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Beach Photography Tips for Models and Photographers

Living near the beaches of South Florida since 2004, I’ve developed firsthand experience for successful photoshoots that I’d like to share with the Model Mayhem community.


Photographer: Armond Scipione; Model: Lismary

Tips for photographers:

Choose the best time of day to shoot

Most photographers, including myself, like to shoot during the “magic hour” at the beach. This includes 30 minutes before sunrise and usually the first hour or two after. This also includes the hour or two before sunset and 30 minutes after sunset. The 30 minutes before sunrise and after sunset can often reveal the most compelling and beautiful scenery. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve packed up my camera gear thinking that a sunset was over, only to see the most amazing display in the sky after the sun goes down and I’m already driving home. If you live on the east coast, shooting at sunrise can be an amazing experience. Not only do you get the dramatic sunrise shots, but also the beach is usually very vacant. This gives you more freedom to shoot where you want and also makes the model more comfortable because there are less people watching.


Photographer: Armond Scipione

Avoid lens fog

Problem: often, your lens will fog up immediately when you take it out of the case, especially when it’s very humid outside. Even with a soft cloth and a hurricane blower, this fog and condensation can take up to 15 minutes to go away. Those 15 minutes can cause you to miss the sunrise and that perfect shot. Solution: if possible, leave you lens in the trunk of your car overnight. Your lens will be close to the same temperature and humidity as outside. Another option, and the one I use myself, is to put your lens on your camera before you leave your house. Let your camera ride next to you in your car while you drive to the beach. Slightly crack your car window and allow the outside air to come inside your car. By the time you get to the beach, you lens should be fully acclimated and ready to go.

If you have to change your lens during a shoot, try to find an indoor spot off of the beach. This will help to minimize the sand that can get onto your sensor.


Photographer: Armond Scipione

Scout out the best locations

I always like to get to the shoot location about 30 minutes before the model. This allows me to scout out the scene and find all the places where I want to shoot. The beach can change dramatically from week to week. Water levels rise and fall. Waves can be calm or rough. Sometimes you will find nice green moss on the rocks. Other times drift wood may float in. Sand levels can change and shift. Planning your shots ahead of time will make the shoot run more efficiently.


Photographer: Armond Scipione; Model: Tamlyn Cosster

Check the weather

Always go online or use an app on your phone to check the weather the days before and the night before your shoot. I’ve learned that checking the wind speed is the variable I need to consider most. Wind speeds over 15-20 mph cause major challenges for you and the model. If you insist on shooting on a windy day, bring sand bags to keep your light stands from blowing over. Yes, I’ve learned the hard way and lost 2 lights into the ocean.

Don’t worry so much about a chance of rain (30% chance or less is usually safe). Often the best sunrise and sunset scenes come before or after a rain storm.  Just in case, I always keep several large plastic bags in my camera case. If it does start raining, I can quickly cover my lights and camera.


Photographer: Armond Scipione; Model: Lismary

Clean up properly

I’ve always found it helpful to pack two towels for yourself. One to dry off with in case you get wet and the other to put on your car seat while you drive home. I also utilize a wheel cleaner brush to clean off my light stands before placing them back in my car.

Always aim to improve

I always try to improve each time I go out on a shoot. Shooting at sunrise can present several technical challenges that take time and experience to master. Balancing ambient and strobe light, incorporating the sun as additional light, getting the auto focus to act correctly with the sun in the frame, and learning how to time the waves are just a handful of issues that will likely need to be addressed and mastered. Take time after your shoot to analyze all of your shots and determine what you can do better next time.


Photographer: Armond Scipione; Model: Karolina Wozniak

Tips for models:

Get a good night’s sleep

This is really important for you to look your best. If you know you will have trouble falling asleep the night before, you can try taking 400 mg of magnesium 30 minutes before bedtime. Magnesium stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system (nighttime nervous system) and helps you fall asleep without making you groggy in the morning.


Photographer: Armond Scipione;

Plan your outfits

Communicate your outfit choices with the photographer in the days prior to the shoot. This will save time on the day of your shoot. You and the photographer can decide which outfits will work best and the photographer can also start planning the shots in his mind.

Bring 1-2 more outfits than you plan on wearing. This will give you extra options in case something doesn’t work out or the color you picked doesn’t go well with the scene.

Also, bring a large towel, blanket or bathrobe to change outfits in.


