In December 2015, we discussed photographing snow. Now that it’s summer, let’s talk about beaches and water. Like snow, beaches and water are bright and reflective, both of which fool the light meter in our cameras.
Without getting too technical, when we are photographing around water or beaches, we need to make some adjustments for the light. You may have noticed that when you were photographing at the beach or someone in the water the photo was too dark, or the people’s faces were too dark. This is because water and sand are super bright, so your camera compensates by taking away some of the light.
There are options to solve this problem:
Nikon Exposure Compensation button | Canon’s Exposure Compensation button and grid |
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Push that button down, note the grid that shows up either on the back or top of your camera, and set it to between +1 and +2. Your viewfinder will display the scale as well. It looks like this:
Take your photo and make sure that your histogram isn’t showing overexposed. The histogram can be viewed either by selecting it in your menu, or using the same control that you use to view the photos that you’ve taken. Instead of using the side arrows which allow you to scroll through the photos, use the up and down arrows.
Enjoy your summer and get some awesome beach shots!