6 Top Tips for Beach Photography

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Many photographers may find themselves instinctively drawn to beach photography; there’s no denying its allure and numerous opportunities to create incredible images.

With over a decade’s worth of experience photographing seascapes, I’m going to share my knowledge and insights on how to successfully capture photographs of any beach. I’ll also offer advice for protecting your gear against sand and saltwater damage.

Read more: How to Photograph Seascapes

1. Choose the best conditions for beach photography

As landscape photographers, we must adapt to the conditions Mother Nature presents to us. It’s a challenge, but our goal is to take those conditions along with our creative minds to create compelling photos.

We can’t always predict what nature will present on the day of a shoot, but planning in advance can certainly help us achieve our beach photography goals.

The light during sunrise and sunset really complements beach scenes. Arriving at your location at least 30 minutes before sunrise is ideal as you will have some time to scout, work on your composition, and then wait for when the light is just right to click the shutter.

The same applies for sunset – I recommend staying until the bitter end to work with the lingering colors after the sun has set.

I like to plan my beach photography when the forecast calls for at least a 50 to 60 percent chance of cloud cover. Having clouds will add interest to the sky and background while reflecting soft light onto your subject and foreground. I especially love it when storm clouds build at these times.

It can be a gamble to photograph the beach during a storm as your chances of getting rained out are high, but if everything comes together just right, the results can be breathtaking!

If you’re photographing these scenes in low light using small apertures (f/8-f/11) for a wide depth of field, our shutter speeds will be fairly slow, but that’s a good thing!

Using a slow shutter speed will give your photographs a very painterly feel, specifically in areas where waves are crashing in or receding into the ocean.

I have found that using a shutter speed ranging from ¼ to 3 seconds gives the best results. This is because the viewer will still be able to appreciate the detail of the water while getting a sense of the movement.

2. Utilize foreground elements

There are so many diverse beaches around the world. Some are tranquil with white sand, palm trees, and turquoise water, while others look primordial with black volcanic sand and imposing rock formations.

Using a traditional landscape photography approach can certainly emphasize their true beauty. This may include composing your shot to include a foreground, background, and a clearly defined subject such as fishing piers, rocks, driftwood, and even wildlife.

Beach scenes can sometimes feel a little flat, so finding something interesting that can help to anchor your foreground is a great idea. Rocks, tide pools, and shorebirds are examples of a strong foreground interest.

It’s worth reading up on landscape photography composition techniques to apply to your beach photography, such as the rule of thirds, the use of leading lines, or incorporating reflections.

3. Try long exposure beach photography

If you want your photos to have a more mysterious, moody feel, then I recommend using long exposures. While there isn’t an exact number that constitutes what a long exposure is, shutter speeds ranging from 20 seconds or more will always give you smooth and silky water.

I have also found that using shutter speeds of 1 to 2 minutes can add even more drama, especially if there are fast-moving clouds to create a “zoom” effect.

There are two tools you’ll need to successfully capture long exposures: a sturdy tripod (carbon fiber) and a solid/fixed neutral-density (ND) filter that cuts the light by at least 6 stops.

I don’t recommend using variable ND filters since they tend to leave a color cast as well as a cross-polarization effect.

If you own a modern mirrorless camera produced within the last 2 years, you may not need a tripod for exposures under 2 seconds, but anything over will still require a tripod. This is because they have a feature that can be toggled on or off called IBIS, which stands for In-Body-Image-Stabilization.

IBIS enables you to achieve sharp handheld photos when using slower shutter speeds. You can double your success rate by using IBIS in combination with lenses that also have image stabilization (IS).

Top Tips: Make your tripod more stable by pushing it down into the sand a bit, especially if you are close to the water. Waves will cause your tripod to sink slightly into the sand and you don’t want this or any kind of movement to happen during your long exposure. Use the 2-second timer on your camera to eliminate any shake after you’ve pressed the shutter button, and disable IBIS and IS when using a tripod.

4. Use ICM for abstract beach photography

If you’re visiting a beach that you feel is quite ‘plain’ and only consists of sand and ocean, you might struggle to find interesting and engaging compositions with so many flat lines. Here, it’s worth exploring some more creative photography techniques to add interest and intrigue to your scene.