Photographer: Armond Scipione; Model: Alexis Hicks

Communicate with the photographer

When you’re about to leave for the location, text or call the photographer to let them know you are on your way. Over the years, I’ve noticed that the most successful models always confirm the time and location, and let me know when they’re leaving.

Show up about 15 minutes early. If it’s your first time driving to a location, give yourself an extra 30 minutes more than you anticipate in case you have difficulty finding the spot.

Allow enough time for makeup

Give yourself enough time to do your hair and makeup. If you are hiring a MUA, make sure the MUA knows what time you need to start driving to your shoot location. If you need to leave the MUA at 6 am, then it’s a good idea to tell the MUA that you need to be done by 5:40 am.

Plan your poses

If you are fairly new to modeling, it’s a good idea to find pictures you like and start practicing poses in the mirror. This will help you feel more comfortable during the shoot and yield better results.


Photographer: Armond Scipione

Analyze how you can improve

After your shoot, it’s always a good idea to review the images and figure out what you could do better for next time. I provide my models an online proof gallery (with watermarks) so the models can make their photo selections and see what they can improve upon. Always discuss with your photographer before the shoot to know if they will allow you to see all the images. Every photographer has different thoughts on this.

It’s been almost 10 years since I started shooting on the beach in South Florida. I hope that the Model Mayhem community will find these tips helpful. If anyone has additional questions I can be reached here on MM or on Facebook.

Armond Scipione Photo

Armond Scipione is a professional photographer based in South Florida. Before becoming a photographer, Armond was a successful model who appeared on the cover of many popular fitness magazines.

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33 Responses to “Beach Photography Tips for Models and Photographers”

  1. August 04, 2017 at 1:33 pm, Glenroy Alex Roberts Sr said:

    Thanks for the tips . . .

    Reply

  2. July 29, 2017 at 1:21 pm, Zigi Putnins said:

    forget the towels..break down and spend the $30 for a changing booth…..

    Reply

  3. July 28, 2017 at 9:00 am, Chad Suggs said:

    no lighting tips?

    Reply

  4. July 26, 2017 at 5:20 pm, Glenroy Alex Roberts Sr said:

    Thanks for the ideas . . . . .

    Reply

  5. August 30, 2016 at 12:50 pm, Angelina Veronica said:

    Awesome tips you have shared here. all images are so beautiful.

    Reply

  6. April 24, 2015 at 6:02 am, Supreme Love Photo said:

    Thanks these are some great tips!

    Reply

  7. April 23, 2015 at 10:35 pm, Gary Pifer said:

    Thanks.

    Reply

  8. April 23, 2015 at 6:29 pm, Bill said:

    Thanks for the tips. One thing I’ve not noticed discussed is sea life. It’s really bad to have your model go into the surf for some shots only to find out that jelly fish are everywhere. Not only in the water but many times you will find them on the beach making early morning shoots risky if you don’t know your beach.
    Also, BE AWARE of RIP tides. They can grab you at very shallow depths. Know what to look for with currents and rips.
    Experience a model in trouble in the water and having to throw down your gear in the sand to save a life. Been there done that. Make sure your model can swim or knows to stay out of the water.

    Reply

  9. April 23, 2015 at 6:02 pm, AMaginations Photography said:

    Thank you Armond for these excellent pointers. I’ve been a big fan of your work for quite a while. I appreciate sharing your experience with us MMers in your article.

    As a beach photographer also based in Florida for the past 15 or so years, I prefer to use natural sunlight only when shooting on the beach. So, while Armond prefers to shoot against the sun as shown in most of his images, I prefer to shoot with the sun. You’ll see in my MM portfolio (#8676), every image posted is with natural light only.

    Here are a few other tips to consider when shooting on the beach, especially if you’re tight on budget, equipment and/or assistance.

    1. Since you’re depending 100% on Mother Nature’s light as a natural light photog, the best time of day to shoot is similar to Armond’s suggestions – approximately the first 2 hours after sunrise and 2-21/2 hours prior to sunset with the last 60 or so minutes known as the Golden Hour.

    2. Assuming their are no clouds and a sharp sun, to avoid harsh shadows, you must have your model angled directly toward the sunlight. If there are soft clouds that diffuse the light a bit, you can get away with some softer shadows on your model but I still recommend having her angled toward the sun.

    3. If the model is having issues looking towards the bright sun, have her look away, down or close her eyes every other shot or so, until she can get used to the brightness of the sun. The closer the sun is to the horizon, the easier it is for the model to look towards the light (not into the light directly mind you!)

