Jersey shore Beach sessions

Which beach should you choose for your Jersey shore beach session?

Jersey shore beach sessions are the best. One of my favorite places to do photo sessions, any session, is at the shore!  When you live in New Jersey, you must call it the shore, but it is also known as the beach!
The shore is my happy place, as it is for so many people!  Families spend all year waiting to visit the beach for a week or two! When they have their feet in the sand, ocean breezes are blowing their hair…they are happy, making it the best place for photos.

It makes for happy memories and the perfect time to get photos done!

I travel up and down the Jersey shore from Long Beach Island to exit 0, Cape May!
Each location offers a little something different. When choosing a location, most clients will have a sentimental attachment to a particular area or want to use the beach that they are vacationing at. Others want different scenery or to visit a new place for their sessions.

In this blog, I will highlight the different areas of the Jersey shore. I will also feature the various sessions available while at the shore. Jersey shore beach sessions can take place at so many fantastic locations!

Let’s start with some of the beaches along the shore that are great for sessions!

Long Beach Island, New Jersey

Long Beach Island is a long thin island north of Atlantic City.  This is a shore town with no boardwalk or casinos. It is a quiet island full of beach homes, great restaurants, and trendy shops. The Barnegat Lighthouse and a lovely park area are at the island’s north end. If you like an urban vibe, the middle of the island has Bay Village.  There are shops, a craft brewery, and an amusement park next door.  The island’s south end has high dunes and a narrow beach area. This part of the island has beach erosion, so it changes all the time, but it is always a pretty beach.

 

Brigantine Beach, New Jersey

Brigantine Beach is just over the bridge from Atlantic City, NJ.  This island has views of the casinos in Atlantic City on the south end. The south end also has great sunset views. Brigantine island offers wide, pretty beaches with dunes and seagrass.  I have done sessions on the south end which is quiet.  It is a little busier in the middle of the island, where the hotels and beach restaurants are located. This area has dunes, lifeguard stands, and pretty paths that lead down to the beach area. The north end of the island has a seawall and can be busy during the summertime.  Vehicles can drive right onto the beach at the north and south ends of the island.

 

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is 57 miles from Philadelphia. Most travel south on the Atlantic City expressway to reach this destination.  Atlantic City has a boardwalk, amusement rides, beautiful beaches, and casinos.  The beach runs along the whole stretch of the boardwalk.  There are so many beautiful places to do sessions in AC.

The boardwalk is always fun with the lights, carnival games, and people. Atlantic city casinos have many entertaining areas that make great backdrops for photos.  The beach around the steel pier has dunes, seagrass, and pretty beach paths with fences. The Steel Pier makes a playful scene with amusement rides and the new Ferris wheel. It also is fun to catch the waves rolling in underneath the pier.  Atlantic City also has a lighthouse; the lighthouse is not on the beach but can be a fun place to do a session.  At the north end of the island is the bay.  There is an aquarium, restaurants, boat rides, and boat docks.

 

Ocean City, New Jersey

Ocean City, New Jersey, is one of my favorite beaches. I have been all over the island, and this island has many different backdrops!  The north end of the beach is quiet and has rock jetty’s that make an excellent prop in photos.  The middle of the island has the boardwalk and the famous Music Pier. The boardwalk is fun with games, amusement rides, and a Ferris wheel.  The fishing pier at the end of 14th street is a favorite location.  It is a popular spot in the summer for photos.  The rest of the island is a mix of dunes, seagrass, paths to the beach, lifeguard stands, and boats.  The shore changes every season, so I am always finding a sweet spot different from the year before!

 

Sea Isle City, New Jersey

Sea Isle City beach is tranquil. Unfortunately, this area gets beach erosion when there are big storms or rough surf, and the beach changes every time I am there. The beach is nice, not too wide, and has picturesque dunes.  The paths leading to the beach are pretty.  In the center of town, there is a gazebo and boardwalk, which is fun to use for photos if you are looking for something different than the beach.  Wednesdays is a free beach day. I would avoid this day for sessions, especially in the late afternoon.

 

Avalon and Stone Harbor, New Jersey

Avalon and Stone Harbor beaches are beautiful. These two towns share one island.  They are full of beautiful expensive homes, good restaurants, and trendy shops.  I wish I had more sessions on these beaches.  The beaches are not too wide and have dunes with seagrass.  The south end of the island near Stone harbor has a nature center with fantastic shoreline views.  You can watch pretty sunsets at the southern end because no buildings block the view.

 

Wildwood, New Jersey

I have a love/hate relationship with Wildwood, NJ!  There are many fantastic locations for sessions on the island.  The lighthouse in North Wildwood, The Hereford lighthouse is one of my favorite places to do family and engagement sessions!  The gardens at the lighthouse are beautiful and the beach is just a short walk down the seawall.  The middle of the island is home to the famous boardwalk.  This boardwalk has games and a giant amusement park.  It is fun to use the roller coaster as a backdrop for sessions on the the beach. There are huge dunes with seagrass near the north end of the boardwalk that I always recommend for sessions.

Now the part I don’t like…the wind!!!  It is always super windy in Wildwood.  Not so much at the lighthouse but in the middle of the island, it is crazy.  Another negative is  the beach is bustling all summer and is very wide! For those reasons, I recommend sessions take place early in the morning or as close to sunset as possible so that the beach isn’t crowded and the winds aren’t as strong.

 

Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May beaches and Ocean City beaches are tied for my favorite beach.  I have loved Cape May for many years and always enjoy visiting the area.  The town of Cape May has many locations for family sessions, engagements, and weddings.  Cape May Point state park has a lighthouse and nature reserve which is located south of the downtown. This is one of my favorite spots on the island. Another great spot to do beach sessions is Sunset beach.  This is a pretty beach. There are dunes, seagrass and the beach is a mix of little pebbles and sand. The sunset is gorgeous at the most southern end of New Jersey.

In the center of town are old Victorian houses and beach resorts.  Walking and biking through the village with the old homes in the background is always fun.  Cape May has a brewery, a few wineries that I have used for engagement sessions, and the Cape May Zoo.  The zoo is a fun family place because there is also a park with nature trails and it is all free.  You can also visit Cold stone village which is a historic village.

 

What kind of sessions can you do at the shore?

Family Sessions

Family beach sessions are the most popular at the Jersey shore from early spring until late November.

Engagement Sessions

The perfect location for engagement sessions is on the beach.  On each beach listed above, I have photographed an engagement session. I also adore capturing surprise proposals; as of December 2021, I have captured over 15 proposals.

 

Maternity Sessions

Such a beautiful place to celebrate this special time.  A jersey shore beach session is perfect for maternity sessions.

Senior Sessions

Seniors love to have their sessions at the shore!!

 

Boardwalk Sessions

These sessions are fun! They can take extra planning to avoid crowds.  Ocean City, Atlantic City, and Wildwood all have amusement parks!

 

See you at the shore!

So now you know all the great towns and beach locations and the many types of sessions you can have at the shore! These sessions are very popular, and the summer season quickly builds up. But…don’t think shore sessions are just in the summertime!  I love October, November, and December at the shore!  We can make any time of the year work!

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