Taking photos at the beach-need help

[readysetgo]

Hey, either tomorrow or wednesday i will be going to Sorrento and taking the ferryboat to Queenscliff...i am so excited and hope i see dolphins.
My question is when ever i take beach photos the water always turns out white....i guess from the sun hitting it..i was told in another forum to use a polarizing filter, which i don't have in the size of my lens (i got one for my old camera ages ago but never used it, it is 58 while my new lenses are 52 or something)
Is there any other way to help prevent it with settings maybe?
I can't make it to a photography shop before hand so getting another filter isn't an option.
Thanks in advance :)
from Casey.

[Ageless1]

Well the correct way would be a CPL or ND filter but as these are not an option try setting your ISO to 100 and then experiment with shutter speeds until you find something you are happy with in way of exposure. I dont know what camera you have so that is the most generic simple solution I can think of. You can also try bracketing as well.

[Lost]

d it, it is 58 while my new lenses are 52 or something)You just need a step down ring

Sound like you are overexposing the sea and sun reflecting from the water. For midday photos (10 am to 5pm) try and have the sun behind you as much as possible. That means you need to be on the southern side of the ferry.

[emma]

yep, a stepping ring works wonders. Not very expensive at all. but you have to either order them online, or go to your local shop. And mainly, the polarizing filter is the way to go. It's because of the reflections bouncing off the water and generally, the only thing that will get rid of it is the filter. You can bracket - and that will help your exposures, but you will still probably get the reflections. The only other way is to position yourself like the AP has mentioned.

[readysetgo]

Thanks for the replies :)
Yeah i thought of a stepping ring but all the photography shops that sell that kind of thing are in the city which is 1hr and 1/2 away (roughly)...i usually get dad to pick stuff up but he's on holiday from work so he doesn't make the trip into the city.
out here there is ted's camera's and croydon camera house...both of which i don't think sell that kind of thing.
I guess i'll have to watch where i stand in relevance to the sun.

[emma]

you should probably give them a call - I'm in a rural area with only two camera shops - one is a camera house franchise and the other is a locally owned shop - both sell step up rings.

Have a great time on your trip!

[readysetgo]

you should probably give them a call - I'm in a rural area with only two camera shops - one is a camera house franchise and the other is a locally owned shop - both sell step up rings.

Have a great time on your trip!
Ok i will try that.
Thanks, :) it will be new for me because i mainly took photos of birds and now also portraits....and now i will try landscapes and all that...should be fun.

[Seesee]

Lloyd summed it up right, but also depends on your camera settings, try to keep the aperture closed up as much as possible...ie: use the old sunny 16 rule { f16} and dial in a bit more negative EV to help counteract the blown brights

[operative]

sunny 16 rule is f/16 with a shutter of 1/ISO

[Lost]

sunny 16 rule is f/16 with a shutter of 1/ISO

for those who don't follow: if the iso is set to 100 the shutter speed is 100........if the iso is set to 400 the shutter speed is going to be 400. This is an old film day rule; in the days when not all cameras had a built in light meter. LO L most film boxes had approximate shutter/aperture for different scene/time of day printed inside and those guide lines were surprising accurate.