Beach photography is high on the agenda

With bank holiday coming up in the UK and hopefully more great weather, what a better way to pass time then by hitting the beach and taking some photographs? Beaches present digital camera owners with a number of wonderful opportunities, as they offer beautiful landscape, colours and light.

Here at Touchnote we love beach photography and have numerous images in our gallery that are extremely popular to create personalised cards with. Below are a few tips on how to take great photographs at the beach, so next time you want to create a personalised card you can use your own photo instead.

Find a focus

Many people can feel lost when taking pictures at the beach as while they might capture a beautiful scene they actually have no point of interest and as a result can take pictures that feel empty and boring. When taking a shot look for a point of interest or focal point that will give those looking at your photo a place for their eye to rest. Some typical examples are: footprints in the sand, chipped paint on beach huts or boats, shells on the shore or intersecting blades of dune grass. What is also fun is to look for the little things that tell the story of going to the beach, like shoes at the water's edge, sand castles, sunglasses, sunscreen lotion etc. For best results zoom in closely on your focus point, you can even get down in the sand and stabilise the camera on something to ensure details remain crisp.

Look for some wildlife

The beach is home to many interesting and colourful creatures and shells. Look for starfish and crabs in rock pools, shells in the sand or coastal birds such as gulls.

Capture the movement of the sea

The flow of the sea is a beautiful and tranqiul motion to capture on camera. Set your camera on a tripod and dial in a slow shutter speed, how slow will depend on the brightness of the day, but you could use a polarizer or ND Grad filter to reduce the amount of light entering the lens.

Be creative with post photo production

Why not do a little post photo production and see what impact stripping a photo of color has upon it? There's something about a black and white shot at the beach that completely changes the mood and feel of a shot. It's also a great way to bring to life beach shots taken on dull days as shadows and light will stand out more.

Head to the beach when it doesn't look so inviting

A beach can really come to life on days that everyone avoids it. Stormy seas, threatening and dramatic clouds and wind slowing lifesaver flags all make for atmospheric shots.

So whether sunny or stormy, the beach is a great place to practice and experiment with your photography.

We look forward to seeing some of your own creations next time you create a personalised card. They are particulary good for creating postcards, thank you cards, birthday cards and get well soon cards.