Every year, my family and I spend the week between Christmas and New Year’s at the beach. It is the only time of year that we all have days off from work, school, and other responsibilities, and can all successfully coordinate a vacation together without too many headaches (missing luggage excluded, of course). We also send beach-themed Christmas photo cards every year to other relatives and friends and this is an opportune moment to take the family picture without any added hassles. One year we tried taking a scheduled family picture at a studio, and between people running late, crying children, and a novice photographer, it turned out to be a complete disaster!
In addition to seeing my family all together and actually enjoying each other’s company, the highlight of my winter vacation is taking beach photos. There are so many photos that a person can take at the beach over the course of any day. Sunrise is always different than sunset, high tide differs from low tide. No two pictures ever look the same! Sitting and watching the tide come in is not only a great time for rest and relaxation and a time to commune with nature, but also an excellent time for photography practice.
A photo of the sunrise at the beach makes for memorable Christmas photo cards.
Taking pictures of the tide coming in and going out is a good time to practice with different camera settings as well. In addition to experimenting with different camera speeds, different settings such as landscape or motion, you can experiment with whether or not to use your flash. Capturing the perfect moment can take years of practice and even the most experienced photographers still do not take the best pictures every single time they take a photo. Since I live in a relatively urban area, going to the beach is always a special experience and a good time to take a break from the busy day-to-day “ebb and flow” of life. The pictures that I take are a pleasant reminder of a restful and relaxing vacation filled with good memories that will last a lifetime.
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I’m sure your friends and relatives look forward to getting your unusual Christmas cards each year.