Surf photography is a source of aquatic joy to me. Creating stunning photos while visiting the beach is often a top priority for photographers of all experience levels who want to spend time at the beach. Surfing is an incredible opportunity for photographers of all levels to test their skills. Photographing surfers in action presents many technical challenges.

Check this Video:

12 Surf Photography Tips

1. Study the light before you start shooting.

As photographers, we hopefully become obsessed with the study of light and its interaction with objects. Surf photography often requires a large amount of light for the photographer to work with. Before you start taking photos, check how the light hits the water. Look straight ahead and observe very critically how the light reflects off the waves and the surface of the water. Now look in all directions and depending on the time of day and your specific location you will notice that there can be A LOT of reflections in the water in one direction. In the other direction, you will see far fewer, if any, reflections. If you want to take high-quality photos of someone surfing, shoot them from an angle away from the beach in a direction where there are no reflections. Another important aspect of light is the quality of the water/waves and how the sun shines on or through the water. In surf photography, water is often a stunning part of the photo.

We also have a detailed review of the Surfing Tips For Beginners in case you want to check that out.

2. Uses a long range lens.

Having the right tool for the job makes a big difference. In this case, you will find that a 300mm or 400mm lens makes a HUGE difference. I’m a cannon shooter. In my first year of surf photography, I used the Canon 100-400mm version 1. When it came time to purchase my surf lens, I chose the Canon 100-400mm Version 2. The second version of this lens is MUCH sharper, faster, and more fun to shoot. Sure, that’s $700 more, and that’s a decent amount; However, given my interest in surf photography as well as wildlife and bird photography, I thought this was a great allocation of resources.

3. Error too high for shutter speed

Overall, the navigation is extremely dynamic and very fast. I highly recommend shooting in manual mode, so you have full control over what your camera captures. The most impressive images are usually the ones that stop the action. The splashes of water from a surfboard or the expression on a surfer’s face are much more impressive when they are in focus. Of course, there are exceptions to every “absolute” statement. However, if you don’t want to intentionally create motion blur or have no artistic intent to slow down the shutter speed, I recommend sticking with 1/640 or higher. The clarity of the water jet and the sharp image of a person in the perfect surfing position make your photos stand out.

4. Try to keep your opening “halfway.

When taking photos on the beach there is usually a LOT of light. When photographing a surfer, you typically try to capture an exceptionally sharp and detailed image. It’s a good idea to do a little research and find out exactly where your lens provides the best focus. The better the lens, the less impact it has. However, it’s always worth aiming for a medium aperture if lighting allows. The advantage of a medium aperture is greater flexibility in terms of depth of field. When shooting with a wide aperture, the depth of field is very shallow, and the surfer can easily lose focus.

5.Keep your ISO

For most photographers, this statement still holds. The lower the ISO value, the less noise there is in the image. Since beach/surf photography generally requires a lot of available light, it is recommended to set the ISO to its lowest value.

6. Consider a Circular Polarizing Filter.

A circular polarizing filter is an extremely useful tool when photographing near reflective surfaces. As I mentioned in the first tip, light, and water = THOUGHT. In cloudy weather, I generally do not use a circular polarizing filter. The reason is twofold: 1) when it is cloudy there are fewer reflections and 2) the polarizing filter absorbs a significant amount of the available light. However, when the day is very bright and clear and there are a lot of glares from the sun, a polarizing filter can produce amazing results. Using clouds/sky as a test object to adjust the polarizer can also be very interesting. It’s a great tool to have in your camera bag and if you don’t already have one, I highly recommend getting one! Below is a link to the 77mm version (for the Canon 100-400mm lens mentioned above). Just make sure you buy one that is the right size for the lens you are using.

7. Don’t forget about skin exposure.

This is a very difficult topic. Sunlight can cause very harsh shadows. Additionally, there is no editing option to fill these shadows. As a surf photographer, it will be difficult to find a good exposure setting. It is generally accepted that the skin must be adequately exposed. I typically use spot metering for surf photography because multisport metering often considers the brightness of the sky and waves, overclocking the exposure settings for the bright parts of the photo and severely underexposing the subject. When in contact with the skin, the waves and background can almost be “blown away”. Another great use case for fully manual mode: you can control exactly what happens to your camera. That doesn’t mean every image is perfect. On the other hand! But over time you will have more and more control. Unless you intentionally want to capture a silhouette of the subject, you will need to expose the photo for skin and “lock” the human appearance, then adjust the remaining elements in post-production.

8. Keep the horizon on.

If you are shooting in a direction that causes the horizon line to appear in the photo, pay special attention to the horizontal line in the photo frame. Sometimes photographers like to play with this line to create an “interesting” or “artistic” image of things. A non-horizontal horizon line should be a considered choice and should only be used very rarely. It will usually feel “weird” to have a crooked horizon. As with any “rule” or “suggestion” regarding subjective opinion on art, there will be exceptions. But at least think about the horizon and respect the strong aesthetic impact it has (for better or worse) if the horizon line is not flat.

