This morning I realised I've neglected my facebook account over January, so I loaded some photos up... and a dear friend contacted me to ask if I could take some family portraits for her - she actually offered me money to do so! I feel a bit weird taking cash off my friend and am happy to them gratis, but she insists, as she was going to pay a professional any way. She wants them at a beach that is important to her family... I think the biggest challenge will be getting her 8 year old not to pose like a princess and holding the attention of her madcap 4 year old boy. And not getting sand/water in my camera. Any ideas or tips for beach portraits? My mate is pretty unconventional, she won't want your classic formal portrait, but something that captures a sense of her family and also of the landscape. It will just be me and my trusty point and shoot in terms of gear, so I'll be traveling light at least. And I'll be trying to get a sharp focus on the eyes - thanks for that one, @agima!
I had some photosmtaken down at the beach by a friend before i got my own camera and she was very wary of shadows... Maybe if you go to the beach (if its local) at a few diffferent times of the day and muck around with your children (or a friend if you dont have any) to see the best time of day... Clothing is important as well i think.. (theirs not yours although you should be comfortable).. We wore denim bottoms and white tops and it is very effectve.. My friend didnt have any flash equipment but my photos turned out great.. My only drama with the whole experience is that she edited one of the photos and that changed the size of the jpeg and i wasnt able to print it as big as i would have liked... Does that make sense??? Enjoy xx
@mrsbaldy Thank you! Those harsh shadows are tricky, as it's summer here I like the thought of evening maybe... your suggestion to try out some different times of day is great, especially I'll be spending the day with my friend anyway. Plus me and the kids are often down there anyway at the moment, as we live at the beach, so they can be guinea pigs for sure! And thanks for the thoughts on editing, I'll make sure I keep all the (good) original shots just in case.
I have found getting people to do what they do, eg build sandcastles, jump off the dunes(multishoot), walk along the shoreline etc.
Step back and take more candid photos.
For closer portraits put on a zoom (if you have one) so you're not in their face.
I photographed a couple of friends (on their wedding day) on the beach and just told them to walk away about 100m and then walk back (holding hands chatting, stopping for a kiss), I just took heaps and there were plenty of great shots. (I'm no professional )
So ultimately it depends on what your friend wants, if she wants more posed shots then I would think about some posing ideas and write them down. I personally prefer to do the candid stuff.
I didnt charge for this (it was a couple of years ago and I was just a friend taking photos)
A couple of years later, a better camera and more skill, now I may accept some payment
A friend had a beach family portrait made and the beach had a natural rock wall. Different family members sat on the rocks in various positions. Like @mrsbaldy mentioned, they all wore similar color clothes -- all had white shirts, but I can't remember the shorts/pants colors. It was really effective and the family looked like they were having a lot of fun. It also helped with being able to see everyone's face given different heights -- they just used the rocks to get everyone in a good sight line.
For beach shots I always look for striking elements to include in the scene. Rocks, walls, grass, even industrial elements work too! Use some negative space on some shots so there is a lot of beach and they are in the corner of the shot. And remember, you should be squinting not them! :)
We had family pictures at the beach last summer. We had very bright colors... Actually, my picture to the left is from that. We Also made a heart with our arms with the kids inside it. Another ave pose was all of us Ina line holding hands. Pinterest has fantastic ideas too.
I would be prepared for fill flash, though, depending on how harsh the lighting is. Maybe early or late. Friends of mine have gone at sunrise for beach photos but I a sure that's too early in this case! I have seen families walking down the beach and the photo taken from the back. Very nice and unusual. Have fun. Let the kids play.
point and shoot? can you not borrow a proper camera? If not a proper camera, and if she's unconventional buy a film camera off ebay, an SLR for like $20. The controls will give you so much more control. And a reflector is really handy, they're about $10 off ebay, rather than use fill flash there will be lots of light about, if you haven't got a reflector, which I'm guessing you've not, then a piece of A1 mount board with one side black and one side white (you know cardboard from an art shop) the black side kills light when there's too much and the white side bounces light. So backlight them so they're not squinting and have the white card under the camera to light them with the suns reflection.
I wouldn't be concerned that you use a Point and Shoot. Your Point and Shoot is a real camera, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Watch the position of the sun, not directly behind or in front of the subject. The reflector card is a good idea if you have someone to hold and position it for you. I would not use fill flash, since I don't think your camera can adjust the flash power.
Watch the exposure. Strangely with a lot of bright water, sky and especially sand, your camera's meter can be easily fooled to underexpose the subjects, let alone render the sand and water dull. If you are going to post-process in an editor, this shouldn't worry you, but if you don't do this, it will be one of your biggest issues to address. Look for "Exposure Compensation" in your camera manual. If your camera has "scene modes" look for one called something like "snow." Snow has the same bright characteristics as sand and water.
Every time I go to the beach, I see portraits being made during the "golden hour" before sunset. I highly recommend you take the portraits at this time due to the warm and fabulous light. Best of luck!
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Step back and take more candid photos.
For closer portraits put on a zoom (if you have one) so you're not in their face.
I photographed a couple of friends (on their wedding day) on the beach and just told them to walk away about 100m and then walk back (holding hands chatting, stopping for a kiss), I just took heaps and there were plenty of great shots. (I'm no professional )
So ultimately it depends on what your friend wants, if she wants more posed shots then I would think about some posing ideas and write them down. I personally prefer to do the candid stuff.
I didnt charge for this (it was a couple of years ago and I was just a friend taking photos)
A couple of years later, a better camera and more skill, now I may accept some payment
Watch the position of the sun, not directly behind or in front of the subject. The reflector card is a good idea if you have someone to hold and position it for you. I would not use fill flash, since I don't think your camera can adjust the flash power.
Watch the exposure. Strangely with a lot of bright water, sky and especially sand, your camera's meter can be easily fooled to underexpose the subjects, let alone render the sand and water dull. If you are going to post-process in an editor, this shouldn't worry you, but if you don't do this, it will be one of your biggest issues to address. Look for "Exposure Compensation" in your camera manual. If your camera has "scene modes" look for one called something like "snow." Snow has the same bright characteristics as sand and water.
Good shooting!