It’s almost a sin to live at the coast and never visit the beach. If it’s inspiration you seek, sit on the beach for a few minutes (preferably longer) or take a walk on the beach, and just muse. Take a notepad and pencil with, if necessary. If you’re feeling depressed a visit to the beach may help lift your spirits. Take time out, at the beach.

Parking one’s car in a parking lot near the beach and staring at the ocean can be good for one, but it’s not enough – get right onto the beach, rather. Beach inspiration can’t be fully effective in a car. Kick off your shoes and feel the sand between your toes, the salt air in your lungs, and the ocean breeze on your face. Get closer to the ocean’s edge so that you can really hear the ocean speak to you. Get your feet wet in the ocean, or have a swim in the ocean. Or at least a dip in a medium-sized rockpool.

Beach photography inspiration? That inspiration is right there on the beach. Take a camera to the beach and take photos. One might think at first that beach photography is boring, but just imagine (and jot down a list of) all the things you could photograph at the beach. Take a walk on the beach and stop every few metres to take photos – you’ll be surprised at how many different things there are to photograph at the beach. You don’t even necessarily need a camera with a zoom lens for beach photography – just get close up to your subjects and really feel the beach. Inspiration for taking interesting photos is everywhere at the beach. If you have a digital photo editing program at home on your computer, after playing on the beach go home and play some more.

Things you could take pictures of at the beach:

if you’ve taken your children with to the beach, then take photos of them playing in the water or in the sand or on the sand dunes

take close up pictures of their expressions, with the ocean as a backdrop

take close up pictures of the water’s edge, patterns in the sand, small pebbles, seashells, sea glass and the bark of driftwood or the nails in old pieces of washed-up planks

from further back, take pictures of just the sand dunes, just the ocean, just the sky

take pictures with just a bit of sky in, and plenty of ocean

take pictures with just a bit of ocean in, and plenty of sky

split your pictures in 3 – one third sand (or rocky beach), one third ocean, one third sky – try and include another object into the left or right third of the bottom or top third – a ship on the horizon, the setting or rising sun, of if in the bottom third left or right third, then something interesting and solitary on the sand, rocks or pebbles

take pictures of rockpools and closer photos of what’s inside the rockpools

The beach is not just sea and sand; there is so much to do at the beach:

Going crazy stuck home alone with little ones? Take them to the beach and relax while they play in the sand or in rockpools.

Build a sandcastle or jump down sand dunes like a kid.

Play with a beach frizbee, boomerang, or beach bat and ball.

Have a swim in the ocean and try body surfing.

Collect a few seashells.

Need some exercise but can’t afford aerobics classes or going to gym, or just want a change from going to the gym? Take a walk or a run on the beach.

If dogs are allowed on the beach near you, take your dog for a walk or run on the beach – run with your dog, let your dog get wet and sandy – join your dog in getting wet and sandy – and take photographs of your running, wet and sandy dog (once you’ve dried off and have brushed sand off yourself – or have at least dried your hands and got rid of the sand on them.)

Relieve stress by vising the beach. A moody dark ocean on a cloudy or overcast day may help calm you, and a lovely blue ocean, sky and sandy beach on a sunny day may lift your spirits, and restore your energy.

© Copyright Teresa Schultz 2013