Adam Burton Photography

How to Photograph the Coast

There are few more exhilarating places to take photographs than down by the coast.  With serene or raging seas, vast expanses of windswept sand and an endless variety of rocks as subjects, you will be enthralled.  My guide takes you through the essential techniques for capturing great coastal images.

Beach Scenics

Big sandy beaches are of huge appeal to most people and photographers are certainly no different.  The great strength of photographs of beaches is their simplicity.  Whether sandy, shingle or pebbly, beaches are not overly busy or cluttered with objects, meaning that simple tranquil images can be captured providing the conditions are right.

There are several things to consider before attempting to photograph a beach.  Firstly, check out the tide tables for the location you are planning to visit.  Look to visit a sandy beach when the tide is receding and nearly low.  The great advantage of a receding tide will be a virgin sandy beach, completely washed free of footsteps, sandcastles and 'Brad loves Whitney' sand messages.  In addition a low tide will provide you with maximum flexibility to move around and identify viewpoints to capture without getting your feet too wet!

If you can time your visit to coincide a receding tide with a sunset you will substantially increase your chances of capturing a special image.  At this time of day when the sky is painted with heavenly colours, the retreating tide will leave a sandy beach wet and fantastically reflective.  Likewise, the stones of a shingle or pebble beach will be shiny and will glisten beneath the painted sky.

Sunsets and beaches naturally go well together.  Everybody seems to agree, whether they are photographers, holidaymakers or dog walkers.  People love to stand on beaches and watch the sun go down.  But dont be put off from visiting at the opposite end of the day.  Depending on the location of your chosen beach, it may be preferable to visit at sunrise.  As a general rule of thumb, if you are on the east coast, visit at sunrise when the sun is rising over the sea, while in the west make a sunset trip.

While simple uncluttered images are both ideal and achievable for beach photography, it is still beneficial to scout a location to look for a main focal point for your images.  Often times at low tide simple rock pools are revealed in the sand, making ideal foreground subjects for wide-angle compositions.  Alternatively position your tripod beside (or even better 'in') a small beach stream which can offer a natural lead-in line towards the sea. 

If you cannot find a natural object to place in your frame, then consider something man made.  Many beaches in the UK are lined with wooden groynes.  As well as helping to prevent coastal erosion these sea defences offer huge photographic potential, providing a simple appealing subject in a tranquil beachscape.

Clifftop Landscapes

Clifftop photography offers an exciting and completely different alternative to shooting from sea level.  For those willing and able to put in the extra effort walking up steep cliffs, the vistas are often breathtaking.  Luckily in the UK (and particularly in the Southwest) we have many miles of open clifftops, with a network of footpaths providing plentiful access.

When shooting from clifftop vantage points it is beneficial to carry both wide-angle and telephoto lenses in your bag.  Wide-angle lenses are especially useful when you can position yourself above vertical drops, tilting the camera downwards to capture both the crashing waves on the rocks below and the distant headlands disappearing off into the horizon.  Alternatively by compressing perspective telephotos can literally bring the far coastline boldly into the frame, allowing you to shoot up the coast, capturing a rugged and dramatic series of cliffs almost stacked on top of one another.

Time of year plays an important part in capturing powerful clifftop landscapes.  Without question the cliffs themselves are at their most beautiful in the late Spring.  During the months of May and June, the clifftops burst into vibrant life with the appearance of picturesque wildflowers.  Carpets of pink Thrift, yellow Kidney Vetch, or sometimes Bluebells paint the cliffs with colour, making ideal subjects for the foregrounds of wide landscapes.  A low and close composition, combined with a small aperture will enable you to include these flowers in pretty foregrounds falling off to rocky cliffs and a backdrop turquoise ocean.

For the brave another ideal season to shoot from the clifftops is the winter, when stormy weather can bring fierce seas and crashing waves onto the headlands below.  To fully capture the drama of waves crashing against clifftops and islands you will need a shutter speed of around 1/125sec to freeze motion.  Alternatively, go the other way and slow down the action to 15 seconds or more to record swirling and crashing waves as patterns of white trails in a mysterious sea.  These long exposures can be achieved by the use of ND's and small apertures as well as shooting at low light levels.  But be careful to splay your tripod legs wide enough to keep the camera still throughout any long exposure, otherwise you could end up with a blurred, unwanted and unrecognisable abstract on your memory card after a 4 minute exposure!

Coastal Villages

When on a coastal photography trip, don't feel that you have to dedicate all your time to beaches or clifftops.  For something a little different, consider heading into a nearby fishing village.  In stark contrast to coastal photography, where you often have to search out colour and shapes to make interesting photographic subjects, fishing villages are literally bursting with photographic potential at almost every turn.