    4. Depending on the beach location you are shooting, I prefer to shoot on weekdays whereby there tend to be less crowds than on weekends or holidays. I’m not sure about others, but I’m not a beach paparazzi fan myself.

    5. Lastly, realizing the intensity and temperature of the sun changes with the rise or setting of the sun, you have to regularly check your white balance to assure you’re getting appropriate coloring. I use an ExpoDisc to get the most accurate Kelvin temperature of the sunlight every 15-30 minutes or each time the sun goes in or out of the clouds. If something similar is not in your camera bag, it’s a great $100 investment that another photographer told me about.

    If anyone reading this has additional Qs about natural light photography tips for the beach, leave your comment here or direct message me at my MM account #8676.

    Thanks!
    AMaginations Photography

    Reply

    • April 25, 2015 at 12:01 am, Glenn Matthews said:

      Hey Andy, let’s get some pizza in San Juan and watch the Saints 😉 I was wondering what your suggestions are for places like Destin where the sand is extremely white. Often times it drives me nuts trying to get the correct settings on the camera due to the light reflection from the sand tending to blow out the image.

      Reply

      • April 26, 2015 at 6:23 am, AMaginations Photography said:

        Now that was some good pizza boss wasn’t it? HAHA

        My suggestion for shooting on extremely hot/white/bright surfaces such as white sand or even concrete is to do your best to adjust your camera settings accordingly. I’m not a tech expert when it comes to manual settings – I just know what I like when I see it. So, what I would do in your situation is set my white balance properly (I use the ExpoDisc in trying to get a close proximity to the Kelvin temp of the sun at the time of the shoot) and put my aperture on 2.8 and my ISO at the appropriate measurement (usually ISO100 if there are zero clouds overhead and adjusting upwards for more clouds) and then take a test shot. Adjust settings up/down as necessary to your liking prior to shooting more images.

        The great advantage to shooting on extremely bright surfaces is when it’s mostly cloudy you can still get some decent light bouncing off the natural surface of the white sand/concrete as a natural reflector of light.

        Hope this helps, Glenn and hope you are well.

        Reply

  10. April 22, 2015 at 2:22 pm, Shankha Goswami said:

    It’s funny, the first thing that came to my mind when I was browsing through this post… Not a single shot here is magazine worthy. Is this representative of the standard of images here in Mayhem?

    Reply

    • April 22, 2015 at 4:16 pm, esolesek said:

      not really, but the models with jersey shnozz are….he he.

      Reply

    • April 22, 2015 at 8:34 pm, Hugh said:

      Shankha . . . The first thing that came to my mind [after reading your Arrogant comment] was your condescending attitude; but arrogance seems to be a characteristic of East Indians . . . at least EVERYONE I have known. I’ve been a Pro for over 40 years and have both had work published and exhibited, and I thought his work was quite well done.

      Reply

      • April 22, 2015 at 8:38 pm, Shankha Goswami said:

        Wooo – Racist much? I am so scared!
        Sorry if it came across as arrogant. It was just making an observation. I do get to work with the best in the world in my everyday job, so I may be a bit spoilt. Trust me if I wanted to be critical… I would be.. this is not it.

        Reply

    • April 27, 2015 at 7:51 pm, Rod said:

      Not helpful Shankha, you’re entitled to your opinion, but really, what was your motivation for posting it.
      I thought the article was helpful and the shots were quite good, but I’m probably not as much of a seasoned professional as you.

      Reply

  11. May 30, 2014 at 3:37 am, Dean Kay said:

    good tips thanks

    Reply

  12. November 21, 2013 at 1:21 pm, Allen Freeman said:

    I’m going to wager a guess that he never uses the sun as the main light. The sunset is behind them in most cases….he has a golden light in the front, and a white side light kicker.

    Reply

  13. November 21, 2013 at 1:16 pm, Allen Freeman said:

    Great tips……do you have something against girls from the knees down?

    Reply

  14. November 21, 2013 at 3:49 am, BArry said:

    Would have rated the article much higher if lighting had been covered. Many of the shots exhibit advanced lighting techniques and I would have liked to see ‘set’ shots on how it actually was done. Also the subject of lighting temperatures was overlooked. That is resuming no photoshop work.

