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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 make portraits. Here are some examples to whet your creative flow.

Abstract macro photography and creative-

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 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

Photographic portraits

What better place than the beach to photograph your children in total freedom and fun? Set a short exposure time (1/400s) to capture the movements if they do not want to be a pose, or give them something to do to capture their attention, such as building a sand castle 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 high it can be difficult to find the right exposure for portraits, so try to do bracketing basing the exposure on the lights, shadows and midtones separately.
Then use a program like Photomatix HDR photos to give a texture to the portrait special and a particular aspect. Or wait until sunset to get the dark silhouettes. To enter the subject of 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 movement really lovely, and 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 " neutral density "to reduce the amount of light entering the lens. Check the histogram on the LCD monitor to examine the 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 structure of the platform is to use a wide angle lens and an aperture restricted to keep everything in focus. Also try to vary your point of view to emphasize the different perspectives.
Alternatively, hop on the pier to take pictures from the sand or the beach full of people. If you are unable to get on the pier, place the camera on a tripod / stand, and lift it above your head. Use a remote control self timer or remote shutter release to make 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 regarding the privacy of individuals in public places, while in other places there are severe restrictions, eg to protect minors. Avoid potential problems by asking, first of all, 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 rummage through the waste of food. Add movement to the image of the bird in flight concentrating on the subject and following him slowly with a low opening speed. To capture the bird in flight make sure you use a higher opening speed. To take this kind of photos 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 chance to pick any of the various exposure times. Compose one of the most colorful and beautiful, or 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 set a small degree of openness (eg f14) to keep the background in focus, with an exposure time of about 1/15s to create trails with bright neon.

Photo of robthomasdesign

Sport

Surfing, windsurfing, canoeing, water skiing, kayaking or pedalos are all beautiful water sports, perfect for shooting people on the beach. A short exposure time is critical to capture the movements, but expect that 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 enhance color saturation.

Photo by Michael Dawes