How To Photograph The Sea

Water, sea, ocean... They keep a lot of differences. Their character is also changeable and every state of theirs is so beautiful! But how can we reveal calmness of the sea before the storm or the power of the element?

What should we remember when shooting the sea landscape:

1. Think of a place. The ideal variant would be a rocky bay full of stones with different surface patterns. It’s better if it’s not suitable for comfortable rest  - there are fewer chances to meet another photographer in wild areas, or a lonely tourist might be an essential part of your shot, or his steps might create an interesting composition on ideal surface of sand. Also you won’t meet there any “presents” of our civilization as cans, plastic bags and so on.

Don’t be upset if you haven’t a possibility to get to a wild bay. You can choose a famous place but in the dead season. Use the internet. Look through pictures of the place you’ve chosen, so you will estimate the area potential in advance and won’t waste your time on it after arriving.

2. Think of composition.

·        Pay attention to the weather and remember that vertical shot is deeper and more active, and horizontal is wider and more tranquil. So you can stress the storm or the calm with the help of your shot position.

·        Pay attention to the light . Reflections on seaside pools or pits near stones might be an amusing story for your shot.

·        Be attentive to details. Don’t concentrate only on large forms. You can use some interesting texture or a group of rhythmically located stones as a foreground (try wide-angle lens here). Also such detail as a separate bright element can be the center of your composition.

·        Rhythm. There are a lot of groups of different objects that seem to be chaotic. Try to form your shot so that the rhythm could be seen.

·        Lines. Remember that lines make our eyes follow them. It means people will have a good look at your shot. Don’t be afraid to break the rule of thirds or place the horizon line right in the center. Just know why you are doing so.

3. Think of time.

Golden Hours. The mystery of the sea landscape is in time because sea shots are often based on slow shutter speed. The ideal time to photograph seashore is twilight (about an hour before the sunrise) when just the first gleams of light are ready to appear and sunset (adding some time after). It’s called Golden hour (or magic hour) and lasts about two hours.

Focal length. In order to control focal length you should work with max. closed diaphragm. The more you close it the deeper focal length you get. Though don’t forget about features of your lens: while one model can cope with these setting another one might have the blur effect.

ISO. Be able to change the ISO on the fly. Start with min ISO, but if there is not enough light increase it.  

Professional Tips

 1. Use filters!

·        Polarization filter will help you to get rid of unnecessary reflections on sea surface.

·        Neutral density filter will reduce the intensity of light, thereby increasing the exposure time.

·        Gradient filter will help you to avoid overexposed shots because one half of it is clear and another one is dark.

 2. Keep your equipment safe from rain and salt water.

 3. Have a pocket flash to find the way in the dark.