One thing I love about abstract seascapes is that they can be created at any time of the day, although I still recommend sunrise or sunset for the best colors.

intentional camera movement beach photography

Top Tip: Remember that if you choose to shoot in bright conditions, an ND filter will be necessary to slow your shutter speeds.

A great technique for creating abstract seascapes is a form of intentional camera movement (ICM) called panning. The term panning comes from the video industry in which the camera is rotated horizontally from one side (point A) to the other (point B).

In photography, panning your camera while using a slow shutter speed creates a very unique abstract image. Depending on your preference, you can choose to pan using a tripod or go handheld.

If you are a bit OCD like I am and prefer sharp, straight lines, then you will want to use a tripod.

The first step to achieving straight lines is to have your tripod balanced by adjusting each leg while paying attention to the built-in bubble level. I do find this quite time-consuming, so I choose to use a leveling base instead.

A leveling base sits between your tripod and ball head so you can quickly balance your camera without having to adjust each tripod leg until it is level. You can find some tripod brands that have a leveling base already built in.

Top Tips: Before taking the shot, enable the digital level on your camera and pan your camera to point A to check if you’re level, then pan your camera to point B and make sure you’re level there as well. If both points are level, you should have straight lines in your final image. Lock your ball head, and loosen the pan knob. Adjust the tension knob accordingly.

An ideal lens for panning is the 24-70mm due to its versatile zoom range. Sometimes you may want your image to be wide enough to include the sand, ocean, and sky, while other times you may just want to be zoomed in on a specific section.

As far as shutter speed, it’s fun to experiment to find what you like best. I like to stay within the range of 1-4 seconds. Shutter speed isn’t the only factor that determines how abstract your image will turn out.

The speed and distance/degree at which you pan your camera also play an important role. Think of it like brush strokes on a painting! For example, panning your camera fast to 45 degrees using a 1-second shutter speed will give you a short brush stroke effect.

If you want a longer brush stroke effect, you’ll want to increase your shutter speed to around 3 seconds and slowly pan 180 degrees. Again, the point is to have fun experimenting and find a look that works for you.

Look at the degree markings at the base of your ball head to see how far you are panning. Keep notes of the distance that gives you the best results.

Another form of abstract seascapes requires you to get into the ocean with your camera.

I will be upfront and say there is quite a bit of a financial investment to capture these ocean abstracts. So before I discuss technique, I will go over what gear is necessary and what gear I consider to be a “luxury” item. You can then decide if the investment is worth it for you!

5. Experiment with a water housing

If you’re getting close to or in the water, you don’t want to ruin your kit, so purchasing a water housing that your specific camera fits into is absolutely necessary.

Unfortunately, most camera housings do not include protection for your lens, so you will need to buy a specific lens port that screws onto the housing.

You’ll need a water housing that allows you to have full control over your exposure and focus settings. I’ll get into this more later when discussing lenses, but having the ability to zoom in and out could be handy. Toss this feature into the ‘luxury’ item list as it is not really needed!

Another ‘luxury’ feature is having a housing that allows you to trigger your camera’s shutter using a pistol grip. I find having a pistol grip offers a bit more stability, making it easier to compose the shot while being bounced around by the ocean.

Ocean abstracts are all about focusing on the textures of the ocean. To achieve this, you will need a lens with a very low f-stop/aperture, preferably in the f/1.4 to f/2.8 range.

Using a lower f-stop will give you a very shallow depth of field, allowing you to isolate the textures, and to let more light into your camera, as fast shutter speeds are needed.

As far as focal lengths, I find 50mm up to 200mm to be the sweet spots. My go-to lenses are the 50mm 1.4 prime and the 70-200 2.8 zoom.

The trick to getting great ocean abstracts is taking advantage of your lens’ minimum focusing distance. You’ll want your lens to be just above the ocean’s surface close to the textures. The combination of that and a shallow depth of field will create ethereal abstracts.

You might be asking yourself, ‘Can’t I just use a macro lens?’ – a fair question, but the answer is, no! The minimum focusing distance of macro lenses is too much, and you will end up taking photos of the reflections or imperfections on your lens port.

As mentioned earlier, a fast shutter speed is critical as well as a fast burst rate, which is how many frames per second your camera can capture. Shooting ocean abstracts can be compared to capturing birds in flight since there is a bit of “spray and pray” involved!

Top Tips: Maximize your chances of capturing ocean abstracts by using the AI servo focus mode (Canon term). Check your local beach conditions before heading out. Ocean abstracts are best captured when the water is calm and flat.

