help beach photography?

[hollisterguyo7]

Okay im using a canon rebel xti with a tamron 18-200... never done photos at the beach im about to buy a external flash canon 430. What all do you need to do some photos at the beach in the water an out an maybe sunset... should i try an use the external flash or would i be find using manual mode an shooting without it? any help would be awesome like i said ive done portraits in alleys an parks an other places an have like 7 different girls that want photos done at the beach an its about an hour away an dont wanna drive an not know where to begin or just shoot just like normally using manual mode thanks!

 

[Big Mike]

The beach is just another location...no different really.

How you shoot will depend on what you want the photos to look like and the light that you have to work with.

If you want an ocean sunset behind the model, then you will want to set your exposure for the sky...and then find a way to light up the front of the model. You could certainly use a flash, but a reflector would also work.

You don't have to have the sun in the background though, you could turn around and use the sunlight as the main light on your models.

If you are going to shoot around midday with bright sun, then you will want to use something for fill light. Sometimes the sand is enough to brighten the shadows caused by the sun, but you can use flash or a reflector for this as well.

 

[craig]

I have done 2 beach shoots so far. Both shot during the sunset hours. The use of a reflector is mandatory. I use a 40" x 48" piece of foamcore. You will need an assistant to hold it. Using a flash as the sun sets provides the most dramatic effect. I do well with a tripod and the pop up flash on the D200, but yearn for a stronger off camera flash.

Try shooting raw on auto wb. Exposure can get tricky, so be sure to keep an eye on it. Have yet to try spot metering, but I think that is the hit.

As was mentioned; do not get stuck with the sun behind the model the whole time. Glorious shots can be had in the other direction as well.

Love & Bass