    Reply

  15. November 20, 2013 at 10:19 pm, sarah lynch said:

    You know I’ve seen this guy driving away while I’m shooting that fantastic sunset…. I’ve seen a hundred of him actually and I smile every time.

    Real tips?

    Tide tables people. The water levels change more than week to week. Find out the level for the time of your shoot and then find out what that level looks like in person beforehand.

    Footwear. If you’re only shooting girls lounging in the sand you’re fine. Otherwise you will have to specifically tell the model to wear sandals like Tevas that stay on in water. Or they will show up with flip flops and lose them halfway out on the sharp rocks.

    Oh yeah. Sharp rocks. Tell the model twice. “The rocks are really sharp”

    Bring your circular polarizer! You may or may not use it depending on your stance on reflections but give yourself the option.

    Wind. If you need to be told to bring a towel and to brush off your equipment you need to be told that the beach is windier than most any other place. Bring an assistant. Or lots of sandbags.

    Good tip about the lens fog though.

    Reply

    • November 21, 2013 at 1:48 am, EuroPhoto said:

      that’s actually good stuff, sarah! 😉

      about the lighting: from what i see in the pictures it looks as he uses the sun as a kicker (rim light) and the actual light on the model comes from a strobe more or less diffused (it’s not so much the diffusion that makes the difference but the size of the resulting light). This set-up is inverted (sun is key, strobe is rim) on the one illustrating “plan outfits”.
      cheers, folks

      Reply

    • April 22, 2015 at 4:15 pm, esolesek said:

      Good tip on the wind. I’ve seen so many gorgeous suinny days that turn out to be really windy, and that sand gets everywhere, particularly in your gear, which means you may very well want it encased. Assistants are a big plus for holding reflectors (and maybe sheltering the photog in the wind). Reflectorrs make for more natural fill-in light than flash (at least to me). Its definitely different though. Using both is optimal.

      The wind can make for spectacular movement though. Dunes with seagrass are great! Hope the model doesn’t have allergies!

      Reply

  16. November 20, 2013 at 9:27 pm, H Bear said:

    Thanks for warning me to bring a towel, Bro.

    Reply

    • April 22, 2015 at 11:18 pm, Evan James said:

      Actually bring three beach towels. The three form a triangle that gives the model a lot more room. If there isn’t a second person to help, just hold one corner in each hand and the third with your teeth. Close your eyes, she will know if you cheat and if you don’t, you’ve taken a huge step forward in trust which helps the entire shoot. Yes most models can change inside a towel of robe, but giving the super quick small portable changing tent is helpful.

      Reply

  17. November 20, 2013 at 7:56 pm, chrispi004 said:

    thank you for this insight to better photos. i do have 1 more question however, when it comes to ambient lighting can you please expand just a little on weather you might use a silver expander or even other color such as deep purple. ive been making home-made light reflection devices such as tiger stripe, leopard print, and mosaic tile mirror w/mathcing colors throughout and getting very amazing shots. i would like to know what your take on that might be?
    chris kesler

    Reply

    • November 21, 2013 at 4:42 am, EuroPhoto said:

      Chris, i would be curious to see your ‘alternatives’ and of course your results. Have any way of sharing with us?
      Cheers

      Reply

  18. November 20, 2013 at 7:32 pm, Photone Photography said:

    Thanks. Good tips in overall. If only you also had given the day of time and a basic lighting info as caption underneath the images.

    Reply

  19. November 20, 2013 at 4:14 pm, Stiffcrumb said:

    Thank you for all the tips, but the ones I feel are missing are your lighting tips ?

    Thank you.

    Reply

    • November 20, 2013 at 7:05 pm, Nick Burrett said:

      Agreed, all very interesting, but none to do with lighting which is what makes the perfect picture!

      Reply

      • April 22, 2015 at 11:19 pm, Evan James said:

        Use reflectors if you have an assistant, otherwise fill flash. The early and late light is much less harsh and sets up nicely

        Reply

    • April 26, 2015 at 6:19 am, AMaginations Photography said:

      All: See my post below for tips on lighting using natural lighting only for those who prefer not to use fill flash or reflectors. Or feel free to post a specific Q and I’d be happy to respond on the forum.

      Reply

  20. November 20, 2013 at 2:00 pm, Cheshire Isaacs said:

    Great tips — thanks! Question: do you use a polarizing filter when you shoot at the beach? I had read elsewhere that it was a good thing to have, and it worked well for me when I did a portrait of a surfer.

    Reply

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