When I really started getting into photography, I set my sights on the easiest subject I could find. Living near Bondi Beach, my choice was made for me. Over the next few years I was out on many a morning to get my shots and though the initial work wasn’t great, it did give me a solid platform for what would come later.
This blog today, is to pass on some of what I learned. Not the camera side of photography, but rather I thought I would start with a few of the things I have that might help make your beach photography excursion more successful.
1. You will get cold, except for the really warm Summer months.
It gets cold out there on the beaches. Sure, the people running by are in activewear and shirtless, but they are running or at the least, moving. You are sitting still on a cold rock waiting for your shot and believe me after fifteen minutes, it gets cold. If you are planning to go for a morning beach shoot layer up and layer hard. Hat’s, scarves, hoodies, jackets, leggings under your pants. Make yourself look like Nanook of the North if you need to but get the layers on. Layers are best as you can remove them as the day gets warmer and whilst you may look a little silly to all the people out for their morning constitutional, you won’t care because you’ll be toasty warm.
2. Sunrise and sunset are great times for photos.
Ultimately this is dependent on the beach and if your beach receives the direct light from a sunrise or a sunset, but this light brings out the best of beaches. There are also less people about or for the ones that are out, they are often able to isolate more easily. When I started out at Bondi, I discovered that to get the shots I wanted, mornings were the best. When doing mornings, you need to get out and into position before the sun starts to rise so having some knowledge of where you are going, and the conditions and access points are essential. Take your time and a torch if needed.
3. You will get wet. Bring a towel.
There is water at the beach and with the nature of well, nature, you will eventually get wet. A freak wave, rain, high levels of humidity, slip and fall on your butt as you walk down slippery stairs in the dark. I remember one shoot where I ended up on my butt coming down a slick set of stairs and spent the entire shoot with cold legs. It became very difficult to focus on the work. If you are intending to take photos at a beach, this will most likely, eventually happen to you so have a towel so you can dry yourself off and a small cloth for your camera.
4. Frequently clean your lens.
No matter how good a job I do cleaning my gear before I head out for the shoot, there is so much moisture in the air that inevitably, I get spots appearing on my shots, either from the ocean spray or something kicked up by the conditions. It will happen and ruin plenty of shots before you realise that there is a spot on your lens so make it a regular part of any beach shoot. Keep a lens cloth in easy access on you at all times and whilst considering your next shot, take a moment to give your lens a quick clean.
5. Plan to do the shoot a couple of times over.
One of the most important things that I have learned in my time at the beach is that the conditions can change significantly from day to day. There are plenty of websites dedicated to publishing beach conditions for surfers. (Magic Seaweed is a personal favourite). These sites are invaluable for helping determine the sort of shots that may be available to you on any given day by telling you about the wind, swell height and overall conditions. Often you can even determine how well attended the beach will be by surfers in the mornings which opens up some opportunities for those of you wanting to capture surfers in their glory. No matter what, planning to revisit the same spot can often yield very different results and allows you to improve on the photos you may have taken in your first shoot that you weren’t entirely happy with. Additionally, familiarity with an area can often reveal compositions that you may have missed on your first visit.
