The Best Tropical Beach Photography Tips & Tricks
Introduction to Tropical Beach Photography
Most tourists want to record their adventures in photographs, but this venture comes with crucial considerations; aside from having to observe the correct camera settings, the ideal subject and good weather conditions are also important factors to consider if you want to learn how to master tropical [beach photography](/tools/Tropical Beach Photography), rather than just capturing your boring everyday vacation snapshots.
Flash? Yes!
It may come as a surprise, but using your camera flash is recommended for tropical beach photography. The use of flash during broad daylight situations is termed <em>fill flash</em>. This technique fills in the shadows of the daylight picture and is used for relatively close-up shots. It is not recommended for photographs with distant subjects. Fill flash is suitable, for instance, for subjects wearing hats as the flash would capture the details of the face covered by the shadow created by the hat.
When to Take the Beach Photos
Taking you photographs during the best time of the day is another crucial factor in tropical beach photography. Probably the worst time to take your pictures is during high noon, when the sun is shining at its brightest, as this poses the most problems for your camera exposures. The best time to shoot your pictures is during the period known as <em>the golden hour</em>, this includes the first hour of sunrise and the last hour of sunset. The golden hour has the best diffused lighting and it offers filtered and ideal hues and colors for your photographs. The shadows cast during the golden hour are also subtle and subdued.
Focus on Specific Subjects
Focus on a specific subject. Without properly identifying which specific subjects would fill your camera space, you might end up with similar or redundant pictures. Targeting specific subjects make for interesting photos. Avoid taking pictures of your family frolicking at the beach at a distance where you can hardly see their faces.
Go for close up shots for instance, with your kids making a sand castle, with a finer background. Tropical beach photography, just like any other type of photography, relies heavily on the correct choice of subjects with dramatic and exciting backgrounds from nature. Remember, choosing the right subject is more than half of a successful photograph.
Composition
Your photograph needs to have good composition. Tropical beach photography can be a genuine success when you make a proper and coordinated arrangement of your subject. Lumping up your subjects haphazardly results in dull and boring pictures. For photographs making use of the horizon, you should consider the rule of thirds. Instead of positioning the horizon right in the middle of your picture, which appears to be cutting your picture in half, you should choose to subdivide your photograph into imaginary thirds, and put your horizon perhaps on the lower third of the picture, thereby creating more interesting perspectives for your photographs.
