A beach is a naturally beautiful location to take a photograph. However, if you make one of several common beach photography mistakes, your beach photographs might not turn out as you intended.

Crooked Horizons

There are several reasons why your horizon might be crooked. This is often the result of not holding the camera properly. If you are not taking the time to take your shot, the horizon will be more likely to be crooked. Using a bubble level can help you avoid this problem. Also, if you purchase a tripod, it might have a built-in level. If you take these steps, this problem is easy to avoid.

Not Looking at the Background to See Something That Might Ruin the Shot

While eager to take some photographs at the beach, you might not see that there's something that might ruin your photograph such as an animal relieving itself or someone in the background photobombing you. 

Using Autofocus

If you rely only on autofocus, you may end up missing the focal point. This can be something that is difficult or impossible to fix afterward. Fortunately, you can use your autofocus mode to choose your focus point.

Not Using White Balance Properly

White balance allows you to control the color that enters into your camera. The weather will affect how you should use your white balance. While you can use "auto white balance," it's better to become familiar with the type of white balance you should use under specific circumstances.

Not Choosing Landscape Mode if You Want to Show the Scenery

Landscape mode allows you to show off more of the beach. If you are more focused on taking photographs of your friends at the beach, you may be better off tilting your camera vertically and taking the photograph in portrait mode.

To take great photographs on the beach, you must pay attention to the lighting, weather, and tide. This is something that is difficult to accomplish and achieve great results without the experience that a beach portrait photographer has.

Whether you are taking pictures for a wedding or would simply like some gorgeous photographs after an event at the beach, you may be better off turning to a professional beach portrait photographer. The last thing you want is to have a beautiful scene and have it be ruined because you made a mistake. To learn more about beach portraits, talk to a photographer near you.