Coastal Photography

Join Jack Hollingsworth in this series of Picture Perfect as he shares his personal iPhone Photography tips and explains how to get the most out of Coastal photography with your iPhone camera.

Tech Notes from Jack:

Lighthouses
• I find that Lighthouse photography is generally more dramatic when the Lighthouse is smaller in the frame and you show more context.
• It’s quite easy, with the iPhone, to shoot directly into the sun is you use the exposure compensation slider and brighten the photograph.
• Oftentimes is easy to find a picturesque foreground element to frame your composition
• If you wait for the sun to set, you get a more pleasing dynamic range
• The iPhone, in auto mode, will likely make a white lighthouse too bright. So you need to darken your exposure

Boardwalks and Bridges
• Photographing boardwalks is a lesson in line convergence. They add depth to a photo and pull the viewer into the scene.
• The iPhone is perfectly suited for this because, in bright light, the fixed F2.2 aperture acts more like F22 with deep focus
• When you are shooting directly into the light you have the opportunity to create a nice silhouette.
• Just where to place your horizon line is a matter of aesthetic choice.

Beachscapes
• Cape Cod is one of those magical destinations where you get incredible light bouncing off sea, sand and surf.
• Be sure to bring a simple cleaning cloth to constantly clean your small lens of sand and surf.
• I prefer including made made elements in the composition to give the photograph scale.
• The most glorious times to shoot inspiring Beachscapes is and hour before and after the sunset

Cottages
• For me, one of the real photographing charms of Cape Cod are its homes, cottages and shacks.
• Wide-angle shots are perfect for this type of photography as you can add details to add to your narrative
• Exactly where you place your subject in the final composition is a matter of personal choice. I like dead center for it’s composition value.
• Whenever possible, I like anchoring my cottage photographs to the sea.

Harbors
• Even when I’m on vacation, I onetime find myself begin ing the day at various harbors.
• There is so much visually going on in a harbor that you can go wide of close-depending on your frame of mind.
• This is a personal thing but i find that listening to classical music, while I’m shooting, inspires me to see differently
• Dark blue water will fool your iPhone auto meter. So you need to underexpose here and darken to your own tastes.

Design
• It really doesn’t make a difference to me whether I’m shooting Cape Cod or anywhere, I’m attracted to Design in photography
• So much of mobile photography has little to do with your capture device and more to do with how you see the world.
• It’s a trap to thing bigger and better cameras will get you bigger and better results-they won’t
• Becoming design-sensitive is really a matter of listening closely to your own photographic instincts and impulses.

Lobsters
• My Dad was a full-time teacher and coach and a part-time lobster fisherman. So I learned to loved lobsters.
• If I see a Lobster pot anywhere, I’m going to stop and shoot it. It’s the law of attraction. Shoot what you love!
• I physically lie on the ground and shoot upward so that my subject background is the open sky.
• Lobster buoys are another all-time favorite subject of mine as they are full of color and personality

Nature
• Nature photography is at it’s finest in most coastal regions.
• For me, I’m alway in search of those quiet moments
• Rule-of-third grid lines can help you create more compositionally pleasing, off-centered designs
• The iPhone defaults to a high shutter speed so capture birds in flight is relatively easy.

Open Road
• What exactly is it about the open-road that photographically pulls you in. It’s an invitation to journey. To go somewhere.
• Sunsets and dusk are the ideal time to shoot road shots.
• Rather than try to eliminate it, I’m always looking out to create a natural flare

Place of Birth
• There is something so very magical and powerful about connecting with your place or birth and residence. It’s primal.
• And when done intentionally it can yield some memorable and moving moments
• 75% of the earth’s surface is water. Maybe this is what we are so drawn to the sea and the coast.
• Coastal photography will give your endless hours of shooting pleasure and deep satisfaction.

Photos by Jack Hollingsworth