Favorite beach set up ?

[John McCallum]

Hope this might be helpfull. I think they are worth knowing (if you don't already of course) ...

ND Grad will bring the exposure of the sky closer to the water/sand so it doesn't overexpose and 'blow out'.
Polarizer Filter will increase the colour saturation significantly.
UV great for reducing the haze.
In B&W, to increase the contrast on v cloudy days red (more) or orange (less) filter, yellow to reduce it (bright sunny days).
81B or C to 'warm up' the colour and take out the blue cast that can appear be captured on film on clear sunny days.

I use the 300 mm beach ball and the largeformat towel and the super angulon flippers when I go to the beach.

lee\c

Those Ebony snorkels are great too!!! and mustn't forget the UV filter lotion :rolleyes:

[glbeas]

Most of the days I've been to the beach it's been overcast, and the high key landscape nearly always fools me into underexposing the film a bit or more. Infrared on the other hand give very interesting contrast between the sea and sand. I've used everything from 35mm to 4x5 and had my best images with the 4x5 and spotmeter.

Gotta remember to fudge the exposure for the light toned sand....grumble.

[joeyk49]

I almost always bring my flash umbrella...you know, the multi colored one. Its only useful when attempting to more shield the subject, usually me, from excessive glare. Of course its sometimes useful as a prop in color shots...

I also prefer terry cloth over the muslin back drops...

Okay, this thread has definitely taken a strange turn...

[Annemarieke]

Beaches are my favourite subject too. There is so much scope for photographers.

Try a wide angle lens, and a very low viewpoint, preferably with an interesting feature in the foreground; like a sand pattern or a boulder or some seaweed.

Slow shutter speeds and a tripod in its lowest position. I have one of those Mantrotto's that has special knobs that make the tripod legs go almost horizontal. Works a treat!

I own an X700 (and even older Minolta's that I have had for 24 years) too, and use it when I want to shoot Scala slides......... on the beach. :-)

Good luck and let us see some pictures!
Anne Marieke

[John McCallum]

Beaches are my favourite subject too.

....Good luck and let us see some pictures!
Anne Marieke

Yes - looking forward to seeing your pictures!

[joeyk49]

Thanks for the encouragement. More beach opportunities in August. Most of your suggestions, I'll admit, surprized me. I expected more gadget and gear recommendations. I am happy to learn, as I suspect that I always had an feeling about, that the image has more to do with knowledge and technique, rather than with technology. After all, Ansel Adams didn't have an auto-everything camera and lenses the size of a truck muffler when he did his thing.

Images to post soon, I hope.

[Flotsam]

I know it's overkill, but I have Nikonos V that I take to the beach or boating or backpacking. Any time that I might be in camera-destroying situations. On the beach, I don't have to worry about sand and it can go right into the water with me. I put a deep lenshood on it to keep raindrops off the lens and shooting even in a driving rainstorm is not a problem. That 35mm 2.8 delivers beautiful results.

[John McCallum]

... but I have Nikonos V that I take to the beach ....

Hey Hey .... a diver!!

[John McCallum]

Actually, come to think of it the newsletter for my old University dive club was called Flotsam too!

[livemoa]

I meet a photo journalist once who used a Nikonos. Built like a tank