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Level 2

How to take photos at the beach

For everyone on the Northern Hemisphere, summer is now in full swing. It’s a wonderful time to head to a beach to relax with a good book or spend quality time with friends and family. It’s also a great opportunity to capture the beautiful scenery around you and share it with others on Google Maps. Your photos can help other people find great places to go when they’re looking to have a great beach day.

 

Sometimes the harsh sun and crowds at the beach can make taking good photos a challenge. So, I’m sharing some of my best tips to help you capture great pics and have fun in the sun!

 

1. Find a focal point or foreground element

 

To add interest to your beach photos, look for a focal point that will give someone looking at your photo a point of interest for their eyes to focus on. If there’s a boat or lighthouse in the distance, try placing that within your frame. Another way to explore is to find something in the foreground that will add depth to the scene: rocks, the texture of the waves breaking on the shore, or footprints in the sand can all add to your beach photo.

 

Caption: A photo of a lifeguard stand on the beach in Haulover Park, Florida, USA. (Local Guide Daniel Silveria)Caption: A photo of a lifeguard stand on the beach in Haulover Park, Florida, USA. (Local Guide Daniel Silveria)

Caption: A photo of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon. (Local Guide Rob Du Bois)Caption: A photo of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon. (Local Guide Rob Du Bois)

Caption: A photo of beach at Pantai Bama in East Java, Indonesia. (Local Guide Citra Photo)Caption: A photo of beach at Pantai Bama in East Java, Indonesia. (Local Guide Citra Photo)

2. Protect your smartphone or camera

 

Natural elements such as wind, sand, and water can be harsh on a camera lens, so make sure you keep your equipment protected. If you have a camera with separate lenses, don’t change your lens on the beach because small debris can get inside and potentially damage fragile parts of your camera. Instead, leave your separate lenses at home and use only a zoom lens or zoom feature on your camera or smartphone.

 

3. Beat the crowds and the heat of midday

 

To help you get your best beach photos, it’s best to avoid photographing midday when the sun is the brightest. So, pick up your camera and shoot during the early morning or late in the day instead. This is what photographers call the “golden hour,” as the light tends to be softer and less harsh. Trying to avoid crowds? This is also a great time to take photos because beaches will typically have less visitors during this time.

 

Caption: A photo of the beach and Pacific Ocean at sunset in Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA. (Local Guide Jerry Clontz)Caption: A photo of the beach and Pacific Ocean at sunset in Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA. (Local Guide Jerry Clontz)

 

4. Keep the horizon horizontal

 

When shooting photos at your favorite beach, you want to keep the horizon level and horizontal. Avoid capturing a tilted horizon by keeping your camera steady and paying close attention to how the horizon looks. If you have the option to add a camera grid in your camera or smartphone, use that to help you keep your horizon level straight. With your camera grid on, try placing the horizon line near the top third or bottom third of your frame, rather than right in the middle. For more helpful info on photo composition, check out this post.

 

Caption: A photo of a woman taking a photograph of the ocean with a camera. (Getty Images)Caption: A photo of a woman taking a photograph of the ocean with a camera. (Getty Images)

 

5. Get close to nature

 

Another great way to explore the beach and beauty of nature around you is to capture the details and patterns in the sand, seaweed, and shells!

 

Caption: A photo of a starfish on a beach at Modessa Island Resort in the Philippines. (Local Guide Mauro Serafini)Caption: A photo of a starfish on a beach at Modessa Island Resort in the Philippines. (Local Guide Mauro Serafini)

Caption: A closeup photo of a seashell taken on Alemães Beach in Portugal. (Local Guide Anna Burdzinska)Caption: A closeup photo of a seashell taken on Alemães Beach in Portugal. (Local Guide Anna Burdzinska)

 

Do you love to go to the beach? Share your beautiful beach photos with us on Google Maps and tell everyone in the comments: What can other Local Guides do to help you find the best beaches?

56 comments
Level 10

Re: How to take photos at the beach

Yes, I need more beach....

Great photos @Christina-NYC thanks for inspiration!

Here is something from the past, not exactly a beach, but I love this place:

 

 

And here is another "view"....

 

 

Please, note, on the background, the little head of my ex-girlfriend asking what I was doing there.... 🙂

Level 9

Re: How to take photos at the beach

Very nice photos @Christina-NYC ,

And very informative informations 

Thanks for sharing 

Level 9

Re: How to take photos at the beach

@Christina-NYC

Thanks for sharing this wonderful article, will consider these tips on my next visit to a beach side 🙂

 

Your 360's are awesome too Legend @LucioV

Connect Moderator

Re: How to take photos at the beach

These are some excellent tips and great photo examples, @Christina-NYC! I especially love the one about capturing the nature if it happens to be there (while respecting it) and using it to the advantage of a perfect shot. Living in Miami, these are definitely some tips that I'll take into consideration the next time I'm on the coast. Here are a couple of my favorite beach shots taken in Miami (one is from a cruise ship!):

 

 

 

IMG_20150124_175958322_HDR.png

 

IMG_20150312_170658357.jpg

 

I'll need to take a page from @LucioV's book and consider a 360 view one day! 🙂 

Miami, FL | My Profile | #LGMiami | #TeamPixel | #ShopSmall
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: How to take photos at the beach

First of all @Christina-NYC

A very important question is how to get to the beach, how to go to vacation at all, sea, beach, palm trees - abstract for me 🙂

 

But nice tips... 😉

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: How to take photos at the beach

Nice @SP31, try to add some contrast for those 🙂

Connect Moderator

Re: How to take photos at the beach


@Anonymous wrote:

Nice @SP31, try to add some contrast for those 🙂


Thanks for the tip bro! I have a lot to learn in terms of post-editing 😉 @Anonymous

Miami, FL | My Profile | #LGMiami | #TeamPixel | #ShopSmall
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: How to take photos at the beach

Step by step and you will overcome all the tricks 🙂 @SP31

Level 8

Re: How to take photos at the beach

Great tips there. Will definitely keep in mind these tips when I go to the beach next time especially around Lake Victoria.