Work With Oceans

Master water movement for perfect exposure and timing on seascapes and shorelines

Coastlines and seascapes are an ever-popular subject among landscape photographers for the wide variety of rock formations and beach detail on offer. However, one of the biggest draws of the environment is the obvious boundary between land and water, which can be used to create images with a clear direction, textural contrast and sense of movement. In no other location type is this division of habitat more visible – for humans the ocean is an inhospitable place, which adds to the sense of awe experienced when viewing an image that successfully captures the power of waves to shape the land.

A shoreline is a deceptively challenging location to effectively photograph, however. As we’ve discussed, the movement of water has the potential to introduce energy to an otherwise static scene, but with this visual aid comes a set of practical difficulties. In order to show motion, an appropriate shutter speed is required, but this lengthened exposure renders the camera setup susceptible to camera shake. The use of a camera support is a must, but even a tripod can’t protect images from every vibration. The crashing of waves close to the camera position can introduce immediate blur, while the gradual process of sand subsidence – the sinking of the tripod legs over time – can create a loss of detail that’s difficult to detect until the image is viewed after the shoot.