Beach photo shoot questions!!

[ScubaBrett22]

Okay so this Saturday is my Homecoming and my girlfriend and I are going, I am wearing a suit and she is wearing a dress. I wanted to take pictures of us on the beach. We would be walking onto the beach around 4:00pm, the sun sets around 5:35pm. I will have my camera on a tripod and my buddy will have his camera on a tripod, funny thing is we both have the same Nikon D3100, and tripod .

My questions are, What are some good poses? How close should we be to the water? When is it best to shoot on the beach before or during sunset?

For poses if you could provide pictures that would be awesome since I will remember a picture more! Thank you everyone!!!!!

 

[2WheelPhoto]

suggestion: take lights with you. here's a resource: Shooting on the Beach with Two Speedlights and the Sun | LIGHTING ESSENTIALS For Photographers

 

[fjrabon]

which coast will you be on? Gulf side or atlantic side?

 

[ScubaBrett22]

which coast will you be on? Gulf side or atlantic side?

Atlantic

 

[fjrabon]

which coast will you be on? Gulf side or atlantic side?

Atlantic

THing to remember when planning these shots in advance is that you're not going to get the actual sunset over the water then. I know it's obvious, but I can't count the number of times people make this mistake without thinking it through. I once worked at a beachfront hotel on the atlantic, and people would constantly ask "where's a good location to get a sunset over the water?"

On the plus side is that you'll be able to get natural light on your faces, assuming that the ocean is your background.

Since you won't actually care about getting the sun in the picture, you'll want both before and after the sunset. THe light will be better for her dress slightly before sunset, the sky will be better slightly after. It will give you a nice range.

 

[ScubaBrett22]

which coast will you be on? Gulf side or atlantic side?

Atlantic

THing to remember when planning these shots in advance is that you're not going to get the actual sunset over the water then. I know it's obvious, but I can't count the number of times people make this mistake without thinking it through. I once worked at a beachfront hotel on the atlantic, and people would constantly ask "where's a good location to get a sunset over the water?"

On the plus side is that you'll be able to get natural light on your faces, assuming that the ocean is your background.

Since you won't actually care about getting the sun in the picture, you'll want both before and after the sunset. THe light will be better for her dress slightly before sunset, the sky will be better slightly after. It will give you a nice range.

Thanks for the tip, our background will be the ocean, we really don't want the sun behind us but over and or on us. I just got to figure out a few poses to do.

 

[fjrabon]

Thanks for the tip, our background will be the ocean, we really don't want the sun behind us but over and or on us. I just got to figure out a few poses to do.

Something to consider, how long is her dress? The waves hitting your feet is a cool "fun" shot, but you don't want her to accidentally drop her dress and get seawater on it, that'd be a nice way to guarantee that you're miserable the rest of the night. A silhouette with both you guys looking at each other and/or embracing is also cool, which can be had right after the sun sets, as the light on you will be very dark, but the background sky will briefly light up pretty vividly. It's kind of a cliched pose, but girls love it.

Another thing to consider is the vibe of her dress. If she has on a fun dress, go for a more fun feel. If it's a more formal dress, go for a more intense feel. THe biggest key though is trying as many as you can, as some will work and some won't, and it's nearly impossible to tell in advance what will or won't.

 

[Derrel]

Google is your friend. I thought all you kids did your homework by just Googling it?

prom photo poses - Google Search

"prom poses" ...hundreds of them to choose from--illustrated with pi'tures even!

 

[Futurelight]

Firstly, never look directly into the lens ( focus on each others eyes to capture the most romance). try to find a spot that DOESN'T have all the soft brown sea foam on it too. Poses are a difficult one as it is alway "different strokes for different folks" i.e. what looks good for one person won't always look good for another. If you use an external flash (and I syggest you do) point it up at about a 45 degree angle to cast light over you both, not onto you both. This will just highlight what the last sunlight won't. Hope this help good luck.

 

[ScubaBrett22]

Thanks for the tip, our background will be the ocean, we really don't want the sun behind us but over and or on us. I just got to figure out a few poses to do.

Something to consider, how long is her dress? The waves hitting your feet is a cool "fun" shot, but you don't want her to accidentally drop her dress and get seawater on it, that'd be a nice way to guarantee that you're miserable the rest of the night. A silhouette with both you guys looking at each other and/or embracing is also cool, which can be had right after the sun sets, as the light on you will be very dark, but the background sky will briefly light up pretty vividly. It's kind of a cliched pose, but girls love it.

Another thing to consider is the vibe of her dress. If she has on a fun dress, go for a more fun feel. If it's a more formal dress, go for a more intense feel. THe biggest key though is trying as many as you can, as some will work and some won't, and it's nearly impossible to tell in advance what will or won't.

Thanks for the advice I can not remember what her dress is like but we will take MANY different shots and poses to see what happens, I expect a lot of pictures from this shoot but only a handful to be good.

 

[fjrabon]

Thanks for the advice I can not remember what her dress is like but we will take MANY different shots and poses to see what happens, I expect a lot of pictures from this shoot but only a handful to be good.

Yeah, you can't go wrong in this sort of situation if you're primarily focused on making her and her dress look good. Men in suits, for the most part, look like men in suits, dresses and females need to be tailored to when it comes to photographing them.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Thanks for the tip, our background will be the ocean, we really don't want the sun behind us but over and or on us. I just got to figure out a few poses to do.

Something to consider, how long is her dress? The waves hitting your feet is a cool "fun" shot, but you don't want her to accidentally drop her dress and get seawater on it, that'd be a nice way to guarantee that you're miserable the rest of the night. A silhouette with both you guys looking at each other and/or embracing is also cool, which can be had right after the sun sets, as the light on you will be very dark, but the background sky will briefly light up pretty vividly. It's kind of a cliched pose, but girls love it.

Another thing to consider is the vibe of her dress. If she has on a fun dress, go for a more fun feel. If it's a more formal dress, go for a more intense feel. THe biggest key though is trying as many as you can, as some will work and some won't, and it's nearly impossible to tell in advance what will or won't.

Thanks for the advice I can not remember what her dress is like but we will take MANY different shots and poses to see what happens, I expect a lot of pictures from this shoot but only a handful to be good.

You still may benefit from having lights with you, not to shoot directly into the sun but perhaps make the pics pop? Check out the pic of ambient/sun only, one light, then two lights

http://www.lighting-essentials.com/shooting-on-the-beach-with-two-speedlights-and-the-sun/

 

[ScubaBrett22]

She will be wearing a dress that is above her knees, it is black with pink coming out the bottom.