Lets consider subject matter.  First off there are boats, usually plenty of them.  Fishing boats are often brightly coloured, and can be found bobbing around in harbours, pulled up on a beach, or overturned on a slipway.  Wherever they are to be found, they usually make wonderful subject matter for vivid coastal village shots.  It is a good idea to spend some time looking for a brightly coloured boat to feature as a prominent foreground in a wide angle composition.

Of course you do not have to limit yourself to boats.  Often you will find other tools of the fishing trade lined up in convenient positions along harbour walls.  Coils of rope, lobster pots, nets and buoys are just some of the objects that you may encounter, all of which make photogenic subjects that perfectly convey the location you are photographing. 

To emphasise these foreground objects get in close with your wide angle lens and fill the bottom of your frame with the colours of details of the harbour.  This will enable your viewer to really connect with the image and feel as though they are with you, standing on the harbour wall.  To counter balance such a bold foreground, arrange your composition to include colourful harbour front cottages, shops and pubs in the background.

As always time of day is an important consideration, not only for light but also to avoid the crowds.  By their definition, the most picturesque harbour villages attract the most visitors so, unless you are looking to include people in your composition arrive early or late in the day, or time your visit for the winter months.  When shooting at dawn keep a keen eye out for delivery vans creeping into your shots.  I have lost count of the number of times that I have been preparing to photograph a harbour scene, only to see a huge white lorry pull up on the far side of the harbour.

It can be rewarding to photograph coastal village scenes in the evening when the lights of cottages, pubs, and street lamps are reflected in mirror like harbour waters in the growing darkness.  Alternatively, a sunny blue sky day will reward you with a picturesque coastal village scene which is always popular for calendars and postcards.

On the Rocks

While compositions from beaches can offer simplicity and tranquillity, rocky coves are pretty much the opposite.  Chaotic rocky scenery abounds, offering dramatic photographs to those brave enough to attempt photography here.  But to get the best out of these locations you will need a keen eye, sturdy legs and a great deal of perseverance.

Rocky locations can appear busy and cluttered, and without careful consideration to subject matter and composition your resulting images will resemble this.  In such instances it is important to know the location well, so spend some time building up your knowledge of the area before you intend to photograph there. 

When shooting from rocky shores, I personally choose mid to high tides.  Low tide can reveal barnacle and seaweed covered rocks which provide unwelcome clutter and are almost always difficult to photograph well.  A higher tide hides not only seaweed, but also covers much of the rocky shores; the water simplifying the busy landscape and making any composition so much cleaner and easier to find.

For the most dramatic images, try to get as close to the waters edge as you are able to, while remaining safe.  Look for areas where crashing waves can bring white water channelling between the rocks.  The water channels can act as both a lead-in line, and also some light detail to balance out the darker rocky foreground of the image.  As the tide rises pay particular attention to rocky outcrops that become isolated by the sea, creating mini islands that can make striking elements to a composition.

To further simplify your composition, consider staying light into the evening and shooting a long exposure.  An exposure of around a minute will turn a choppy sea into a ghostly mist.  Any jagged rocks will protrude upwards like daggers through the water, their solid and glistening wet surfaces contrasting strongly against the soft misty veil. 

As with beaches sunrise and sunset can offer magical results when photographed from rocky shores, but do not rule out also visiting these locations on cloudy, overcast days.  Moody weather compliments rugged coves very well, enabling you to capture extremely dramatic photographs that appropriately convey the location, and stand out from the usual dawn and dusk coastal imagery.

Abstracts

With the UKweather being what it is, there will be times when you arrive on location, only to find the light has decided not to make an appearance.  There is no need to despair, overcast days can offer plenty of opportunities to shoot interesting beach details.

The coastline offers plenty of scope for photographing the smaller details in the landscape.  Colours, shapes and textures play a big part in close-up photography, and luckily these are all to be found in abundance on the coast.

Rocks and pebbles are plentiful on the majority of beaches and can make wonderful subjects to photograph.  Look for beaches of smooth circular pebbles and photograph them with a standard zoom at close range; dry pebbles can offer a subtle pastel coloured image or alternatively wet pebbles will glisten and gleam, their colours saturated and punchy.

Dont spend all your time looking down on the shore; layered strata in the cliffs can work well as part of an abstract composition.  Cliffs in locations such as North Cornwalland Devon, Dorsetand South Walesall boast rich coloured cliffs with multiple layers, often contorted at impossible angles.  Either photographed on their own or juxtaposed against a beach of circular pebbles, these layered cliffs are surprisingly easy to photograph well.

