With the arrival of summer, we all start wanting to get out of the house and spend more time outdoors. A trip to the beach remains one of the most popular choices for a family outing or a day with friends.
Nothing feels more freeing than running along the sand, followed by a dip in the sea. A beach is the perfect place to get inspired and take stunning photos you’ll want to keep forever.
But things don’t always go smoothly when we try to take that perfect beach shot. We’ve all taken a beach photo ruined by too much light, the wrong angle, wind at the worst moment, or our face and hair covered in sand.
We’ve all experienced the disappointment of a ruined photo from a moment we wanted to preserve—something that won’t come again.
To help make sure that doesn’t happen again, here are some simple and easy tips to level up your beach photos, whether you’re using your phone or a traditional camera.
1. The Importance of Light
Light is everything in a photo—and at the beach, this becomes even more obvious. Light is the paint of photography. At the beach, light changes constantly: soft at sunrise, intense at noon, and golden at sunset. Each time of day has its own magic and plays a unique role in the photos you take.
The warm orange tones of sunrise and sunset give your photos a nostalgic and cozy feeling, so try to shoot during these golden hours.
Avoid the harsh midday sun, which flattens shapes and removes the magic. But if you must shoot then, play around with strong shadows and dramatic contrasts.
2. Use Natural Elements
The beach is full of little treasures: seashells, stones, palm trees, sand drawings. All of these can be part of your composition. When combined well, these elements add context and make your photos more interesting.
A good composition is more than just framing, it’s storytelling.
3. Pay Attention to Framing
Try to avoid the obvious! Instead of centering everything, try using the rule of thirds: imagine your image divided into three horizontal and three vertical sections, and place your subject at one of the intersections. It creates a more balanced and natural-looking photo.
4. Capture Movement
A photo that captures movement has life. Hair blowing in the wind, running along the shoreline, waves crashing at your feet—these kinds of images convey emotion!
Use your phone’s “fast” or “burst” mode to capture the exact moment, then choose the best shot.
For long exposures, use a tripod or rest the camera on something stable.
5. Choose a Colorful Look
Light or brightly colored clothes (red, yellow, turquoise blue) really pop in a beach setting. Avoid overly busy patterns—they can add noise to your photo.
The beach has its own emotional color palette: deep blue for contemplation, orange for warmth, white for peace. Adjusting colors is like tuning a song.
6. Pay Attention to Details
A colorful drink in hand, a straw hat, stylish sunglasses, or even a towel with a unique pattern—these small details help tell a story. And storytelling is what makes a photo unforgettable.
At the end of your beach photo day, the most important thing is to be genuine and true to yourself.
Nothing is more beautiful than authenticity. Smile for real, relax, play with the setting. A day at the beach is carefree, let that come through in your expression and your photos.
When you get home, choose your best shots and create a digital album of your day at the beach. Choose Sunpics to create a unique digital album.
Sunpics offers you a set of features that will help you build an album where you can capture and share all the emotions experienced by the sea.
With Sunpics, you can unleash your creativity to the fullest and share your memories with the people you care about most.
