject is blocking the light.

8. Don’t forget props

Often left out and forgotten, this can create some amazing beach photoshoot ideas. Some prop ideas may include towels, umbrellas, sunglasses, beach balls , beach toys and more.

Including these props in your photoshoot is definitely a great thing to have on hand.

Never underestimate the power of one simple prop! Make sure that you place it strategically in your photo and make it subtle so it is not overt.

Hopefully these tips will help you have the best beach photoshoot, ideas and more are shared.