How to Shoot Wedding Photography on the Beach in Harsh Sun
Beach weddings, whether domestic or international, are a popular choice for couples who want to exchange vows surrounded by nature. Wedding photographs are meant to capture special moments from getting dressed to the ceremony to the reception. If a beach ceremony is held in the afternoon, the sun can “wash out” photographs through underexposure. A beach wedding photographer can save the pictures by being aware of the sun at all times and taking lots of shots from different angles.
Instructions
- Find the sun. The angle of sunlight is the most important part of beach photography. For the majority of shots the sun should be at an angle behind the photographer unless the photographer is shooting a silhouette shot. Then the sun should be behind the focal point.
- Turn on the fill flash. When taking portraits in harsh sunlight, there will often be shadows cast across people’s faces or the white of the wedding dress. Turning on the fill flash evens out the lighting.
- Use a polarizing filter. Polarizing filters filter out polarized light which reduces reflections and increases contrast. Harsh sunlight will be filtered into deep, rich colors rather than washing out the photograph in a haze of light.
- Shoot manually. The harsh sunlight of the beach will often lead to underexposure when shooting in Auto mode. Digital Photography School recommends checking what exposure at which the camera would automatically shoot and then overexposing it by a stop or two.
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