Beach Photography Gear Guide

For bright beach conditions, use a low ISO (100-200), small aperture (f/8-f/11) for landscape sharpness, and a polarizing filter to reduce glare and saturate colors. Meter on the brightest area to avoid blown highlights. Early morning and golden hour offer the best light.

Sand and salt spray are brutal on camera gear. Use a rain cover or plastic bag in windy conditions. Change lenses indoors or in your car, never on the beach. Wipe down your camera with a damp cloth after each session. Consider weather-sealed bodies for frequent beach shooting.

A wide-angle lens (16-35mm) captures lighthouses with dramatic foregrounds and sky. For detail shots from a distance, a 70-200mm telephoto works well. Many lighthouse shots benefit from a 24-70mm that covers both wide and portrait perspectives.

ND (neutral density) filters are essential for creating silky water effects in daylight. A 6-stop or 10-stop ND filter allows long exposures (1-30 seconds) even in bright conditions. Variable ND filters offer flexibility but may cause vignetting on wide-angle lenses.

Golden hour (1 hour after sunrise, 1 hour before sunset) offers warm light and long shadows. Blue hour (30 min before sunrise, after sunset) creates dramatic moody shots. Summer sunrise around 5:30am, sunset around 8:30pm. Winter offers lower sun angles all day.