As readers of my blog may already know, for the last year and a half I have been doing part time work in Oregon, which has given me the opportunity to frequently photograph Bandon Beach as well as other locations along the Oregon coast. During this time I have learned some practical things about beach photography, which I thought I would pass on in the form of short tips.

If you have two camera bodies, take them both and mount a wide/normal zoom on one and a longer focal length zoom on the other. You don’t want to be changing lenses on the beach if you can possibly avoid it. Sand has a magical way of getting everywhere you don’t want it to be (such as on your sensor).
If your back can take it, wear your backpack instead of putting it down. If you do put it down, look for a high, dry rock to put it on. Why? Because putting it down on the sand is just asking for sand to get inside when you open it (and if you put it down an a plastic bag or rain cover the wind will invariably gust just as you are lifting the bag…..now imagine yourself chasing that rain cover down the beach :). The rock is important because if you just put the bag on the sand and 30 minutes later realize that the tide is coming in you will turn around and find your bag soaked (at best) or floating (at worst).
Wear a small pack on your belt that holds your polarizer and neutral density filters, as you don’t want to have to put your pack down in the sand and open it to search for them. I use the MindShift Gear Filter Nest Storage Case (affiliate link).
Oregon Beaches are different from most East Coast beaches. Nobody lays in the sun on a blanket. They walk on the beach. It can be chilly and windy even when it is quite a bit warmer inland. I wear a sweatshirt over a long sleeve shirt even in July when going out for sunset. It’s hard to be creative when you are uncomfortable.
Beware of so called ’sneaker waves’ - large (and potentially dangerous) waves that can seemingly come from nowhere, particularly when the tide is predicted to be high and is coming in. They say to never turn your back on the ocean. It is wise advice, particularly when you are on the edge of, or in, the water.
Along the same lines, rocks that are wet can be very slippery. Think twice. There are some places that you don’t want to fall into (like the one below). Be safe….no photograph is worth risking your life for (if the video doesn’t travel to email subscribers here is the link.)

The best way to bring the viewer into the image is to get into the water yourself (it doesn’t have to be very far in, in fact it’s better if it’s not….you don’t want you or your camera knocked over). But you will want to be wearing waterproof boots and waterproof over-pants with snaps or ties at the bottom of the legs. And the over-pants should be worn over your boots, not tucked into them. Tucking them into your boots simply funnels water into the boots (I learned that the hard way). I personally also take my cloth socks off and wear waterproof neoprene booties inside the boots.
If you are getting into the water, make sure it is in a calm location. You most definitely do not want to be getting into the water at locations similar to that depicted in the video above.
In addition to the ‘big picture’ look for the small scenes on the beach….ripples in the sand, interesting rocks, shells, washed up kelp. At low tide look for the living creatures on the rocks. The rocks that you think are stone are often alive, with every square inch covered with various types of sea life….look carefully.

Including passers by can add a sense of scale to your image

Be ready for anything, conditions on the beach can change rapidly and sometimes interesting photographic opportunities may only last a few minutes (or even seconds)
Bring neutral density filters, you will be glad you did

In The Surf © Howard GrillLong Exposure Using Neutral Density Filters — In The Surf © Howard Grill
Long Exposure Using Neutral Density Filters

And the most important two rules of all:

Don’t be overly rigid about what you expect to shoot. You don’t always get what you expect, but you always get something good if you are flexible enough to take advantage of it. As my teacher, the late Nancy Rotenberg, used to say….’take the gift you are given’
have fun being creative!

Beach Photography Tips

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