Okay so today I figured I’d practice capturing those effortless beach vibes, like those cool candid shots celebrities get. Saw a headline about Hailee Steinfeld’s bikini photos and thought, “Yeah, I can try to get that aesthetic with my friend Sarah next week. Sunshine, water, relaxed looks.” Simple, right? Ha!
The Plan Starts Simple
Step one: Find references. Easy. Pulled up a bunch of Hailee Steinfeld beach pictures. Noticed things – really relaxed poses, messy hair, smiling genuinely, not trying too hard. Lots of natural sunlight. Got it. Bookmarked a few.
Strong>Step two: Gear check. My trusty phone camera? Fine for practice. Tripod? Dug it out. Spare battery? Found it buried under old cables. Sunscreen? Packed. Towel? Yep. Bottled water? Grabbed a few. Thought I was golden.
Executing… Or Trying To
Met Sarah at this public beach spot – nice sand, decent water backdrop. Sunny day, bit windy. Perfect.
Strong>Attempt one: Told Sarah, “Okay, just lean back, look chill, like you’re soaking the sun.” Took the shot. Preview looked awful. The sun was RIGHT behind her, completely blowing out the background. Her face was dark. Total silhouette. Crap. Forgot basic backlighting.
Strong>Attempt two: Moved positions. Now the sun was hitting her side. Better! Told her to run towards the water laughing. “Be natural!” I yelled. She started running. I fumbled trying to open the stupid tripod quick enough. Phone almost fell in the sand. Pure panic mode. By the time I aimed, she was just standing there awkwardly looking back at me. “Did you get it?” she asked. Nope. Fail.
Strong>Attempt three: Focused on the “Hailee” look – relaxed, leaning on one leg, hand on hip, slight smile. “Just be casual, look happy!” I instructed. Sarah tried. Bless her. It looked… stiff. Like someone told her to smile and say “cheese”. Totally unnatural. And the wind whipped her hair RIGHT across her face in the shot. Looked like Cousin It.
Strong>Attempt four: Went full candid. “Okay, Sarah, just ignore me. Walk towards the water. Don’t look at the camera.” She started walking. I followed, phone held low. Wanted that “strolling casually” shot. Phone died. Completely blank screen. I forgot my spare battery was from like 2018 and only held like 10% charge. Sarah’s halfway into the water turning back like, “Why are you groaning?” Yeah. Nice.
The Awkward Aftermath
Felt like a total goofball. Sarah was cool about it, just shrugged and said “Eh, we tried. Wanna grab tacos?” We packed up the tripod, the towel with way too much sand, and the useless spare battery. Got maybe one semi-decent shot where she’s shielding her eyes from the sun and laughing, but the horizon line was totally crooked.
Made me think – Hailee Steinfeld makes it look SO easy in those photos. Just effortless beach beauty. What they don’t show? The photographer probably took 300 shots, adjusted lighting 5 times, had assistants holding reflectors, the works. And then hours picking the best single frame. And perfect timing. My cousin actually did some model work. She told me once they took 4 hours just to get one decent “spontaneous laughing while strolling” shot. Her cheeks hurt for days!
Anyway, forget glamorous bikini shoots. Turns out getting natural, relaxed beach photos requires way more sweat, stress, and sun glare than it looks. Phone batteries die. People look awkward when told to “be natural”. And sandy phones are the worst. Moral? Appreciate the pros who get it right. Or just have really low expectations like me. Tacos helped.
Next time? Charge. Everything. Bring a reflector. Maybe bribe Sarah with extra guac. Wonder if Hailee ever dropped her phone in the sand mid-shot…
