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| © Ian Cameron |
SUNRISE: Your first beach shot of the day, sunrise, may be your the beautiful -- and the most difficult. Meters are often fooled when reading directly from bright light (bracket!), and the difference between bright sky and dark water often requires a split neutral-density filter, like the one Ian Cameron used here.
Click photo for more images of the beach. |
You returned from last August's vacation at the shore with only sand in your swimsuit? This year, come home with fantastic pictures. A day at the beach -- from sunrise to sunset -- can present a sea of photo opportunities. To stoke your creative engines, here's a day-long breakdown of the shots that await, plus tips for making the most of the often challenging conditions. Your goal? The best vacation album ever!
5:30 A.M. SUNRISE
Sunrises over water can be spectacular. Pick a day, steel your resolve, and drag yourself from bed before dawn. On the West Coast? Lucky you! You get to shoot sunsets instead, although the sun as it comes up over the land can light shore elements along the Pacific in ways that reward the early riser. On either coast, weather reports will alert you to favorable clear-to-partly-cloudy sunrise conditions. If heavy cloud cover is predicted, better pass.
Watch out for tilted horizon lines -- they usually look best leveled. For super-saturated reds and oranges, and to make clouds pop voluminously, try the Moose Peterson Warm Polarizer from Hoya (from $40, street). Two filters in one (a warmer and a polarizer), it can make a sunrise explode with color.
Depending on the angle of the light, polarizers may or may not have a galvanizing effect on a seascape. To recognize scenes that can benefit from a polarizing filter, wear polarizing sunglasses.
When it comes to sunrises, always be sure to bracket your exposures like crazy from way under- to way overexposed.
6:30 A.M. EARLY MORNING
Once the sun is up, it's time for solitary beach combing. Early morning sun strafes surf and dunes at low angles, dramatically defining sand patterns and throwing sensuous shadows behind dunes, dune grass, and snow fences. This may be your only chance for seascapes free of people. Find photos in driftwood, shells, and other gems that have washed ashore over night. Get them before other beachcombers disturb or snap them up.
Close-up filter sets or a macro lens will give you the magnifying power to capture the exquisite detail in shells, scurrying sand crabs, and colorful tidal pools.
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