You'll also want a steady support, since the camera will be exposing for several seconds. I use a tripod, but that's not essential--you can also set the camera on a rock or some other rigid base. One word of warning, though: If you are using a tripod, make sure it isn't going to settle or drift in the sand. That means you should put the tripod in dry sand, and really dig it in so it doesn't shift through the exposure. I've made the mistake of setting my tripod in wet sand, and discovered too late that it sinks slightly over time. The result? When you review your photos afterwards, you'll see blurry ghost images caused by the camera moving through the exposure.

It's also a good idea to use a remote trigger of some kind so you don't have to touch the camera during the exposure. You can use a wired or wireless trigger (check your local camera shop to see if there's one available for your camera). If all else fails, you can use your camera's self-timer, but beware--use the lightest touch possible to press the shutter release, or you can push the tripod further into the sand and cause it to keep shifting through the exposure.

Taking the Shot

Ready to go? You'll get your best results in the early morning or late afternoon, sometime in the vicinity of sunrise or sunset. The low light conditions will allow you to get a nice long exposure, and the warmer colors in the sky can make the photo look more romantic as well.

You can get absolutely gorgeous results with a very wide range of shutter speeds, ranging anywhere from 2 seconds to 20 or 30 seconds, so try a few and see what works best for you. To try it, put your camera in Shutter Priority mode and start with a shutter speed of about 5 seconds. The longer your exposure, the more water movement you will capture. In the photo , for example, I used a shutter speed of 15 seconds.