San Jose Photographer – Beach Pictures

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Photography on the beach can be wonderful or a disaster. Take precaution and practice. Get tips and advice from professionals.

Best light for beach photographs
Never schedule a beach portrait session for the middle of the day. The light is harshest when the sun is at the top of the sky, and you will have dark shadows under the eyes of everyone in the photographs. The best light on the beach is either during sunset or sunrise. The ideal time of day depends on the direction the land faces. If the ocean is on the east side of your beach closer to sunrise is the best light. If the ocean is on the west side of your beach sunset will yield the best light for your photographs. Try to schedule your beach portrait session within 2-3 hours of sunrise or sunset.

Clouds
If you can arrange doing your family portraits when there is cloud cover it will make for the perfect light and colors in your photographs. Clouds act as diffusers against the harsh sunlight. They also bring out the great green and blue colors in the ocean. There is also the added bonus that no one will be squinting or having a hard time handling the harshness of the sun reflecting off the sand at the beach. Keep in mind that even with clouds, portraits during the middle of the day are not a good idea, you should start in the mid-morning or wait until the afternoon.

Outfits
Picking the right outfits for the beach is key to great family portraits. You do not want to blend in with the sand and water. Bright clothes with fun colors and patterns will help make you and your family stand out against the beach background. Swimsuits are also a great idea. They also lend themselves to more fun later on. Kids and parents will stop worrying about getting dirty or wet when everyone is wearing swimsuits. You can build sand castles without the worry of wrecking any clothes.

Be ready to have fun
Be prepared to provide your own fun for beach photos. Bring along a colorful umbrella or a giant beach ball. An umbrella will be a great escape from the hot sun, and it also provides a great pop of color in your photographs. A beach ball will inspire lots of fun and games. The more fun you and your family have the better the photos will turn out. Bucket and shovels, kites, or a full spread picnic are more fun ideas that will inspire creativity and activity. Dad will never complain about photographs after a day of excitement and fun at the beach as your family portrait session.

San Jose Photographer – Benipayo Photography

Contact: Michael at michael@benipayo.com, if you want a beach portrait session.

408-717-3670     415-763-7643

Author: Jeff Fauss
Los Angeles Family Photographer
Naples Family Photographer