Better Seascapes !
Julie Abreu Photography Melbourne, Australia 0421 572 274 julieabreu.photography@gmail.com www.julieabreuphotography.com
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In Australia, we are very lucky: the coastline is stunning, and most of us live less than 20 minutes from the beach. For the ones who love landscape photography, it makes it the perfect playground.
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But how to photograph seascapes? It looks simple at first, nevertheless capturing the beauty of the waterfront is very demanding in terms of creativity.
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Composition is the key, and this booklet gives you some advice about how to take better seascape pictures.
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1/Equipment
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Gear As a photographer, I am not very interested in gear. I do not use a full-frame camera, I do not own an expensive tripod, nor filters.
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For a long time I used the 18-55mm lens of the kit (and I sometimes still do!). I have the Canon 50mm 1.8, and my only "expensive" lens is a 35mm 1.4 Art from Sigma. And it is more than enough.
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I mainly use my dad’s tripod from the 80’s, which is a bit rusty. It is quite heavy, so it is great for windy days. When I hike, I use a lighter tripod which was one of the cheap ones in the store.
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My filters cost me around $20 from a second-hand camera gear market. And I do not complain about them.
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Minimalism Is it shocking to not be a "gear" person for a photographer? No. Because it is not about the gear, it is about your creativity. And believe me, it is not something you can buy. You can only train it.
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I call this minimalism. It is about doing your best with what you already have, and consider it as plenty. You are not going to become a better photographer with expensive gear.
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Train your eye, learn more about composition, and use your gear until you need to upgrade it to go beyond its limits. But let’s be fair, even the basic DSLRs will take you a long time before they show their limits.
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What you need - A Camera with an M-mode. - A wide-angle lens. - A tripod (or something to
stabilise your camera: I often use my back-pack when on the go, or a wall, the ground, etc.) - Good shoes - Rainproof and windproof jacket - A pen and paper to take notes
What you can add in your camera bag - A polarizer filter - ND filters to blur the water
and the waves - A telephoto lens (to change perspectives)
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Be Ready
I never leave the house without the basics: the camera, a tripod, a notebook. It happened too many times that I missed great opportunities, so I won’t let it happen again! I also always have a jacket on the backseat, and good shoes.
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I am basically ready for anything.
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2/ON SPOT
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Places Scouting for stunning places to photograph is part of the game: look on the internet, explore Instagram, Flickr or 500px. You might find inspiration there.
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If you are more of an explorer, just keep an open mind on an everyday basis. Never leave home without your gear (you never know what is around the next corner!). Nothing is more frustrating than being at the right place, at the right time‌ and not having the proper equipment.
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Timing We all dream in front of stunning sunsets by the beach, with vivid colours and vibrant skies.
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At this time of the day, oranges, yellows and sometimes pinks are strong on our images, and it is about being at the right place, at the right hour.
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Before a session, always check the time of sunset (or sunrise), depending on the location you want to shoot: is it facing east or west? Early mornings and late evenings will no doubt give you the best shots. Think about looking at the tide times too.
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A great tool for you to check what is the best time to go to the spot you are interested in: www.thephotographerephemeris.c om
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Technique
"A technically perfect photograph is not necessarily a great photograph. Technique is important, but it should never come at the expense of training your eye to see stronger compositions" - Dylan Fox
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Experiment Te chniqu e is e sse nt ial t o capture a great moment, in landscape photography like in any other specialty. But as Dylan Fox underlines, it is not the most important.
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Some criteria are known to be essential in landscape photography, such as creating sharp pictures, using a tripod, etc. And it is true in many situations. But not all of them.
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Get creative in your settings! Sometimes it is best not to follow the crowd.
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Try pictures with a short or long depth-of-field, long-exposure or fast shutter-speed, take images in the middle of the day, always experiment new techniques.
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3/COMPOSITION
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Create Powerful images, not postcards Photographers call an image a postcard when it is technically impeccable, but it does not create an artistic emotion for the viewer.
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This is the main difficulty of seascape photography: to create stunning pictures that no one else has done before. Find an original voice along this beautiful path!
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It is all about pushing your boundaries to make pictures that are like no one else’s.
 
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Rules? There are rules about composing a striking image, and everyone can use them as guidelines to improve their photography.
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The Rule of Third, for example, helps to not center the subject (aka the horizon, or a person walking on the beach).
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Give some space to the sky if it is where the show is happening on the day, or to the water if you find that it is more interesting.
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Try black and white seascape photography! Colours are used 99% of the time, but I just love a great black and white as well.
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Tell us a story   The beach is not always about capturing the waves and magnificent sunsets. It is also a meeting point where people come to walk their dog, fish, have fun on the sand with the kids.
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Capturing the essence of what happens on the beach allows you to create different pictures, where humans and animals find a balance.
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Play with depth-of-field to isolate your subject and blur the background: it is about telling a story to your viewer.
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Pay attention to detail
Details matter more than you think. When capturing the essence of the beach, sometimes it is interesting to make a close-up and isolate a detail: your thongs, that fish, anything that attracts your attention. It tells a story as much as a wide-angle shot, and sometimes it carries more emotion.
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4/ Get Inspired
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To read Books
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Ansel Adams, 400 Photographs.
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Joe Cornish, First Light - A Landscape Photography Art.
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Rebekka Guoleifsdottir, Moodscape, The Theory and Practice of Fine-Art Landscape Photography.
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Tom Mackie, Landscape Photography Secrets.
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David Noton, Waiting for the light.
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Magazines
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Australian Photography (April 2016): « Capture the Coast, Breathtaking seascapes made easy », by Dylan Fox.
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Where was it shot?
p. 1: Frankston Beach, Victoria, Australia. p. 3: Lake Tyers Beach, Victoria, Australia. p. 6: Frankston Beach, Victoria, Australia. p. 8: Frankston Beach, Victoria, Australia. p. 10: McRae Beach, Victoria, Australia. p. 12: Mills Beach, Victoria, Australia p. 15: Frankston Beach, Victoria, Australia. p. 17: Mills Beach, Victoria, Australia. p. 19: Boulogne-sur-mer, France. p. 21: Boulogne-sur-mer, France. p. 24: Mills Beach, Victoria, Australia. p. 26: Ninety Mile Beach, Victoria, Australia. p. 28: Birubi Beach, NSW, Australia. p. 30: One Mile Beach, NSW, Australia. p. 34: Dune du Pila, France.
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Julie Abreu Photography 2016
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