Although we are nearly at the end of Summer and there are still some good beach days left I thought I'd start with helping you improve your beach photography.
My weapon of choice at the beach is not what you'd think especially if you happen to be down there at the brightest time of the day.
Apart from the obvious dangers of taking your DSLR down to a possibly hostile environment eg cameras do not like sand and especially hate wind and sand...there is one gadget that performs pretty well in this environment and we all have one.
Yes my camera of choice at the beach is hands down my iphone!.
The iphone, or any smartphone performs best in an overly lit environment. It handles the sun well and really loves landscapes. You can get a near perfect picture from your phone and all you need is a bit of shade so that you can see what you have got incase you need to re shoot it.
A few tips are
Get your horizon line straight....you can fix it when you edit but you will lose valuable pixels.
Always edit your photos!....they will look better. I use camera+ and snapseed. Do it when you get home so that you can see properly (I don't always follow that rule myself and then get a fright when I get home and my facebook post is a bit over the top!)
Always BACK OFF on the editing tool eg never use it on full strength.
Try not to mix the tools....one is enough and you don't want to degenerate the quality.
If you are going to use a frame then always use the same one. If you make a book later you want it to flow nicely.
Try and use a similiar B&W and a similar colour edit. The same goes for if they are going to be used on instagram. Use only a couple of different filters. Your work will look better, more professional and your 'style' will start to emerge if you use consistant edits
Experiment with different angles and compositions. Shoot from the ground...its way more interesting and very easy to do with a phone as opposed to a heavy camera.
Use reflections. The lower your phones vantage point....the better the reflections. They often make a beautiful image by themselves but also human shadows make the coolest shots.
You can take it into the water taking care to hang on tight! The kids splashing around from an angle within their environment will have a unique photojournalistic quality.
Edit them black and white....the sea has amazing tones....and then
PRINT THEM !!!
Its not that hard....send them to your local online lab...take them into Atkins Technicolour and they will walk you through it all.
then back them up on your computer and backup device.
Keep them safe they will be very precious one day!! :)
If you like this blog and want to learn more....sign up to my newsletter on the home page at www.crackerjackstudios.com.au
I also do one on one mentoring if you'd like to learn how to get the most from your camera :)
Happy Snapping
Cheers Leanne
