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Beach Photography

Beach Photography Tips

Images & tips by Geoff Hobbs

It’s summertime and with that comes trips to the beach. Sand and moisture can render your camera and lens useless. Consider these careful tips offered by Hilton Head Island’s Premiere Photographer Geoffrey Hobbs who has spent more than a decade capturing the sand, sun and water in South Carolina’s beautiful lowcountry.

1. KEEP YOUR CAMERA AND LENS IN A LARGE SEALABLE PLASTIC STORAGE BAG.
   Bring it out only when you are shooting. Don’t lay the camera on your towel or loose in a beach bag. If all you have is a plastic grocery bag, wrap the camera in a small towel and put that in the grocery bag.



2. CHANGING LENSES ON A BREEZY BEACH LEAVES YOUR CAMERA VULNERABLE TO DUST, SAND AND MOISTURE BEING BLOWN INSIDE.
   A good lens for a day with the family on the beach is the Tamron AF18-250mm Di II zoom, wide enough to shoot groups and a nice long telephoto for tight face shots and candids.
   
   



3. IF YOU WANT TO SHOOT A NICE BEACH PORTRAIT OF THE FAMILY IN THE EARLY MORNING LIGHT, BE SURE TO USE YOUR FLASH.
   When the camera is pointed toward the sun, the meter is overpowered by the bright sun and your subjects will be left in the dark. Pop up the built in flash to kick in some light on your subject. You will get a nicely balanced photo of the sunrise and the subject.
   
   
   
   



4. TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT WHILE ON YOUR MORNING PHOTO TREK.
   Take the white balance setting off automatic and try different settings to see what effect they have on the image. Using a tungsten white balance in natural light gives you a beautiful cool blue. You can also use the cloudy white balance to warm things up.
   
   



5. EARLY MORNING IS A GOOD TIME TO THROW YOUR LONG ZOOM ON THE CAMERA AND SHOOT BIRDS AND OTHER NATURAL SIGHTS.
   The Tamron 28-300 f/3.5-6.3 XR VC Di Macro or the 70-200 f/2.8 Di LD Macro lenses are perfect for those early morning sessions.