Take Beach Wedding Photos

Whether you are a beginner at professional wedding photography or you will simply be taking wedding photos for a friend or family member on a budget, you have been given a significant responsibility to document a very special day in the lives of the bride and groom. A beach wedding is not necessarily any more challenging to photograph than an indoor wedding, but there are a different set of considerations you will need to keep in mind to ensure your success.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Avoid using your camera's flash function if it is a sunny day, as outdoor photography does not generally require the use of artificial light. Be sure that the sun is always behind you, on an angle slightly to the right or left, when you are taking a picture on the beach. Though this will improve the quality of the lighting in your shot, the people in your photos may be squinting due to the sun in their eyes unless you take the time to find the right amount of shade or wait until a cloud slightly obscures the sun.
   • 2
     Ask the bride and groom for a list of specific shots that they would like you to try to capture during their beach wedding. This might include a list of them posing with grandparents or other specific relatives or less traditional shots such as the couple dipping their bare feet into the rising tide after the ceremony. This type of list will help keep you organized and feeling confident that you and the bride and groom will be pleased with the results.

     
     

     

     1. • 3
           Take a few silhouette shots of the bride and groom by having them stand in position facing each other with the sun behind them. This will place the source of light behind them, creating a shadow effect. Silhouette shots should be used sparingly as in most cases you will not be able to see much detail in the photos.
        • 4
          Keep the subjects of your wedding photos as the primary focus in the camera's frame as you snap pictures. A common challenge with taking beach wedding photos is drawing enough attention to your subjects, rather than to the wide-open landscapes. Do try to keep the beach in the background of your photos, though, to create a visual frame of reference for your shot.
        • 5
          Take some creative photographs of simple objects related to the beach wedding as an alternative to shots of people. Some of the most popular and artistic wedding photographs are the ones that capture the candid moments and basic things involved during the day, such as a picture of the bride's veil draped over a chair or a bouquet of flowers resting on the table. For a beach wedding you might consider taking a picture of the bride and groom's footprints in the sand or a beach blanket with a bouquet of flowers on top of it.