9. The composition rules still apply.

One of the mistakes I made when I started photographing surfing was getting lost in the dynamic images I was creating. Surf photos have incredible potential to be simply stunning. But going from “good to great,” as the saying goes, requires more conscious effort and consideration. The composition of a surf photo should balance the obvious focus and interest in the subject of the photo as well as the beautiful scenery of the surrounding waves, piers, rocks, other people, etc. We would recognize the element of distraction very easily in a portrait. Photography. The same goes for a surf photo! If you have a surfer who has his sailboat’s mast unintentionally sticking out of his ribs, the problem goes away. Other traditional composition rules will certainly still apply. Remember the rule of thirds. Be aware of the tension that arises when objects are poorly positioned or too close to the edges of the image.

10. Post-Processing Tips/Tricks

Your post-processing options are always a crucial factor in the quality of the image you create. The off-camera footage is not “ready for release.” When preparing your photo, think about what is needed to make the skin look good and what is needed to make the water and surrounding landscape look beautiful. You will probably spend a lot of time using masks and brushes to apply different artwork ONLY to the surfer or ONLY to the background. Don’t be afraid to experiment and learn new techniques to get a great image. For example, if you live far from the beach and the opportunity to photograph a surfer is rare, you will need to adapt to the conditions on the day of the photo. If you are not presented with a mesmerizing sky that day, you as an artist can make creative choices and replace a dull, cloudy sky with one that will give your painting the “wow” look you are looking for. The main things here are reliability and honesty. Don’t try to pass off a substitute photo of the sky as a documentary photo. Are you interested in replacing the headliner?

11. Location, location, location

Surfing and surf photography vary greatly depending on where you take the photo. When you’re on the north coast of Hawaii and you see huge waves, it’s a very different type of landscape than when you’re photographing junk waves. on the east coast of the United States. Each location offers incredible opportunities for creativity and excellence, but some locations and not others may require a little more creativity and technical skill to create a truly captivating surfing image. Serious surf photographers are becoming serious travelers, just like their fellow.

12. Telling a Story

The truly fascinating aspect of any great photograph is the story it tells. But sometimes the truest moments in storytelling come from the most relaxed, natural, and comfortable moments. Capturing images of people having fun, being at peace with their world, and engaging in activities they truly love is perhaps the most profound gift surf photography can give.

13. Practice!

Every artistic activity has its origins in inconsistent learning impulses. The transition from absolute beginner to amateur is very easy. To become a creator of truly inspiring surf photos, leveling up requires more learning and patience. Studying surf photography will undoubtedly give you a deeper understanding of the sport, its traditions, heritage, and the common love that everyone involved in the activity shares for this treasured sport. There’s something “Zen” about surfing, but there’s also something equally “Zen” about capturing fleeting moments that seem to defy gravity. The dynamic and exciting images you can capture by photographing surfers in action are incredibly addictive!

The top 5 things that make a surf photo “epic”, in no order…

1st

• Lighting is key and, in my opinion, the most important and the foundation of everything we see and how we see it How well use it Use it whether you’re shooting at the start or end of the day to create something that’s more than just dense and bright, and it will instantly separate your images.

2nd

• Composing and creating depth in your photo, whether you use specific landmarks such as piers/piers, different shorelines, people on the beach, other surfers in line, and/or weather with happy clouds because that’s what it adds to even more so with the picture beyond the blank horizon, and while these are not always available depending on where in the world you are, you need to find a balance between the item and the items you receive.

3rd

• Image quality isn’t so much about having the best equipment on the market, but more about knowing how to make good use of what you must get sharp images. So having the best glass is like having the best tires on your car, even if it’s a beater, because you can have a Ferrari with fake tires and it just wouldn’t handle as well as it could, if he had the best, and conversely, a beater car with the best profile, which handles the road better, will undoubtedly perform better.

4th

• The action itself, because that is what you document first based on the four reasons above, and if it is not at the “peak” of the action, it will not have the same effect when you see it, because the whole idea is to create a feeling and an emotion in the viewer that makes them feel like they are imagining themselves in the same place as they rip the bag out of the wave, something I know we are everyone in the world of mind surfing does.

5th

• By thinking outside the box of what others are doing, while having a goal that is related to what you plan or want to achieve, whether, during a stay at home or a trip abroad, you create a new perspective in a place like Das. Like “Pipeline” or “Documented Hundreds of Times”, the results are not easy, so combining it with photographing from the water will also help get something that the masses can’t get from the shore, and it will help to set the photos separately, especially when everything comes together.