As the summer progresses summer our beach photo shoot sessions are in full swing. I have had the pleasure of working with the most incredible families. The photo in this article was from a shoot with a kindergarten age brother and sister. We shot on a beach located on the north shore of Long Island.
When shooting on the beach there are a few challenges to consider. Firstly, the bright sun and lack of any shade at the beach can cause harsh highlights on your subject.
There are a few ways to combat this. One is to use a screen to block out some of the sun. If you have a 5 in 1 reflector, you can use this to act as a screen to create soft light. This is what was done in this image. What you can’t see is my assistant holding the screen behind me blocking the direct sunlight.
If you don’t have an assistant on your beach photo shoot, a simpler way is to have your subject face north or south so that the sun is off to one side. If it is later in the day, wait till the sun begins to set. As the sun gets low, the light will begin to wrap and will become soft.
If you are shooting with your subject facing the sun, watch for shadows you create as you shoot images being cast onto the ground in front of your subject.
Try bring a prop to the shoot to make things a bit more interesting in your photos. Kids love to play at the beach so bring along a toy appropriate for the beach and just let them be. Observe and shoot and see if you can get something magical.