Hazards of shooting at the beach

[RBennett]

Okay, so for all of you that regularly shoot at the beach are there any hazards that one wouldn't normally think of? For instance, I know to not drop it into the ocean (unless I'm wanting to upgrade) and to not roll it around in the sand, but are there any others? Like, does the salt in the air or higher humidity take a toll on your camera and shorten the life span?

 

[photo_chick]

From my experience.... Don't change lenses at the beach if it's windy. Really at all if you can avoid it. And watch out for college guys playing frisbee. They hurt when they land on you.

 

[GrillMouster]

The obvious thing to watch out for is sand. It doesn't take much for it to get everywhere, including inside your camera bag. Vacuum that bag as soon as you can after your trip. Blow off all the sand from every crease and crevice in the camera body and lens with something like the Giotto's Rocket Blower, before taking the camera apart.

 

[ukcatfan]

Like, does the salt in the air or higher humidity take a toll on your camera and shorten the life span?

There is always salt and when windy there is sand in the air. No way around it, taking a non-sealed camera to the beach is risky. If it is only going to be out for a few minutes then you are probably alright though. Another risk is theft. Thieves work in teams to get you distracted and not watching your stuff. People have their stuff stolen while never getting five feet away from it.

 

[annnewjerz]

If you are using a tripod (not sure if you are going for the day or to take morning/sunset pictures)---don't stick your tripod legs right in the sand. It's probably best to bring a blanket/towel or something to keep the legs on to keep sand from getting into the leg sections.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

The first rule for shooting at the beach is - don't do it. If you must, borrow a friends gear or rent something. If you have no friends with good gear, be careful.

I would blow the camera and your bag clean when you get home. Only after you have blown off the dust, I would wipe your camera down with a damp rag to clean off any salt spray. If you have a UV filter, a beach would be a good place to use it. Sand is really hard stuff and liable to scratch your glass. Don't consider sunscreen to be a good substitute for a UV filter...well, maybe if it is SPF 100 or something.

If you are using a tripod, I recommend extending the bottom legs first when you are in sandy/wet/dirty environments. That will keep junk out of the joints. Wipe down the legs before closing them.

If you go out in the water, wear a camera strap and try to stay in water shallow enough that, if you drop the camera, the strap will keep it above the water line.

Your better off just leaving it at home.

I follow hardly any of this advice.

Pacific Grove, CA

Carmel, CA

Playa Del Carmen, Yucatan

Quadra Island, BC

 

[mom2rtk]

The first rule for shooting at the beach is - don't do it. If you must, borrow a friends gear or rent something. If you have no friends with good gear, be careful.



I follow hardly any of this advice.

Pacific Grove, CA

Sounds like a grand plan... Can I borrow YOURS????

And really.... I just assumed you were in the car when you shot those beach pictures... you know.... with that $32,000 super telephoto lens!

 

[zackiedawg]

Mark's advice is good. And I also completely ignore it. Hard not to shoot at the beach when you live in a beach town! Generally, my big rules are: no changing lenses on windy days, no rubbing of the lens to clean it while at the beach (if sand grains do get on the lens when you decide to wipe the salt off, you could get scratches), and I clean the camera body with a lightly damp microfiber cloth when I get home...including a blower on the lens before a careful wet swipe and dry cleaning.

I honestly don't worry about it too much. Just be logical, try not to do anything irreparably stupid like dropping a lens in the sand while changing, and you should be fine. Just use a little extra caution to clean the camera afterwards.