I just saw a photo done on a website with a photo submissions page for amateur models (and I presume that the photographers are also amateurs) and only now have I realized that current digital cameras really are fast.

The beach scene picture was of a model wading in the water and throwing her head back, with the wet hair trailing water.  The picture itself was only 600×900 (portrait) and was a full body shot, however, the water trail was from the knees to about another three feet above her head, with the hair extending upwards as well.  What’s important to note is the detail of the water droplets in varying sizes, from knee high water to the arc above her.

Technically, there are several requirements for the scene to be captured.  The light has to be quite strong.  Since the picture was on a beach in the Maldives, that was taken care of –  the subject’s face was quite sun-burned.  The aperture has to be wide, to capture the most light.  And from the picture it sure looked like it, as the background showed a blurred shape up to his waist in water.  And if you looked closely, even the waves a few feet from the subject was already blurred and out of focus.  These two perquisites are to ensure the third one, a short exposure of maybe 1/1000th of a second, at most.

A few years back I would have added a fast film, at least an ASA/ISO 400.  (But who brings ISO 400 film to the beach?)  But nowadays, a good quality DSLR with manual settings could take the shot.

With good weather, this beach money shot could be taken around 8:00am to 10:00am in summer.  It could actually be taken as early as 7:00pm, but you run the risk of not having enough light.  Later than 10:am and the sun would be too high.  In the afternoon, after 4:00pm and you run the risk of a reddish tint to the picture.  And do make sure that the photographer (and camera) has his back to the sun.

Beach pictures are usually problematic.  The sand reflects light and the shot might be over-exposed.  White balance settings have to be set properly.  It would be best to attach a polarizer to the lens to catch bluer skies and clearer waters.

This kind of picture is not usually taken during trips to the beach.  It takes some time to set up and compose.  Again, the good news is that if your digital camera has a manual setting, it’s worth the time to set it up.