Coastal Landscape Photography

If you are fortunate to live not too far from the coast it can offer you many great composition ideas. You can easily produce some truly spectacular coastal landscape photography if you take your time to learn some basic techniques.

The different types of coastline present their own unique characteristics and each brings with it its own photographic challenges for you to master.

When is the best season for coastal landscape photography?

When you want to shoot a coastal landscape scene you may ask when is the best season? You may have a preferred season in mind but each will offer different possibilities and different results in your images so it can be argued that every season is the best time.

It also depends on what you want to achieve in your overall images. The vibrant colours of spring and dramatic summer sunsets are very different from the moody and atmospheric shots which can be obtained in the winter months.

So it is best to experiment with each season until you find your favourite one. The important part is not to be put off by the weather!

When is the best time of the day for coastal landscape photography?

Sunrise and sunset in any season are often considered the best times of the day for coastal photography. They are good starting points to capture the coast with its most colourful skies and interesting cloud formations.

If the weather takes a dramatic turn for the worst, this can actually be the perfect weather condition for capturing large, crashing waves against the shoreline or rocks.

The changing tide

It is important to check tide times before you set out.

Use one of the many tide times Apps available to plan when it is safer to go. It is safer to shoot on a falling tide and this will ensure footprint free sand too.

Check that the tide is at the right level. If you want to shoot features such as rocks jutting through the water during a long exposure at dawn or dusk the tide has to be right.

What are the different types of coastal landscapes?

An expanse of wild, deserted coastline is what normally comes to mind when thinking about photographing a coastal landscape. However, there are many different types of coastline to discover.

Quite dramatic changes in the coastline can be seen over a relatively short distance. Real variation of images can be captured in a day if you are prepared to do some walking to find options for different compositions.

Once you have found your chosen coastal landscape you will need to explore the landscape to find good focal points and subjects to provide a strong composition.

Explore the landscape to find a strong composition

Explore the stretch of coastline to find a strong composition. Find exaggerated features such as a curved or defined shape. They offer much more interest and appeal than a featureless and flat coastline that disappears into the horizon.

• Find a beach with bold features such as rocks or large boulders – these can be used for a strong foreground interest.
• Keep an eye out for groynes and lines of posts in the sea – these can help create leading lines to pull the eye into the scene and are a useful focal point if you want to achieve a stripped back composition using a long exposure.
• Look for coastlines with dramatic cliffs and sea stacks – these can provide colour and strong texture.
• Keep checking the sky for interesting cloud formations – clouds at sunrise or sunset offer the chance of most colour.
• Research coastlines which have a pier or a jetty – these offer the advantage of creating moving atmospheric shots such as blurring the water and provide strong leading lines.
• Choose a coast with a harbour and boats – a harbour wall can provide a good leading line into the image and boats can be used as a subject backdrop to create a strong focal element.
• Lighthouses and causeways – finding a stretch of coast with a lighthouse and a causeway will offer a new perspective and provide a strong subject matter.

There are several lighthouses to be discovered such as the Dovercourt Low Lighthouse in Harwich, Essex which stands on the shoreline at the end of its own causeway.

How to create the best composition

As there are often so many details in a coastal landscape it is not always what you put into the image as to what you leave out that makes the best composition. To get it right try to:

• Find strong foreground elements
• Cut out unnecessary distracting details from the foreground
• Use a left or right side feature as a leading line to pull the eye into the scene
• Choose one subject for a central focal point when creating a minimal scene
• Strip out the details to the bare essentials for a minimal look
• Lower your tripod to go down to the water line to create an extra depth of field over the seascape
• Balance your composition by adjusting the line of the horizon
• Take care with merging darks rocks or sea stacks that will appear as one large dark area.

To find out more about adding the finer details into your coastal landscape photography and to discover further tips read Part 2 of Coastal Landscape Photography which will be published next week.