If you wait until noon when the sun his high in the sky and do a really tight macro on some wet sand, it can really look incredible. Different beaches are made up of a multitude of different things. You can also pull out a macro lens and shoot foot prints or little crabs. It’ll hit the sand and reflect up, so as the waves curl, you’ll get some incredible aqua colors. If you have really shallow water, you wan wait until the sun is really high and in back of you and that light will come through the water. Everything is always changing at the beach.
Sunrise and sunset are obviously great times for beach shots, but what do you shoot in mid-day sun? “With the sun beginning to peak beneath the clouds, two split ND filters help balance the light, while slowing down the shutter to a half-second – just enough time to blur the receding wave and capture the next curling over.” Scott Mead Gitzo Carbon 6X Explorer GT2541EX tripod, Acratech leveling base and GP-S ballhead. Gear: Canon 5D MARK II, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8, Singh-Ray Galen Rowell 3-stop, hard-edge and 2-stop soft edge split ND filter. Location: Makena Cove, Makena, Maui, Hawaii. The beach isn’t a bad place to wait around. Eventually you find that one perfect spot where everything comes together and from there it’s just a waiting game for that perfect light. You have to observe how the water is moving, how the under water topography is affecting the waves. I spend a lot of time just looking for the right spot. What is your scouting process typically like? Interesting abstracts abound under your feet, with pebbles, drift wood, lava rock or coral.” Scott Mead Gear: Canon 1DS, Canon 24-70 F/2.8, Gitzo Carbon 6X Explorer GT2541EX tripod, Acratech leveling base and GP-S ballhead. Location: Coral laden beach, Makena, Maui, Hawaii. You have to have it off at least a little bit. You also want to make sure the sun isn’t going to be the bullseye in the image. I like to have some motion within the image. If I’m shooting a sunset, it obviously has to be west-facing, but it also has to have some really good wave action. Typically what I’m looking for is something that has a really solid foreground to anchor the image. What do you look for in a good shooting spot on the beach? “Two boats, a row of coco palms and a Vog (volcanic smog) filled sky provide the right ingredients for a great silhouetted sunset of the Big Island’s Anaehoomalu bay.” Scott Mead Gear: Canon 5D MARK II, Canon 24-105mm f/4, Singh-Ray Galen Rowell 2-stop, hard-edge, split ND filter.
Location: Anaehoomalu Bay (A-Bay), Waikoloa, Big Island, Hawaii.
Here are some tips for taking full photographic advantage of your next trip to the beach. Since then, he has been creating striking images of sand, sea, and sun. Reach her through her website.Scott Mead‘s adventure in beach photography started back in 1975 when his grandfather gave him a Kodak Instamatic and sent him off on the sands of Maui.
She has served as Advocacy Chair for the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) and teaches at the Landscape Institute at Boston Architectural College. Laura’s certifications include MCH, MCLP and NOFA AOLCP. LKDC offers services in landscape design strategy and restoration project coordination and construction oversight for urban oases, small parcels, private estate gardens, and rural landscapes edible gardens and outdoor dining spaces. Laura Kuhn Design Consultation creates custom artistic and wild spaces for private clients in the New England region and beyond. After an initial stint in the nursery business, she started her own business in 2000. Laura Kuhn is a self-taught designer, who brought her experiences in theater arts and choreography to the design of outdoor spaces in 1997. And with gratitude for my generous, patient, and open-minded clients, who just love the beach. of Acton, MA & Peter Kelley (builder) of Lexington, MA for their admirable skills, expertise, and their generous support, and to Sylvan Nursery, Van Berkum Nursery, North Creek Nurseries for top-notch plants. The new view from the sliding doors: a private, intimate spot with a clear sense of place.