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What is an 'oasis of serenity and a charnel house of bathers seeking sun, the beach is a perfect place for every kind of photography: macro, documentary, landscape and wildlife and also to do portraits. Here are some examples to whet your creative flow.

Macro-photography and creative abstract

Each beach has plenty of potential subjects for macro photography or creative-abstract.
Some classic examples are the footprints in the sand, ruined the paint on the wooden huts or on the boats, the shells on the shore or the continuous series of grassy dunes. With the intent to create a shallow depth of field, use a telephoto lens and wide aperture. Look close at the subject and focus. For best results lie on the sand and place the camera on a backpack or bag, so that the details remain defined.

Photo of dhammza

Photoportraits

What better place than the beach to photograph your children in total freedom and fun? Set a short exposure time (1/400s) to immortalarne movements if they do not want to be a pose, or give them something to do to capture their attention, such as building a sandcastle or 'exploration of a cliff . Compose and focus on children, but do not overdo it with the zoom, so you have the landscape in the background giving context to the image.
When the sun is up it can be difficult to find the right exposure for portraits, so try to do bracketing basing the exposure on the highlights, midtones and shadows separately.
Then use a program like Photomatix HDR photos to give the portrait a special texture and a particular aspect. Or wait until sunset to get the dark silhouettes. To enter the subject of the interesting reflections positioned on the shore, between you and the sun. In this case put the subject into focus manually, set the exposure for the brightest part of the scene and turn off the flash.

Photo of foreversouls

Seascapes

The ebb of the waves is a really lovely movement, and to immortalize the photographer should use the same technique as for the falls. Place the camera on a tripod and placed a low opening speed - how low depends on the brightness of the day, but you can use a polarizing filter or " density neutral "to reduce the amount of light entering the lens. Check the histogram on the LCD monitor to examine its values.

If you want to photograph the scene at sunset or sunrise, remember to start an hour before sunrise / sunset. Set the exposure for the sky and use a tripod. To add details in the foreground, try to frame the shot a fence, a series of rocks, a pier or lighthouse.
The docks are a classic shots of the beach. An interesting way to use the platform structure is to use a wide angle lens and a restricted opening to keep everything in focus. Also try to vary your point of view to emphasize the different perspectives.
Alternatively, go up on the pier to take pictures from above the sand or the beach full of people. If you are unable to get on the dock, put the camera on a tripod / stand, and lift it above your head. Use a remote control from remote release or self-timer to take the photograph.

Photo of szeke

Documentaries

Laws regarding photography in public places vary from country to country, so find out about the laws of the place where you are before you start taking pictures of strangers on the beach. In some countries there are laws concerning the privacy of individuals in public places, while in other places there are heavy restrictions, eg to protect minors. Avoid potential problems by asking, first, the parents allowed the child you want to photograph.

Nature

The beach is the natural habitat of many interesting creatures, perfect for photos, such as the starfish on the rocks, or birds such as gulls and lapwings, or you can take a snorkel and explore the magical underwater world.
To photograph the birds wait until the end of the day, when the gulls stop on deserted beaches to sift through the scraps of food. Add movement to the image of the bird in flight concentrating on the subject and following him slowly with a slow opening. To capture the bird in flight make sure you use a higher opening speed. For this type of photo shoot in the evening you will have to raise the level of ' ISO if you never use a tripod.

Photo of lorenzo281293

Night Scene

Head for the bright lights of the fairground and take the opportunity to pick any of the various exposure times. Framed one of the most beautiful and colorful and crouch in order to have a perspective from below and add effects, or use a particular goal such as fisheye.
Place your camera on something stable and able to set a small aperture (eg f14) to keep the background in focus, with an exposure time of about 1/15s to create light trails with neon.

Photo of robthomasdesign

Sport

Surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing, canoeing, water skiing, kayaking and pedal boats are all beautiful water sports, perfect for shooting people on the beach. A short exposure time is critical to capture the movements, but wait until the sun is low in a corner of the sky to get a softer light. Alternatively you can use a polarizing filter to soften the daylight, reduce glare and increase color saturation.

Photo by Michael Dawes

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