To add a sense of scale to an otherwise completely abstract composition, look to include a recognisable subject such as a shell.  Be careful when including limpets though - after shooting one long exposure close-up I was surprised to see several blurred objects in my composition; I hadnt realised that limpets moved quite so quickly!

You do not have to limit yourself to close-up details either; with the benefit of long exposures you can easily shoot almost abstract seascapes.  Using a short telephoto lens isolate some rocks or maybe a wooden groyne against a background of nothing but sea.  By using an extreme ND filter such as Lee's Big Stopper you will be able to lengthen the exposure such that the sea turns to glass, creating a minimalist image that will look good in any modern art gallery!

Gear

When shooting by the coast, the following equipment is recommended.

Lenses: A Wide-angle (e.g. 16-35mm) is an absolutely ideal lens for the majority of coastal landscape subjects.  In addition a telephoto (e.g. 70-200mm) will allow you to make the most out of clifftop vantage points and detail shots.

Tripod: A tripod is essential for coastal long exposures, and is also extremely beneficial for shooting images over water, leaving you with two hands free to change filters etc without worrying about dropping anything!

Filters: A set of Neutral Density graduated filters (ND Grads) is essential for capturing the full dynamic range from bright skies to dark foregrounds.  One or more straight Neutral Density filters (ND's) will help to achieve long exposures.  A Polarising filter is very helpful to reduce reflections, boast saturation and can also be used as an ND filter.

Spirit Level: A cheap but essential piece of kit, a hotshoe spirit level helps to achieve straight horizons, which are particularly evident when shooting over water.

Remote Cable: A remote cable will allow you to shoot long exposures with shutter into the minutes via the camera's BULB setting.

Cleaning Cloth: Keep a couple of these in your bag to wipe away any water/spray splashes on lenses.

Clean your gear: Salt water will corrode your camera gear!  After returning home from every coastal trip be sure to clean your camera, lenses, filters and tripod.

Planning a shoot

Before planning the shoot itself, there are some considerations you need to make for any location you intend to photograph.

Know your location

In order to get the best out of your photo shoot you need to familiarise yourself with a location before the photography trip.  Visit the location a couple of times beforehand, ideally at low tide and high tide.  Wander around the location and identify interesting subject matter to return to. Decide whether sunrise or sunset light would be best to showcase the location.

Tide

Some locations work best at low tide, where you can gain access to more of the beach and get to better viewpoints.  Other locations work at high tide when water covers unsightly seaweed covered rocks, and waves crash against clean pebble shores.  Consult the appropriate tide tables, or check a website (e.g. www.bbc.co.uk) to determine the anticipated tide levels for your trip. 

Safety

Coastal photography can be hazardous and potentially life threatening.  By familiarising yourself with the location you will minimize the risk of placing yourself in danger.  Look for shooting locations which provide a safe passage away from the beach, even at high tide.  Don’t stray too close to the top of unstable cliff edges, and just as importantly don’t stand too near to the bottom.

The Journey

This sounds an obvious one, but it’s very important especially for dawn shoots when time is tight.  Being familiar with the directions to your chosen cove or beach will ensure that you can reach the location in good time for dawn.  Visit the location beforehand and keep a record of how long the journey takes to the car park, and then how long to walk to the beach.  Internet or satnav directions are no substitute for prior knowledge!

Check the weather forecast & sunrise/set times

Check the forecast right up to the day of your trip; this will give you the most accurate prediction of the weather to expect.  Use at least two forecasts – try www.metcheck.co.uk and www.bbc.co.uk.  Don’t be put off by overcast skies – often these can offer the most ideal conditions for atmospheric seascapes, especially early or late in the day when light levels are low.  A partly cloudy sky is ideal, a cloudless sunny forecast is less suitable for dramatic light.

When checking the forecast, record the sunrise/set times for your chosen area.  The times change constantly throughout the year, so always get up to date times from the forecast rather than relying on your experiences on your last coastal visit.

The Sun

Knowing the position of the sun is an important consideration for landscape photography.  Use a sun compass to predict the direction of sunrise/set, or alternatively use a standard compass and track the position of the sun at sunrise or sunset before the trip.  Then use a map to calculate the anticipated rise/set position at your chosen location.

Check the wind direction and strength

Wind is a big factor for coastal photography, especially when shooting wide angle at sea level.  When checking the weather forecast, pay particular attention to the wind direction and strength.  If the wind direction is coming directly in off the sea, and the strength is 10mph plus, it is often difficult to avoid your camera gear becoming coated with sea-spray, and splashes from waves.  Cleaning filters and lens glass is difficult at the coast, as salty spray smears.  For this reason look for forecasts where the wind is coming from any other direction than directly in off the sea.  Alternatively, stand further back the beach and use a longer lens to safely capture the breaking waves with minimal sea-spray.