Picture This

It is a beautiful day on the Alabama Gulf Coast. You and your family just checked in to one of Brett/Robinson’s fabulous properties and you are ready to hit the pools and beaches. You have everything you need for your beach vacation including your most important tool, your camera.

When you get home, you want to be able to remember every detail of every fun moment. Capturing memories is so much easier today in the age of digital cameras. All you need is a digital camera, memory card and batteries and you are good to go.

Here are some tips to make sure you take home some great photographs.

• Cameras and sand do not mix. Be very careful with your camera on the beach. Just a little sand can make a camera inoperable. Always have your camera in a water/sand-proof container when it isn’t in your hand. A zip-close plastic bag or a six-pack cooler make good camera protectors.
• For the best lighting when taking pictures of your family, hit the beach in the “magic hour” just before sunset or just after sunrise. The softer light compliments skin tones and you do not have to fight the harsh shadows of the mid-day sun.
• If you want to take pictures during the day when the kids are building sandcastles, swimming in the pool or playing in the surf, use a fill flash. Most cameras have the option of having the flash operate on each picture. Using the flash will fill in shadows on faces and offset some of the light reflecting from the white sand and water.
• If you want some group family shots, dress everyone in a similar color (white shirts and khaki or denim pants/shorts are nice) and go to your chosen location about an hour before sunset. I recommend doing this on your first or second day at the beach while everyone is still fresh and before someone gets too much sun.
• Don’t forget, the beach isn’t the only place the family is having fun. Keep your camera with you on excursions to go cart tracks, mini golf or when dining out. Our fun restaurants have a lot of places for picture opportunities, too. Even a trip to souvenir stores in Gulf Shores can produce a family picture in the mouth of a shark or under the tentacles of a purple octopus.
• Please be careful of the dunes and sea oats on our beautiful beaches. They are protected areas. They prevent beach erosion and serve as a buffer between the Gulf of Mexico and the properties that line the beach. They also add to the beauty of the area. When photographing them, please do so from the boardwalks or walking paths.

The main thing to remember when you have a camera in your hand is to have fun. When you are having fun, you are taking fun pictures. That is what memories are made of.