There’s nothing better than hitting up the beach on a hot summer’s day. Well, actually, there is: taking the perfect beach photo, of course. Creative beach photography is one of the best ways to pass the time during the summer.
Whether it’s for engagement beach photo ideas or family beach pictures, there are many ways that you can take creative beach photography ideas and turn them into something special.
Ready to take your beach pictures to the next level? In this beach photography article, we’ll go over creative beach pictures ideas so you can snap a memory that lasts a lifetime.
Our Top Creative Beach Photography Ideas
Whether spring break is coming up or you’re about to embark on a honeymoon with your special someone, you’ve got to show up ready to take creative beach photos. Check out our beach photography list of fun beach pictures ideas below.
1. The Book Nook
First in our beach photography ideas is the book nook. While laying on a hammock or sitting at the end of a dock, open your favorite book to a page you enjoy. With the water or white sand in the background, snap a photo of you and your book for an Instagram-worthy photo.
2. Splash Around
The beach provides plenty of opportunities to get creative with water for your beach pictures ideas. And the next picture ideas are a great example of fun beach photography.
From water-level, take good beach pictures of you or your loved one splashing around in the water and spraying water near the lens. This is also a great idea for family pictures on the beach.
3. Strike a Yoga Pose
Next in our beach photography ideas list is the yoga pose. If you’re in the mood for some fitness fun, strike a yoga position on your beach pictures, such as the warrior pose, and use a timer to get the perfect photo of you holding it.
4. Cliff Diving Action Shots
Rocky cliffs provide excellent opportunities for creative beach photography ideas. Get an action shot with a fast shutter speed of your friend or significant other leaping off a cliff into the water. Make sure that you jump from a safe height and that the water is no less than 15 feet deep before taking the plunge!
5. Handprints in the Sand
If you’re looking for non-cliche but creative beach photography ideas, try taking pictures family handprints in the sand. This is great for beach family pictures.
Taking a handprint photo is only one of many family picture ideas on the beach and a fun way to capture a moment, whether it’s with your significant other or with your kids. This is a wonderful addition to our list of beach photography ideas.
6. Feet in the Sand
Next in our beach photography ideas list is this classic shot. Another fun and cutesy beach picture idea is the classic “toes in the sand” photo. Take a macro photo of your feet partially buried in the sand and be sure to pick up the details in each grain.
7. The Cocktail Photo
Nothing says “taking it easy” like a cocktail on the beach. This might not scream pictures, family, or love; yet taking a photo of the cocktail in your hand, with a sunset in the background, perfectly encapsulates the freedom and relaxation of a beach trip.
8. The Palm Tree Photo
If you want to be original, try this one for your picture ideas in our beach photography ideas list. Take a photo standing under a palm tree. Bonus points if it’s leaning! These exotic trees make for excellent props for fun and creative beach photography and picture ideas on the beach.
Our Favorite Beach Family Photos Opps
Are you taking your family to the beach? Check out these fun photo ideas and family picture ideas on the beach for capturing the day using creative beach photography.
9. Photos Under the Pier
First in our family beach photography ideas list are photos under the pier. If there’s a pier nearby, walk underneath it with your camera and take many beach family pictures. Splash around in knee-high water with your family and capture the action in an elegant black and white shot.
10. The Beach Ball Toss
Next in our beach photography ideas list is the beach ball toss! Don’t leave for the beach without bringing at least one beach ball for your family pictures. Take a photo of your family tossing a beach ball high overhead to bring to life the fun of the beach in your family picture ideas.
11. Underwater Waves
If your camera is waterproof, one of the best fun beach picture ideas is to take an underwater photo of your family waving to the camera underwater. This is one of the most fun family picture ideas you could take.
12. Sunset Silhouettes
For more romantic beach photography ideas, try this one. Beach sunsets make for mind-blowing silhouette photos. Sunset beach photo ideas make for magical and creative beach photography that casts a shadow on each subject’s face.
13. Action Shots in the Water
For fun family picture ideas, you could get an action shot of your spouse splashing around in the water with the kids from water-level. Before taking these family pictures, make sure you’re using a fast shutter speed setting.
14. Choreograph a Jump Shot in the Sand
During a sunset, set your camera on the ground and use a timer to get a photo of your family leaping into the air while holding hands. While this make take a while, it’s a fun idea for family pictures.
15. The White Wash
Using high ISO settings and long exposure, take a photo of your family during broad daylight posing together on a white sand beach. Be sure to be light, pastel-colored clothes to maximize the brightness of the photo when using these picture ideas.
16. The Flyer Photo
In shallow water, have your partner throw your small child into the air and gently catch them. Using a fast shutter speed, catch the moment your child is highest in the air. This is one of the most daring ideas on the beach for some.
17. The Heart-Framed Sunset
When the sun is low in the sky, one of the best beach photo ideas is to use your hands to form the shape of a heart. Then, use a timer to capture a photo of your family and the setting sun within your hand-formed heart.
18. The Year in the Sand
One of the best beach photo ideas is to use your feet or a toy shovel to write the year in the sand and to take a family picture of your family standing behind the writing. With these ideas on the beach, you’ll always remember the year you went on the beach trip.
19. Strolling on the Beach
You don’t have to get too fancy to come up with creative beach photography ideas. Take your family for a walk down the shoreline and take a family picture like that when the inspiration for your ideas on the beach strikes.
The Best Romantic Beach Photos for Couples
If you’re about to set off for a romantic couple’s getaway at the beach, don’t forget to take a beach photo to remember it by. Here are some of our favorite couples’ photos ideas on the beach.
20. Wedding Rings at the Beach
Place your wedding rings side-by-side in the sand and get a photo of them before the tide comes in and sweeps them away.
