The Secret to Better Beach Photos With Just Your Phone | Phelan Fantasy Photographer
Ventura lifeguard towers during the off season.
Getting ready for a Southern California beach trip?
If you’re anything like me, you’re already thinking about all the sand you’ll have in your car… Oops! I mean, memories you’ll make.
To be honest, I’m not really a beach person. I don’t like the sand. I don’t like feeling sticky– I live in the desert for a reason. Ha!
However, all of my kids' 8th-grade year started and ended with a beach trip. It was meant to be a team-building/ bonding day. We’d meet at the school and then carpool down to Corona Del Mar Beach.
I’d pack a blanket, ice chest, all the snacks, magazines, a portable speaker, an umbrella, and lots of sunblock.
The kids would play games with the teachers, swim and boogie board in the ocean, get stung by a jellyfish (yes, that happened), and sometimes still end up sunburned. It was great!
As I sat in my chair this past trip, cozily situated– eating snacks while reading a magazine– I loved it. Every minute of it.
My last 8th grader graduated this year, and I’m kinda sad. I won’t ever go on another beach trip.
I’m now thinking that I need to plan our own family beach trip, sand included.
So. Much. Sand.
Digging holes at the beach.
Anyway, if you’re planning a beach vacation, I want to share some fun and easy phone-photo ideas with you.
Believe me, I know you don’t have time for anything fancy. You’ve got kids to wrangle and snacks to pack!
I pulled together a few of my favorite beach ideas and tips for getting great pictures with just your phone.
These are fun and easy ways to get quality, pro-looking photos on your trip!
Phone Photography Tricks and How to Take Great Photos.
You don’t need pro gear for fun beach photos; you can make your phone work with these ideas:
1. Clean your phone’s lens. Yes, it’s important! Your shirt will do the trick in a pinch.
2. Tap to focus and slide to expose. If your kid’s face looks shadowy or too bright, just drag your finger up or down to tweak the light—it makes your photos pop without filters.
3. Use burst mode for anything in motion—jumping over waves, flying a kite, or running with the dog down the shoreline. You’ll get a whole series, and then you can pick your favorite!
4. Another cool trick: flip your phone upside down and shoot low to the ground. You'll capture the beach world from their level, which feels more immersive and cinematic.
Girls are getting hit by the waves.
These small tweaks add extra magic to your beach memories!
I often place my phone on the ground to get the feel of a bug’s eye view. It’s fun and playful. I usually lean it against something if I need to.
Burst mode captures those belly laughs and tickle fights.
Use the water reflection on the sand for creative images.
Creative Beach Photo Ideas
We’ve all done the heart-in-the-sand pic (sweet, but overdone). This summer, let’s switch things up with fun ideas that are super simple and actually feel special.
1. Try a reflection shot using tide pools or that stretch of wet sand right after a wave pulls back. Just crouch low, flip your phone, and snap their reflection like a beachy mirror. Fun, right?
2. Or get playful with a “holding the sun” photo. Have your kid pinch their fingers together or hold their hand open during sunset—instant magic, and they’ll love helping to create it.
3. Bury them to their neck in sand and shoot straight down. Bonus points if they have seaweed hair.
4. Take a close-up of tiny hands full of shells, sand dollars, or small pieces of driftwood, especially if they’re still dripping wet.
5. And don’t forget the run-and-jump shot! Stand back and catch them mid-air, dodging waves, hair flying, with pure joy. (Use burst mode)
Oyster and clam shells, Ventura beach.
Getting a Real, Non-Posed, Moment
Posed beach photos hardly ever go as planned (especially with little ones), and honestly, most of the time, you’ll want to remember the unposed stuff anyway!
1. Focus on those in-between moments—like your toddler wrapped in a towel, shivering and snuggly after the waves. No smiles needed, just the real feels!
Pro tip: vary your angles. Go close, then far. Shoot from above, eye level, then point up from the ground.
2. Take a quick photo while your child is laughing with their head thrown back, or that moment where they get hit with a wave and look shocked and thrilled all at once!
3. Zoom in on sandy fingers clutching a juice box, or their face half-covered in messy ice cream—these are the kinds of moments that make you smile.
4. Try a few shots from behind—your partner holding your child’s hand, the kids walking toward the water, little footprints in the sand that end in giggles.
5. And every once in a while, hand off your phone and get in the photo. You belong in these memories, too, Mama.
6. One of my favorite hacks is to set up a phone tripod and record some video of you and the kids building a sandcastle or jumping over waves. Time-lapse is great for this. And, try slow motion too, it’s fun to look back on.
The quality isn’t something you’re going to be able to print as a 20x30 canvas, but it’ll be good enough for your digital photo collection!
Waves crashing into kids, Corona Del Mar Beach.
Now you’ve got everything you need to take beach photos that actually look like your family! And the images will spark excitement.
Remember these tricks & have fun!
You don’t have to overthink it. Just look for the little things.
What matters most is that you capture the feeling of the beach day. That’s what makes your photos special! That’s what makes memories.
I have an 8x10 printed photo of my last baby at her 8th-grade beach trip. It’s in a funky frame above the TV. And, it reminds me that sand, although sticky, can be fun. Oh, and baby powder works wonders for getting sand off your body.
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I hope reading How to Take Great Photos for Your Family’s Beach Vacation has given you new and exciting ideas! If you’re still looking for a Phelan Family Photographer, click here to see my portfolio of Fantasy and Creative images.
Cheers to sandy bums,
Annette
