How to Capture a Perfect Beach Portrait

There is no doubt that picture-taking skills would be useful in our everyday lives, even if we do not wish to be professional photographers. Many of us have also admired well-taken beach portraits which present the person photographed in an attractive and memorable manner. Therefore, you are likely to have an interest in how you can capture a perfect beach portrait, as described below.

Pick the finest location and consider the sun’s angle

It would be great if you happen to be familiar with the location of your beach portrait. In any case, you should make the effort to visit the site before the shoot takes place. As you examine the beach, you should check out several things; these include whether there is an attractive background, the sun’s angle towards your subjects and the number of other people at the site; also consider whether it will be convenient for your subjects to make their way to the location.

The sun’s angle as it shines on your portrait subjects will also be an important consideration. Generally, you should not have your subjects looking straight towards the sun or have the sun directly behind them; instead, you should try to have the sun providing a sidelight.

Consider the time of the shoot and weather issues

Usually, the best times for your shoot would be around sunrise or sunset. However, if the skies are overcast on your selected day, you may choose to shoot with the sun higher in the skies; however, this is not a very desirable scenario. For a morning shoot, you should have your subjects ready as the sun rises. You will have about 45 minutes to shoot, after which the light would be too bright for your subjects because of the glare. On the other hand, for an evening shoot, you should aim to commence about an hour before sunset.

If you encounter wind during the shoot, try to position the subjects so that they face the wind, which will prevent hair from blowing into their faces. If you anticipate rain, bring several umbrellas as well as plastic bags to protect your equipment during showers.

Select the best clothes, poses and shooting location

When it comes to the colour of clothing for beach portraits, it may be said that neutral earth tones will be optimal. Should you desire to add more colour to the photograph, you may opt for green, blue or black; that said, bright yellow, red or pink clothes will tend to be too dominant for a pleasing photo.

Generally, posing your subjects will work well; rather than just standing, make them also sit, squat, kneel, jump, run, walk, look away, look towards you or strike other creative poses you can think of! When it comes to groups, you could arrange the subjects in a shape or pattern.

You should also check the accessibility of your location; make sure the beach spot can be easily reached, whether it is suitable for elderly people or kids and so on. A Phuket resort to consider where you will find accessible beach locations for some great candid family portraits would be Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas.

Take note of the lighting and obtain assistance

You will find that reflectors will be virtually useless for beach portraits if you do not have the services of a crew or an assistant at the very least to help you. This will be because the wind is usually ever-present at the beach; therefore, the reflectors will act like massive sails. Additionally, it may be said that a strong effective flash would be your best bet when it comes to beach portraits.

You are likely to find that the assistance of a helper would be very useful for your beach portrait session. A skilled photographer is not needed for this role; you just need someone to help organise the children, look after the equipment and everybody’s valuables, and so on. Of course, when on a holiday, your willing partner or spouse could help you when taking beach portraits of the kids!