21. Kissing as the Sun Goes Down
Although it’s not the most creative beach photography idea, nobody can resist taking a kissing photo at sunset on the beach.
22. Sunglass Reflection
If you’re taking your trusty aviator sunglasses to the beach, you have plenty of creative beach photography ideas to play with. One of the best beach picture ideas is to rest your sunglasses in the sand and get a photo of you kissing your significant other in the reflection of its lenses.
23. Candid and Chilling Out
If you trust a friend or fellow beach-goer with your camera, have them snap a photo of you and your partner lounging in the water while floating in a tube.
24. Tandem Bicycles
If you’ve brought your bicycles to the beach, or have an opportunity to rent them, you can use your bikes to come up with creative beach photography ideas. Ride your bikes in tandem on the beach to get a fun and romantic photo.
25. A Dip in the Ocean
Although it’s somewhat cliche, it’s still romantic. Have the husband or boyfriend dip his partner and catch them in a deep and romantic kiss on the beach — and be sure to catch a photo of the action!
Creative Beach Photography Ideas for Solo or Friend Trips
Not every beach photo has to be romantic or family-friendly. Instead, use any of these creative beach photography ideas to take a fun and exciting beach photo when you’re at the beach by yourself or with your best friends.
26. The Hair Whip
If you’ve got long hair, take a photo of you emerging from the water and whipping your hair back. This is one of the most creative beach photography ideas because it perfectly captures the spray of water flying into the air and tons of texture appears in the photo.
27. The Tongue Out
If you want to bring out your sassy side on your creative beach photography, take a photo of your head poked through an inner tube with your tongue sticking out.
28. Put on a Funny Face
One of the most creative beach photography ideas is to draw a funny face in the sand and then take a photo of your shadow. Line up your shadow so that the face lines up with where your head would be.
29. Cheers to the Good Times
If you’re with your friends, get a group shot of everyone holding their drinks up high on the beach in your photo shoot. Or, better yet, get a fun photo of everyone clinking their drinks together.
30. The Sports Shot
Whether you like playing frisbee on the beach or you’d rather play a game of volleyball to get your sweat on, make sure you capture the moment with a creative beach photo. Volleyball action shots with a low shutter speed are some of the best beach pictures because they encapsulate the fun and care-free nature of a beach photo shoot.
Our Top Beach Photography Tips For Stunning Beach Photos
At a loss for how to take the perfect beach photo? Unfortunately, picture ideas are relatively easy to come by, but the technical skills to properly use a camera are a bit trickier. For a fun picture at the beach, try following these picture ideas, tips, and beach photography tricks and see how well your next beach picture turns out.
Shoot RAW
There’s a lot going on in a beach picture, so it’s always for your picture ideas to shoot in RAW file format. When you shoot in raw, the data od your beach photography is unprocessed by your camera and makes it easier to edit your picture ideas in post-production to bring out shadows, reduce exposure, or highlight details in the shot.
Bring a Tripod
It’s always good for your picture ideas to bring a tripod with you on your beach trip. This way, you can utilize a variety of different shutter speeds to maximize the quality of your action beach pictures and bring your most creative beach pictures ideas to life.
Try a Wide Angle Lens
Don’t bring only your stock lens to the lens. Hauling a wide-angle lens with you can bring a scene to life by introducing greater depth to your picture ideas and allowing for “low and close” focal points in the foreground.
Mind Your ISO Values
Whether you’re using your smartphone or a DSLR, it’s best that you be careful with your ISO values with your picture ideas. Don’t rely on high exposures to get breathtaking sunset photos. Instead, take a handful of photos with various exposures and choose whichever turns out best for your picture ideas in post-production.
Use a Polarizing Filter
If you’re after the perfect fun beach picture idea, don’t shy away from using a polarizing filter to breathe new life into your beach photo ideas. Applying a polarizing filter adds glare, brings out shadows, and makes colors pop in your picture ideas with greater intensity than they would otherwise.
Shoot at Sunset and Sunrise
It should go without saying that the best beach photos are taken at sunrise and sunset. For the best beach picture ideas, show up early or stick around till late in the evening to have the perfect photo shoot.
What Our Readers Often Ask
Below, we’ve put together a list of some of the beach picture ideas questions our readers often ask us about taking the perfect beach picture.
How Do I Create the Best Beach Pose?
How you pose for a beach picture should depend on the position of the sun. If you want the details in your face pronounced, face away from the sun. However, beach picture ideas should be fun and you shouldn’t overthink how you pose for one.
What Should I Wear to a Beach Sunset Picture?
There’s no need to wear your bathing suit to a beach sunset picture. In fact, beach pictures during a sunset often look best if the subjects wear normal street clothes or even formal attire during a sunset photo.
What Time of Day Is Best for Beach Pictures?
For the best beach picture ideas, show up in the evening just before the golden hour. The last hour of daylight is the optimal time to take a great photo at the beach because it casts your beach photography in golden light.
How Do I Protect My Camera at the Beach?
Don’t get so caught up with your picture ideas and taking the perfect picture at the beach without taking care of your camera and its gear. Make sure that you bring adequate rain protection to the beach with you. Nothing will ruin the fun of a beach trip like a splash of water getting in the camera.
Another excellent tip for your picture ideas is to carry a blower to blow packed sand from the crevices around the lens of the camera. When you’re done with your lens, make sure you put it back in its protective case immediately so you don’t get sand or water jammed in the device.
What Lens Is Best For Beach Photography?
The more lenses you bring to the beach, the more fun photo ideas you’re going to have. There are a variety of lenses you can take for excellent beach pictures ideas. To cover all your bases, we suggest bringing at least one macro lens (100mm), a 35mm lens, a telephoto lens, and a wide-angle 15mm full-frame lens to take fun panorama and landscape photos of the sunset or sunrise.
