Dig the Beach
The best thing about beach shots is that you and your camera stay dry. This is a major upside for amateur surf photographers who aren’t quite confident enough to get in among the action and shoot from the water. Rest assured that you don’t need a ridiculously expensive telephoto lens to get a good beach shot. Try walking up and down the beach for different angles, placing objects in the foreground to give your picture some scale and lying down on the ground for a lower perspective. These are all great ways to give your beach shots that extra kick.
Try New Positions
No, not that kind of position… Shaking up your usual camera stance can have a massive impact on your shots. While there is something to be said for beach photography, without a good zoom lens you haven’t got much chance of getting a good photo. Get yourself into the water and your surf shots will be taken to a whole other level. Try positioning yourself parallel to a breaking wave right at the breakpoint. As it pulls you up you’ll get an awesome overhead shot of the surfer jetting off towards the shore.
Know your Lighting
Any photographer will tell you that dawn and dusk are the best times for shooting outdoor shots. The light is soft and everything seems to glow. This can be a huge bonus when shooting beach shots as strong sunlight can often mean a huge amount of glare coming off the sand and the water. Shoot when the sun is lower in the sky and your photos will be dreamy. That said there’s nothing like a traditional surf shot backed with a vibrant blue sky and a palm tree or two. If you are shooting on a sunny day make ure your exposure is on a lower setting and try not to shoot into direct sunlight.
Focus
Focus, focus, focus. While a blurry shot can sometimes be considered as ‘arty’, the majority of the time they just make you look like an amateur. The whole point of surf photography is to highlight the surfer so this can’t be stressed more. Make sure your shots are in focus! If you’ve got a dinky point and shoot this can be as simple as holding down the shoot button halfway before taking the shot or flicking your camera to sports mode.
Mix it Up
While capturing the surf action is important, there is a lot to be said for snapping the small stuff. Getting away from the water and shooting other beach scenes often results in some of the most interesting and creative shots that really capture the essence of the atmosphere. Boards, sand, silhouettes, eats… whatever! The point is that an album that tells a story is priceless.