Beaches make an excellent location for photos. From calm placid days where the water is like a mirror to days when nature is in full song and drama is at its peak. If you have the access, I cannot recommend beaches enough to practice your photography. Over the years I have discovered a few basic that have helped elevate my work and hopefully they might offer some ways to help you too.

Take the time to frame your image

There is an excitement to capturing that perfect shot. The waves looking epic as they crash into rocks or the shore but so often in the rush to grab that shot, you end up not only missing it, but not getting anything to show for it either. Take your time. Waves will always be there again; maybe not exactly the same but taking the time to think about what you are trying to shoot and then waiting a little time can yield a better result.

Go lower

One of the hardest habits for me to break was to stop shooting at my height. Especially when water is involved, getting lower to the ground often means getting closer to the action and adds drama to the shots. (IMPORTANT CAVEAT! Check and see if your camera is waterproof or at the least splash proof, before getting closer to the ground and water).

Shoot in auto mode

This might seem a little counter-intuitive, but as a beginner, when I started in photography, I only had a point and shoot camera which freed me up to focus on what was there. When you are starting out this isn’t such a bad thing as it lets you focus on composition rather than the built-in effect options. There is no doubt that as you understand more, the other camera settings will help you create some amazing shots, but initially, letting the camera do the heavy lifting can make a big difference to your shots and give you confidence.

Have your settings set to the largest file size possible

When I travelled in 2015 with my point and shoot, I visited Everest Base Camp. It was only after that trip did I realise that in order to conserve space, I hadn’t set my camera to record at the largest file size settings. The photos still came out and they still look good, but it does sorely limit what postproduction and even printing sizes I can do for some of these photos that I truly love.

Take a couple of the same shot each time

Things can happen, the auto focus might have trouble getting it right with the moving water, surfers or activity in general. You may get a beautiful wave pattern that surprises you. (And frequently clean your lens!). There are many things happening at the beach, and you don’t want to get rid of the shot because of a slight problem. Often the display on your camera won’t really be good enough to tell you that the image is a little out of focus or that there is a different problem, so take a few extra moments and double up.