Seascape photography is a challenging but rewarding genre of photography. The dynamic nature of the sea makes coastal photography so much fun, but it also requires a unique set of skills and knowledge. And that’s what I’m going to share in this article as seven tips that will help you take your seascape photography to the next level.
Know the tide and swell
The importance of knowing the tides when you’re out on the coast is no mystery. Sites like Tides4Fishing or app Nautide provide you with the necessary information. And since the tides follow a natural rhythm caused by the gravity of the moon and sun, you can plan your trip to the coast weeks or even months in advance.
But not too fast. There’s more to understanding the movement of water than examining tide tables. Swell plays an equally important part. To take a photo of a rough seascape, you need a way to predict ocean waves and waves. And while the weather at the location you want to photograph plays a role, the source of a large wave can be much farther away.
The good thing is that there are apps that help predict. Popular weather apps Windy there is a built-in wave height prediction model. You can also check out sites like magic seaweed or Surf forecast.
But knowing the tides and studying weather and wave forecasts is not enough. To take breathtaking pictures and for your safety, spotting and observing the sea is very important. The image above shows large waves crashing against the rocks at Dominicalito beach. The night before, I was standing on those rocks, taking pictures in a different direction. The tide is a bit further out and the waves are not high. When I returned Monday evening, seeing the waves, I knew I needed another place for my tripod when the tide was high around sunset.
Get it at the right time
Seascape photography involves a lot of timing. Since your main subject is always in motion, the moment you take the picture can make a huge difference. You can press the shutter button when the waves hit the shore, when the water hits the beach, when the water flows back into the ocean, or when the water changes direction.
This photo of the beach at Praia da Adraga shows the moment when the water stops rising to the beach. I captured a perfect line of fine bubbles leading to the sea. Timing for this shot is essential to creating interest in the foreground.
When I take pictures like that, I don’t want my camera to shake when the shutter button is pressed, and I can’t use the two-second self-timer either. That’s why I consider a cable release or remote control to be one of the most important pieces of equipment for photographing seascapes. Use the cable release and activate the camera’s burst mode to take multiple photos in quick succession. It increases your chances of capturing the perfect moment.
If the dynamic range of the scene is too high for a single exposure, shoot a bracketed sequence before or after you focus on the water movement. Graduated neutral density filter would also help in such situations.
Exposure Combination
Once I’ve fixed the composition, it’s not uncommon for me to take 50 or more shots of the same scene. Each photo will show slightly different motion, waves and sea patterns. With luck, I’ll have a single photo at the end showing all the elements I need to tell the story of a place. But this doesn’t always work.
If you use a tripod, all of those images will line up when you load them as layers into software like Photoshop. Typically, you’ll have several images where the waves in the middle break out beautifully, then some show water splashes in the foreground and another set captures all the dynamic range in the background. You can use masks to combine them and create even more compelling results, as I show in the video below.
Find the tide pool
You don’t always need movement when taking photos at the beach. Especially on calmer days, tidal pools are a wonderfully beneficial constituent when there is no wind. At low tide, these puddles can create beautiful reflections.
You have to be careful, though. While you’re at a beach looking for tide pools, avoid walking past potential formations. Slowly move forward with the camera in hand so that you can regularly check for photos. If you already know a location, it can be a great help as larger pools often form in the same area.
In the video below, I show how you can use scouting to get the most out of a tidal beach photo session.
Into the water
To create the most dynamic perspective in seascape shots, blend in with the subject. Getting your feet wet is at least something you shouldn’t be trying to avoid. If the water is too cold, use neoprene or side socks. If you shoot a tropical beach, you won’t have these problems. However, protect your feet by wearing water shoes.
While you take pictures with the fast flowing water around you, keep a close eye on the waves and never turn your back to the ocean. Be ready to retreat quickly if a wave of scams approaches. It also helps protect your camera with a rain cover, just in case. What you will also need is a good glass cleaning cloth. I use large Muxel Bamboo cloths to clean my lenses and filters at the beach. A large microfiber towel is also very helpful.
I learned another way to keep the filter free from water spray in Indonesia. Local photographers are using a small electric fan, which seems to be very effective at keeping the lens clean. I did a quick search on the net and found KiCA JetFan, it looks like it might do the job. I don’t know how such a device works in wet conditions, so it might be helpful to wrap it.
In the seascape photography guide below, I share more tips on how to keep your gear working at the beach.
Use the right exposure time
Most seascape photos online show the water being blurred due to its movement. If you want to replicate this effect, use an exposure time of 1/4 second or so. If you extend the exposure time to a few seconds, the sea will appear ethereal and the water, especially if there are a lot of waves, will look like fog.
You can achieve such a long exposure by taking pictures before sunrise or after sunset, or you use a neutral density filter. 3-point filter like Kase Wolverine ND8 usually enough to expose long enough at dawn and dusk. When it’s brighter, you’ll need at least one ND64 . filter. Or you take multiple photos, load them as layers into Photoshop, combine them into Smart Objects and go to “Layer – Smart Object – Stack Mode – Meaning”.
But don’t default to long exposures at the beach. Especially on stormy days with big waves, using a short exposure time can be much more effective if you want to show off the power of the sea. It will also maintain more texture in the water, which can work well with detailed environments, like in the example photo of the Alfanzina Lighthouse in Portugal.
Including surroundings
Seascapes isn’t just about water. Try to incorporate the shoreline, rocks, cliffs, and other characteristic elements of the coast you are photographing into your composition. Coastal flowers are also something you should look for. They can introduce additional colors and make your photos look more vibrant.
When you compose such shots, think about balance. Shooting along the coast, you will typically have the ocean on one side of the frame and land on the other. The photo below is an example with a very prominent foreground as the anchor point for the composition. It allowed me to have a bit of an imbalance in the background, with the cliff face to the left but only the ocean to the right. Thanks to the harmony of the foreground and colors in the image, it still feels balanced.
Other factors that can help you balance such shots are clouds and sun. Try to position shots facing cliffs and prominent rocks to get an even distribution of image weight in the frame.
Conclusion
The tips above cover topics including equipment preparation, technique, composition, and photo editing. And although I’ve tried to cover a lot of the issues in this article, there’s much more you can do to capture stunning seascape photos. For example, one thing I haven’t talked about is using a telephoto lens to capture details underwater or along the coast. Especially on stormy days with big waves, this is a great way to take truly unique photos.
