I’m so happy that you stumbled upon this blog post. I’m Danielle! I’m a New Jersey family photographer. I specialize in family, maternity, and newborn photography. New Jersey beach photos are my absolute favorite to capture, especially in the summer. If you live in New Jersey, you are lucky enough to have access to a wide stretch of beautiful beaches to choose from. I outlined below 3 ideas to make your New Jersey beach photos fun and exciting!

New Jersey Beach Photos: Idea # 1

Choose a Beach With a Great Sunset

This is so so so important! As you probably know, the sun sets in west. So it’s hard to get a sunset directly over the water in New Jersey because we are on the east coast. However, if you can find a beach that has a bay side you’re golden! My favorite location for New Jersey beach photos is Sandy Hook. The reason for that is because it has a gorgeous bay side where the sun sets so beautifully over the water. Some other beaches that have a bay side are Long Beach Island, Wildwood Crest, Cape May, and many barrier island beaches.

New Jersey Beach Photos: Idea # 2

Choose a Beach with Sand Dunes

Choosing a beach with sand dunes is highly important when planning your New Jersey beach photos. The reason is sand dunes can block some of the direct light coming from the sun. So if you’re heading out for photos and the sun is still pretty high in sky. Go up against some sand dunes so you can get in some shade. Sometimes, the sun light can get pretty bright at the beach, which causes harsh shadows and squinty eyes. Finding some shady spots can really help with this. If you’re interested in learning more about how light affects your photos, read this blog post here. Some New Jersey beaches that I recommend with sand dunes are Sandy Hook, Bradley Beach, Long Beach Island, and Wildwood Crest.

New Jersey Beach Photos: Idea # 3

Choose a Beach with Large Rocks or Jetties

Large rocks or jetties can make really great photo ops for New Jersey beach photos. There are so many beaches in New Jersey that have jetties. Just be careful when walking on them. Some of the rocks can be shaky and you don’t want to risk spraining an ankle. I wouldn’t recommend going to far onto the jetty. Instead lean up against, or stand on a rock that is still on the sand. Asbury Park, Sandy Hook, and Avon-by-the-Sea have some nice large rocks.

And that’s it! I really hope these 3 ideas have inspired you to either book a beach family session or head out and take some photos on your own. If you head out with your cell phone, be sure read this blog post that offers some i-phone photography tips.

If you are interested in learning more about booking New Jersey beach photos with a professional photographer, you can contact me here. I’d love to connect on Instagram as well.

Happy planning!