Personally, I avoided taking photos at the beach for years even though these were always among my favorite vacations (I’m a Pisces that loves the sea/ocean).
The reason was simple: I didn’t know how to pose in a cute way that I was also comfortable with – for example, sexy beach photos are really popular, but they’re simply not for me.
And it’s not like the scenery is too diverse either as it mostly consists of sand and water. Beautiful, but it quickly leaves you without ideas.
Besides, as an avid sea/ocean lover I usually spend most of my time in the water, so my hair is either tightly tied or a wet mess and it still refuses to do the perfect beach waves in combination with wind and salt.
Yet, as I slowly began taking a few pics during each of my beach getaways, I stumbled upon some photo ideas and poses that I ended up really liking. Continue reading to uncover them!
Shadow at the beach
I’ll kick off this list with a ‘pose’ for which you don’t even have to be in the frame, yet it’s probably one of the cutest pics at the beach that I ever took.
It’s great for when you just came out of the water and your hair is a mess or if you want a beach photo for the Gram, but at the same time you don’t feel 100% comfortable with publicly posting a photo of yourself in a bikini (I’ve been there too).
You will need some props, however, so bring your favorite beach towel, a cute bag, your flip-flops and.. an extra set of bikinis, the more colorful the better.
Now take note of where the sun is positioned and in which direction it casts shadows. It’s better to do this in the afternoon as for this pose to work you’ll need a nice, long shadow.
No matter what time you choose though, make sure you avoid taking the pic at noon since the sun will be shining perpendicularly on you so there will basically be no shadows.
Lay your towel on the sand and arrange any other items on and around it. Then take that extra swimsuit you’ve brought with you (a 2 piece bikini works best!) and arrange it on the towel.
Now all you’ve got to do is position yourself in a way that your shadow looks like it’s wearing the bikini on the towel.
For a more natural pose, I recommend you wear a straw hat which you hold with one hand, while with the other you take the picture.
The brim of the hat will help you conceal the shadow of the phone and it will look like you’re using both hands to hold on your hat.
Partially submerged
To take this photo you’ll need some specific gear: a waterproof camera (I recommend GoPro – I tried several cheaper alternatives and the quality just wasn’t there) and a water dome.
Without the dome, the image will look extremely distorted (trust me, I tried!). Besides it’s very hard to position the camera in a moving body of water in such a way that the lens is half-submerged.
To take the picture all you have to do is to insert your action camera into the dome (make sure you buy a compatible one) and aim to keep it at water level when you press the shoot button.
Since the dome is significantly bigger than the camera itself it shouldn’t be too difficult, though it will still take a couple of tries.
Flaunting your vacation hat
For this photo idea, you’ll need a sun hat that just ‘screams’ vacation like mine is in the photo above. A cute, colorful beach towel is also needed, bonus points if you can get a round one like mine: it will mirror the shape of the hat.
All you need to do is lay on your elbows and make sure the person taking the photo understands that the main focus should be on the hat.
If it’s not crowded, place your towel closer to the water so that the waves crashing on shore will be in the frame – this will improve your composition.
Make use of beach swings, hammocks, etc
Sometimes you’ll find swings, hammocks, and other things like that on the beach or even in the water (Maldives for example is well known for this). So make good use of them when taking pictures at the beach: it’s easier to pose when you have something to do.
You can experiment with looking directly at the camera, out to the sea, or only giving a side view of your face.
Run along the beach
If the beach you’re visiting is not crowded or you’re willing to make an effort and get there early in the morning, have your own Baywatch moment by running along the shore.
I recommend you instruct the person taking the pic to use the burst mode on your phone. This way it’s almost guaranteed you’ll get at least a few good snaps.
I love using this trick when taking photos in busy places or I want to capture movement.
Sitting pose
This pose is quite simple but has a certain vacation vibe in my opinion. Sit down on the sand with your legs crisscrossed, facing the sea. You can either place your hands on your knees or, if you wear a hat, hold it with one like I do in the photo above.
Make sure you keep your back painfully straight while taking the picture.
Sunscreen ‘tattoo’
For this next beach picture idea, take a bit of sunscreen and draw a small ‘tattoo’ on yourself. A few suggestions for placement are leg, ankle, hand, cheek (for a side portrait photo).
Choose simple beach vacation symbols like sun, palm, starfish, or sun umbrella that you can actually execute with the cream. And of course, include the main actor in your photo: the sea or the ocean.
Don’t forget to blend in the sunscreen afterward or else you might end up having a more permanent ‘tattoo’ courtesy of the sun.
