Coast photography in warm light

We've all heard of the 'golden hours' and it's during these special hours that you'll find warm light. Warm light is perfect for landscapes, particularly those taken at the coast, because it will bathe scenes in a gorgeous golden light.

Gear
For sweeping beach scenes a wide-angle lens is perfect but you might end up featuring people in the frame. This is no problem and will give a sense of scale to your shots, but wait for people that complement your scene.

As the sun gets lower you may find a tripod useful; lightweight tripods are portable but a stiff coastal breeze can wobble them and ruin your shot so watch for this. Hanging your camera bag across the tripod's shoulder will enhance stability - make sure the bag does not bang into the tripod, though. Another tip is to protect the camera from buffeting by standing in the wind.

It is worth enhancing the already warm light with filters. Amber colour correction or warm-up filters will remove blue haze from shadows and add more warmth to your scenic images. Try an 81-series, say the 81C or 81D.

Technique
You need to think about location and timing for shooting golden light. You get it regardless of where you are, but it is where it falls that is important. On the east coast, the land gets warm light early in the day but not later when the sea gets the benefit. On the west coast, it is the other way round. But this is a massive generalisation because of the way the coastline is not made up straight lines. Check an OS map to see the potential of the coastline you're visiting.

You'll find that sunsets appear to be warmer than sunrises and this is because of the pollution that builds up through the day and scattered through the air. Some subjects such as sand are warmer so will work well in warm light. If you think your images need slightly more warmth try adjusting the white-balance or if you're shooting in RAW, you can make the changes in post production when you're back from the coast.

Plug-ins to emulate film effects are also worth using. Fred Miranda's Velvia Vision, for example, gives the warmth of that famous slide film. If you have the budget and like the idea of playing with your images for film-like effects, take a look at Exposure 2 from Alien Skin.

You've read the article, now go take some fantastic images. You can then upload the pictures, plus any advice and suggestions you have into the dedicated Photo Month forum for everyone at ePHOTOzine to enjoy.