Seascape Photography Guide – How to Photograph Seascapes

Seascape photography is, without uncertainty, one of the most stimulating types of landscape photography.

There are many ways to approach coastal photography, but they all share one key element: water. Water can be the main subject in views of the sea and shore, but it can also be utilized to integrate and connect all aspects of your composition.

However, ocean photography is not as simple as general landscape photography. There are many complex factors that you need to control and be aware of if you want to succeed.

Capturing thesea is my passion. I dwell by the ocean and I’ve been shooting seascapes since I first obtained my camera many years past, so I determined to compose this coastal photography guide. Here, you’ll gain knowledge of how to record the ocean, the optimal settings for seascape photography, and, ultimately, a few extra suggestions and all the instruments you need to become a more proficient seascape photographer.

Ready to dive deeper and propel your sea landscape photography to another level?

• What is seascape photography?
• Seascape Photography Planning
• Prime seascape photographic configurations
• Gear for sea photography
• 10 seascape photography tips
• 20 prime seascape photography concepts

What is seascape photography?

In essence, photography involving coastal scenery refers to a type of landscape photography where the sea is the primary subject rather than a terrestrial setting. It`s considered a sub-category of landscape photography since this form of photography commonly involves capturing terrestrial elements like rocks, cliffs, mountains, and so forth.

Seascape photography, also referred to as coastal photography or ocean photography, generally has water as the primary subject across different types of seascapes that a photographer can capture.

How to plan for ocean photography

Generally, great landscape photos result from thorough planning. This planning proves even more essential for seascape photography due to variables like waves, storms, tides, etc.

When capturing the ocean, we’re also in a more vulnerable situation, so you should always plan to minimize the hazards of practicing coastal photography.

What is the best time for coastal photography?

Photographing coastlines can be done anytime. However, certain times are usually best for beach photography.

Now, we’ll explore the different scenarios and types of coastal photography that can be captured depending on the time of day:

Sunrise/Sunset seascape photography

One of the prime times to conduct ocean landscape photography is at sunrise or sunset. Having the ability to photograph beautiful seascapes painted with golden daylight is a magical experience.

Modifying the illumination as the sun rises or sets permits capturing seascapes in different ways; from recording the movement of waves through extended exposure photography to freezing breaking surf instants using a fast shutter speed speed.

Daytime seascape photography

Capturing images of the ocean during daylight hours is also possible though the harsh sunlight can make photographing more challenging. Try to photograph seascapes on overcast days, and utilize lens filters to add a dreamy and ethereal atmosphere to your pictures by smoothing the texture of the water and capturing the motion of the clouds.

Night seascape photography

Night coastal photography can be rather intimidating. Standing in the water under the cover of darkness with the continuous booming surf is not for all, but photographing the sea at nightfall can be a surreal experience. Capturing images of the beach with a starry sky or the gentle moonlight bathing the coastline leaves one in complete wonder.

If you want to progress your night photography abilities, I strongly advise you check our guides on how to capture images of the Milky Way and how to do long exposure night photography.

Check the weather forecast for sea photography

Understanding patterns of weather and confirming your neighborhood weather prediction before doing landscape scenery photography will boost your chances for success and, most significantly, will stay clear of needless dangers. The ocean has an enormous impact on the weather, and it’s one of the key elements to think about when doing any type of coastal photography.

The conditions also play a pivotal role in the final look of your ocean scene photographs. Severe weather provides enhanced opportunities to capture enormous waves and more dramatic vistas but, simultaneously, it will be far from a peaceful sunset on the shore.

The primary considerations when scouting out a forecast for seascape photography involve:

• Cloud cover
• Cloud altitude
• Temperature
• Water temperature
• Dew point
• Thunderstorms

I normally assess and contrast the weather prediction on two websites: Windy and Wunderground.

Windy provides a fast and intuitive worldwide weather map that employs the leading local forecast models to furnish you the most up-to-date weather prediction.

Another worldwide weather prediction provider, Wunderground, offers a detailed 10-day forecast which is very beneficial for planning your seascape photography well in advance.

My recommendation is to often check and contrast different prediction models and to take a look at the radar or satellite view before undertaking any type of coastal photography. That way, you’ll own a more accurate idea of what you’ll find once you’re in the location.

Check the swell and tide, The best tip for coastal photography

When planning your seascape photographs, make sure to check wave conditions and tide levels. This is one of the best tips for seascape photography, and it will aid in avoiding unnecessary risks while helping capture the intended photos.

Sea landscapes vary drastically between tides, and you can experience anything from peaceful sandy beaches to rocky cliffs struck by large waves in just a few hours.

