Photos of beach scenery

missbloggsy

I am a beginner to the world of DSLR's so I am still getting my head around everything, but totally loving my new Nikon D5100! I know there is a setting for 'Beach', but wondering if there is anything else I should be doing (trying) in relation to manual settings? Thank you :-)

Moose

Howdy @missbloggsy - I'd be glad to help you out with some starter settings. Which lenses do you currently own? Are you mostly trying to capture oceanscapes/sunsets OR subjects at the beach (like birds, people, shells, ect...)? Let me know. :)

missbloggsy

Hey @Moose - Thanks for the reply. I am interested in both oceanscapes/sunsets and with subjects (people and pets). I am really interested in trying to capture some interesting effects with the movement of the ocean and the stillness of a person (if that makes sense). In my head it looks great! The lenses I currently have are 18-55mm and the 55-300mm. Thank-you!

Moose

@missbloggsy - Alrighty, let's dive right in...

Landscapes/Sunsets:
1. Attach your 18-55mm lens and turn off VR
2. Mount your D5100 to a tripod
3. Enable Aperture priority
4. Set the aperture f-number between f/8 to f/16
5. Enable Auto ISO
6. Adjust focus mode to Single-servo (AF-S)
7. If you have a remote, then use it...otherwise enable the self-timer

With these settings in place, focus on the horizon and then turn the A/M switch on your lens to M. This will allow you to take shot after shot without having to focus each time. If the sun is still above the horizon and not hidden behind any clouds, you'll run into some exposure issues (bright skies and dark landscapes). To compensate, you can use a graduated neutral density filter or you can do an HDR exposure which is basically a series of shots (same scene) at varying levels of exposure. For more on this process, check out Trey Ratcliff's blog (see here).

People/Pets:
1. Attach your 55-300mm lens and rotate it to 55mm
2. Enable Aperture priority
3. Set the aperture f-number to f/4.5
4. Enable Auto ISO
5. Adjust focus mode to Single-servo (AF-S)

With these settings in place, first pre-focus on the eyes by half pressing the shutter. Then re-frame your shot for better composition and click away.

Ocean movement:
1. Attach either the 18-55mm or 55-300mm lens and turn off VR
2. Attach a neutral density (ND) filter (you want one between 0.9 to 1.5 stops)
3. Mount your D5100 to a tripod
4. Enable Aperture priority
5. Set the aperture f-number between f/8 to f/19
6. Set the ISO to 100
7. Adjust focus mode to Single-servo (AF-S)
8. If you have a remote, then use it...otherwise enable the self-timer

With these settings in place, pre-focus on your subject, re-frame for better composition and click away. You want the shutter speed somewhere between 1/6 to 3 seconds depending on how much "movement" you want to capture. The ND filter will slow down the shutter speed in broad daylight. You might also need to select a higher aperture f-number to slow down the shutter speed even more.

That should get you going in the right direction. Happy shooting! :)

missbloggsy

Thank you so much! Can't wait to get out there and give it a go :-)