Pixiq

What's a beach? It's a great place for fun and relaxation, and we hasten to add, a great place to take beach photos‚ anytime! Here are some beach photo tips that will yield great results, no matter the season.

Typically, you won't need lots of fancy gear when you go to the beach. A point-and-shoot or DSLR with a normal range zoom lens is all you'll need. If you wish, bring along a small flash and a tripod for long exposures.

There are two reasons to keep the gear simple when headed to the beach. First and foremost, we're going to have fun, and packing too much equipment just gets in the way. Second, the sand, sun, surf and salty air creates an environment that can be rough on delicate equipment.

Everyone knows that salt water and surf are rough on cameras. What most people don't realize is that sand can be the worst enemy of all. Fine sand particles can get inside camera bodies and lens barrels and wreak havoc with your camera's mechanics and optics.   Blowing sand is an unavoidable menace, and if you don't have a protected camera, one of the best beach photo tips is to stay away on a windy day. On the other hand, if it's not windy, your regular camera should do if you use it intelligently.

After sand, heat is the second-most dangerous enemy of your camera when taking beach photos. Heat is hard on cameras and sensitive electronic circuitry. But excess heat is easily avoided. Just keep your equipment out of direct sun. Never let your camera bake in direct sun. Keep it covered and in the shade as much as possible.

The third gremlin on the beach is humid air. In cold weather, the danger is that the camera gets cold outside so that, when it's brought back into the warm humid air in a house, droplets condense on it. In warm weather, surprisingly, the danger is really just the same. Here's why. Often, your camera is cool because it's been stored in a cool air-conditioned car or a cool air-conditioned cabin on a boat. When that cool camera is brought out into the hot humid air of the beach, it too may have droplets condense on it.

Solution? If your camera is cold, let it adjust to the beach conditions gradually to minimize condensation. In other words, give your digital camera time after you take it out of a cool environment. Never start shooting immediately when you move your camera from a cool-and-dry place to a warm-and-humid place like a beach. Of course, worse than hot, humid air is hot, humid, salty air, the type of air you'll find at an ocean beach in summer. Watch out for salt condensing on your camera‚ especially on the electronic parts inside your camera. Salt can really damage delicate electronics.

Finally, the most obvious gremlin, water. Keep water from striking your camera directly. Do everything you can to prevent water from splashing on your camera, or moist air from blowing into the interior of your camera.

What if your camera gets accidentally soaked? If it gets soaked with plain water, let it dry, and take it to a repair shop. But if it falls into salt water and gets thoroughly immersed, contact a repair shop immediately.

Now that we've covered equipment for beach photography, let's turn to subject matter.

The number one subject on a beach is people. People at rest. People at play. People swimming. People sunning. People sleeping.

The beach is a powerful backdrop, filled with activity and distraction. To avoid distracting from your subject(s), keep your subject large and up front in your frame.

When you're photographing people on the beach, the biggest danger is squinting. Most people don't look their best when squinting. In fact, most people look terrible squinting. How can you avoid this? One of the most obvious beach photo tips is to try moving your subject into the shade‚ for example, the shade of an umbrella. Perhaps, wait until a cloud obscures the direct sun. Or turn your subject so that the sun is behind him or her, and use fill flash to light the face. In other words, watch out for squinting and take steps to avoid it!

In beach scenes of people, the second biggest danger is distraction. Here's where simplification comes in. Pay close attention to the background. It's easy to overlook distracting things when you're surrounded by so many interesting sights. Look carefully. If you see distracting elements‚ — trash cans, coolers, misplaced towels, etc., — try to either remove them or change your angle to eliminate them from view.

Children at play are among the best subjects for beach photos. Something about the beach seems to promote kids getting lost in fantasy projects. Don't forget to document the results.

Another common type of beach photo is the scenic shot where you show an entire stretch of beach. It's unusual to get a shot without people so don't even try. In fact, people give a sense of scale to this type of beach photography.

Their activity may even tell a story. Shooting from a high angle may help to capture the sweep of the beach.

Lighting can play a key role in beach photography. We've reminded you in the aforementioned beach photo tips to use fill flash to avoid heavy dark shadows in foreground subjects. On the other hand, don't rule out using backlighting for dramatic silhouettes including sunset shots.

Remember this above all other beach photo tips: you'll get warmer light and long, dramatic shadows when the sun is low in the sky. Filmmakers call it the "magic hour." But overcast days and open shadows can make interesting photos as well. Let your imagination run wild.

This post was written by the New York Institute of Photography. For more photography tips, or to request a free photography course catalog, visit NYIP.com.