Canon EOS Digital SLR Product Range - Eos40D, Eos400D

Aussies love the beach. It's where we relax, and play and bring our families. Naturally, we also like to take our cameras to the beach so we can take pictures of these happy times. But there's a lot more to beach photography than happy snapshots; the beach can provide a subject that is both satisfying and challenging for keen photographers.

1. A digital camera (waterproof - or water resistant, if possible)
2. If your camera isn't water-resistant, a plastic bag, waterproof housing or some way of preventing water from getting into the camera.
3. A soft, dry, lint-free cloth and blower brush for removing moisture, salt and sand that may have accumulated on the camera while you have been shooting.

Water seeping into a camera can damage its electronics and make it unusable so the first rule is to keep your camera as dry as possible - and, unless your camera is waterproof, only use it when your hands are dry. Rinse your hands in fresh water after swimming and dry them thoroughly or use an alcohol-moistened tissue to remove salt residue. A blower brush is ideal for dislodging sand particles.

Keep well clear of people who are splashing around and take care in windy conditions when salt spray is blowing from the sea. Never leave your camera in the sun. It can cause overheating and damage the sensor and electronics. It will also be vulnerable to theft. Clean your camera carefully after being on the beach, using a soft dry cloth and blower brush.

1. 	Cropping a shot allows you to focus the viewer's attention on the main components in the subject.

   Pick your time carefully. The best times are early in the morning and late in the afternoon when the sun angle is low. Around midday, you are likely to have problems setting the exposure to deliver a good-looking picture.
2. Unless the sun is very low, shoot with a low ISO setting. The bright light on the beach can overwhelm your camera's exposure system. ISO 100 should be the top sensitivity setting for a bright day!
   

3. 	Seen from above, the beach takes on a different, more structural, perspective.

   Experiment with different vantage points. Try looking down on the beach from above or kneel down (or even lie on your stomach) to take a 'worm's eye' view.
   

4. 	Look for subjects that tell a story - and don't worry if people's faces are turned away from the camera. Long shadows from a low sun angle can add compositional structure to shots.

   Look for things that tell a story about your visit to the beach; a child at play, textures in the sand, close-ups of shells or driftwood.
   
5. Use fill-in flash to brighten up shadows caused by strong overhead light. (Knock back the flash exposure by -0.7 to -1.0 EV for a more natural-looking balance of flash and ambient light.)
6. Use spot metering to ensure people's faces are correctly exposed when taking portrait shots on the beach.
7. Bracket exposures when you're not sure what the best exposure setting is, starting with -0.3 EV as the mid point. If your camera has a manual mode, it can also help you to find the correct exposure settings.
8. A polarising filter will make the colours of the water and sky more vibrant and add vitality to your shots.

9. 	Stormy days can be great for beach photography.

   Stormy days can be great for beach photography - especially if you like pictures of waves pounding on the sand and rocks. Don't stay at home in bad weather - but make sure your camera is well protected against blown spray and clean it carefully when you get home.
   

1. 	It can be difficult to get horizons straight when the sand dunes slope down to the sea. You have to imagine where the horizon would be if the dunes weren't in the picture.

   Sloping horizons. Many beach shots include the sea in the background and few things are more disconcerting than horizons that are out-of-kilter. If your camera has an on-demand grid screen that you can display in the viewfinder or on the LCD, use it as a guide to getting horizons straight.
   
2. Blown-out highlights. Bright light can 'trick' your camera's exposure meter and produce pictures that look very light, with no details recorded in the brightest areas. The easiest way to overcome this is to use the Beach/Snow mode - but it's not always successful. More effective is setting the exposure compensation (+/- control) to -0.3 or -0.7EV. Check each shot on the camera's monitor to see if the highlights (brightest parts of the subject) have detail recorded. It they still look white and you can't see any detail, knock the exposure compensation down another step. Don't worry if the shadows look very dark. As long as some detail is recorded in them, you can bring it up later in editing software. But you can't put in highlight detail that wasn't recorded in the shot.

3. 	Spot metering was essential for setting an exposure that would record details in the fisherman, the pelican and the breaking wave.

   Specular reflections. Bright patches of light reflecting off water, glass or other shiny surfaces can create patches of 'glare' in your pictures where no detail is recorded. Use a polariser to minimise this glare. If that's not successful, choose a different vantage point that avoids the highly-reflective surface.