Mel Brackstone

I typed all this out for Ben, who asked for some help, since he doesn’t live near any beach, and didn’t want to waste his time when he finally made the long trek.

Thought others might appreciate the info.

I use my Canon 5D with Lee ND grads, mostly the darkest ones, for sunrise. I’ve never tried to shoot the ocean much after an hour or so after sunrise, and not been all that successful, unless it’s a cloudy day.

You’ll need a tripod and cable release. The tripod just needs to be stable, and the cable release working. Then I set my camera on AV and start shooting with aperture at around f/8 or so while it’s dark, and closing it down as the light gets stronger, with ISO mostly 50….. There’s no formula I use, other than using AEB, to see if I can snag one that gets the sky right, then I look for the one with the right wave patterns. Sometimes I combine the two, sometimes I run them through photomatix. Sometimes they’re perfect.

I use my 16-35mm nearly ALL the time when shooting seascapes, very rarely I’ve used the 70-200, and that’s only if there’s a detail that’s worth getting, like the shipwreck or some waterfalls over rocks from the surf….

Here the light is generally best till around 20mins after the sun goes down, or 30 mins before the sun comes up. If you have clouds, wait longer after sunset….you’ll probably get better colours. If you have clouds in the morning, you might be able to shoot longer after the sun comes up too, especially if the light breaks through….

The IR filter can come in handy once the light is stronger….here in Qld we have strong light for 12 hours a day or more, even in winter….IR is a blessing! I’ve never used a yellow filter….and wide angle with polarisers just don’t give good results, imho.

Just keep checking your screen and moving around for different viewpoints. Everything will depend on how much water movement you prefer. This is a case of personal taste, and with practise you will work that out. Setting your camera on AV and using AEB will give you the three different exposures to see which works best, then you just adjust your aperture to slow it down, or speed it up….or add more filters…the darker it is, the longer the exposure….

Be careful of getting too close to the waves, and watch out for slippery rocks, they can be extremely dangerous! Here the tide surges more dangerously an hour before high tide. Make sure of tide times before you go, and be certain you have a way to escape from the beach if the tide is coming up….Rogue waves can, and do cause problems….try to go with someone who has local knowledge….

Wash your tripod off when you leave the beach, and again when you get home.

Other than that, have fun!