The Best Time of Day for Beach Photography

By Deborah Kalas, Hamptons Photographer

As you can probably tell from my website one of the ways people know of me is as a beach photographer. I love taking beach portraits and so may of my clients request to have their sessions on the beach. And why not? There is nothing more magical than the surf and the sand and the sun. And of course the memory of that perfect summer day and the exquisite light in the Hamptons.

Beach photography poses some unique challenges. Too bright and harsh light is not ideal for photographs, and on the beach there are no places to go for some shade. Moreover, the sun’s rays are reflected on the sand and that can also add to harshness. So, the beach photographer has to work with the sun, not against it.

I prefer to photograph on the beach 1½ hour before sunset (that’s my favorite time to be on the beach anyway!) or very early in the morning. At that time, the angle of the sun provides a lovely, soft light that enhances skin tone and color saturation. When the light is warm and golden we get the most beautiful portraits.

Above is a group of photographs that I created to illustrate the different qualities of light on the beach at various times of day (in this example, it was early June). As you can see, the time of day really does make a difference.

So, when booking your photo session at the beach, try to be at the location as early as possible so we can work with the light to get it just right. Your portraits will be gorgeous!