Also, there are some areas around the coast, like tidal pools and sea caves, that are only accessible at certain tides and, trust me, you don’t want to find yourself inside of a cave with a rising tide. Checking the tide well in advance will help you plan your ocean photos better and to make the most of your seascape photography sessions.

Another aspect to think about when photographing coastal scenes involves the swell. Swell refers to a series of waves created by distant weather patterns. There are three main things to check before getting started:

• Swell size: Indicates the dimensions of the waves. Severe weather like hurricanes or storms generates huge waves and, as you can imagine, being close to the coastline in these conditions can be dangerous.

• Swell period: It’s the duration between waves. Generally the larger the swell, the more extended the period will be.

• Swell bearing: It shows the direction from which the swell is arriving. It’s useful to check the spots where the waves will break and the areas that will be more sheltered.

I have two methods to analyze the swell and tide for seascape photography:

• Windy: Apart from the weather prediction, Windy also provides wave and tide forecasts using the local tide station. Again, it’s extremely simple to use and to comprehend thanks to their graphics and maps.

• Local wave projection and webcams: Surfers need to consistently check the swell data, so the local wave forecast is another good option to take into account. Also, don’t neglect to inspect the local webcams if there are any; they will provide you an idea of the conditions and weather.

Scout in advance for seascape photography

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My recommendation would be to initially explore the chosen location for your coastal photography, especially if your goal is to photograph at sunrise/sunset or to do some ocean night photography. This will also prevent many potential dangers like rogue waves, exposed cliffs, slippery rocks and more.

Another good tip while searching for your seaside photos is leaving your equipment in a safe place, like in your vehicle or on an elevated rock. You don’t need your camera hanging off your neck while exploring around.

Exploring close to the shoreline can pose certain hazards; the currents and winds tend to make some locations rather perilous, so take the time to pinpoint secure locations you may head to if any risk develops and remember never to turn your back on the ocean! Some spontaneous waves can catch you unaware and leave you in serious trouble .

Best seascape photography settings

As with any type of photography, some understanding of the foundational photographic principles and the basic device settingsis essential. There are no “general rules” in terms of shoreline photography adjustments and you’ll have to modify the settings based on the final coastal scene that you want to capture.

That expressed, most ocean photos can benefit from utilizing certain settings, so I’ll show you some good general seascape settings:

Aperture for seascape photography

When capturing ocean scenes, the main goal is usually to get various aspects of the image to remain focused. To accomplish this, in addition to utilizing a wide-angle lens, choose an aperture between f/8 and f/11. The smaller the opening, the greater the depth of field will be, yet consider the optical diffraction beginning above f/16 and other unwanted effects like the spray and drops of water that are more visible when shooting at tiny apertures.

In contrast, utilizing a wide aperture can highlight elements in your ocean photographs using values under f/5.6, leaving the remainder of the regions out of focus and directing the viewer’s eye towards the subject.

Additionally, if your goal is to photograph the night sky over the ocean, you will require an aperture with fast values below f/2.8 to capture more light for clear shots of the stars.

If wanting to master the aperture for capturing seascapes, I suggest examining the guide to photography aperture.

Shutter speed for coastal photography

Shutter speed is fundamental to beach photography, and establishing the proper shutter speed will determine the difference between a quality or superb ocean photo.

The shutter speed significantly affects the overall look of any seascape image since the main element of coastal photography, the water, will be captured in a different way depending on the total exposure time.

Prolonged presentation photography and landscape by the ocean photography go hand in hand, so don’t hesitate to check our ultimate guide to Long Exposure Photography to learn more about this. The shutter velocity varies depending on different factors, but as a general reference:

• Silky water: Use a shutter speed above 10 seconds to eliminate any textures on the water. This long exposure silky effect creates an ethereal and dreamy atmosphere in your seascape images by softening all the motion.

• Moving water: Employ a shutter speed between 1/4s and 1s. This timeframe best captures the water`s motion while preserving textures and details, resulting in lively images with an artistic aura.

• Freezing the motion: Use a shutter speed faster than 1/250 of a second to freeze the powerful motion of the sea and capture the beauty of the breaking waves.

ISO for ocean photography

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Be aware of the intended final look for the ocean photograph as you may need to increase the ISO to maintain a slow shutter speed, particularly before dawn and after dusk when there are low-illumination conditions.

If you’re planning to capture seascapes at night, don’t delay to expand the ISO as much as required within the constraints of your camera. We discuss this more in our guide on photographing the Milky Way. If you ultimately end up with a noisy image, you can always employ any noise reduction software to eliminate the digital noise. The choice I always use in these cases is Topaz Denoise AI.