6. Focus on wave photography

This brings us to the last form of beach photography, which is all about capturing waves. What I love most about this form is that you can choose to either photograph them from the shore or in the water.

I think photographing waves is also the most fun, especially if you choose to get into the ocean!

I want to be upfront here and give two disclaimers. First, depending on where you live, waves can come in different sizes and shapes. Second, because waves vary in size, you’ll want to follow proper safety measures, particularly if you live in an area where waves can exceed 10 feet in height.

With that said, here I’ll discuss what gear is needed, how to plan, and which settings work best.

Equipment for wave photography

If you plan on simply photographing waves from the shoreline or a jetty, then you’ll be fine with even a basic camera kit. You’ll want a camera that has good autofocus and that can shoot at least 8 frames per second.

A zoom lens is ideal because wave heights are somewhat unpredictable, so you’ll want to have the ability to adjust your focal length on the fly. Depending on your proximity to the waves, a focal range of 35mm to 200mm will suffice.

Shooting waves from the water will require you to have a water housing as discussed in the previous topic. Again, due to the unpredictable nature of wave heights, a zoom lens is preferred.

Since you will be quite up close to the waves, a focal range of 16mm to 50mm will work best. There are a couple of budget-friendly gear options that can work as well.

The first would be using your smartphone inside a water housing, and the second is an action cam. Both of these options have their pros and cons, such as a limited focal range and image quality, but are still great to get started with.

Top Tips: If you live in an area with small waves, try laying in the sand on your belly to make the waves seem bigger than they are. Be sure to constantly monitor how far the surf comes up so you and your gear don’t get pummeled by a rogue wave.

Best settings for wave photography

Photographing waves is similar to shooting sports or birds in flight. You’ll want to use a really fast shutter speed like 1/500 and above to freeze the movement. This way, the viewer can see every detail of the wave right down to the sea spray!

Make sure your camera is set to continuous shooting mode so you don’t miss a frame of the action.

You can also photograph waves using the ICM method or with just a slow shutter speed as discussed back in the abstract seascapes section. Staying within the range of ¼ to 2 seconds will make your wave photographs look like a painting.

Have fun experimenting with how you move your camera using varied shutter speeds. Continuous shooting mode is also recommended because each frame will be its own work of art!

Plan in advance

Many professional photographers travel around the world chasing huge waves, planning far in advance by paying attention to the weather reports and tide charts.

Some basic information to look at includes winds, rip tides or currents, and incoming cold fronts. There are also apps dedicated to forecasting waves based on a location you input, though some require a paid subscription.

Top Tip: If you’re chasing big wave photography, it’s always worth chatting with the local surfers. However, be aware that most surfers are part of a very tight-knit community and are usually hesitant to share this information since they want the best waves to themselves. My advice would be to offer to take photos of them surfing in exchange for their knowledge.

Planning in advance goes for any kind of beach photography – it’s important that you know the tide times both for your own safety, and in order to achieve your desired compositions.

Care for your equipment at the beach

I’ve learned the hard and expensive way that salt water and beach sand can take their toll on camera gear, especially if not taken care of properly. So after each session, you’ll want to take these steps to ensure your gear doesn’t fall victim to the elements.

First, if using a tripod, wash it as soon as you can with fresh water. Don’t wait a day! Most beaches have shower stations, so I suggest using them to rinse off your tripod. Make sure you fully extend all the legs so every inch is cleaned.

Use a dry cloth or towel to wipe away debris. If your tripod has twist locks, you’ll want to thoroughly clean them too. Use the same steps for your housing as well as the instructions from the manufacturer.

Second, wipe every inch of your camera and lenses down with a soft cloth lightly dampened with fresh water.

Lastly, dehumidify your camera and lens. Purchase an electronic dry cabinet or put them in a case filled with silica gel packets overnight.

Read more: How to Clean Your Camera’s Lens

In conclusion

There are numerous approaches to photographing the beach. You can emphasize the serenity of a tropical seascape or capture the raw power of ocean waves! Perhaps you’ve already tried some of the methods I’ve shared, or maybe you’re just intrigued and don’t know where to start.

Either way, I hope I’ve inspired you to get out to your local beach and discover its beauty. And as always, please remember to show respect to our planet and its delicate ecosystems, and leave only footprints on the beach!