Summer, Surf, Sand and Sunrises: Early Morning Photographs of the New Jersey Shore

If you mention the New Jersey shore, people may think of busy beaches and all kinds of fun activities:  Swimming, riding bicycles or surreys on the boardwalk, playing miniature golf, or going to the arcade or amusement park.  Their mouths are likely to water at the thought of their favorite shore foods: curly fries, fudge, saltwater taffy, frozen custard, pizza, churros, caramel corn, and the list goes on.

The bustle of an afternoon at the beach or an evening on the boardwalk is quite different from the peaceful, calm beauty of an early morning at the shore.  For photographers, the early morning is wonderful for great light, beautiful sunrises, and endless possible images of sand, water, piers, etc.  I took all of the following images this summer, between late July and the end of August.  I have included photographs from four New Jersey beaches:  Cape May, Ocean City, Atlantic City, and Margate.  Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunrise and the salty air!  To see more of my photographs, or to purchase a print, visit my online ETSY store HERE.

1) CAPE MAY

Cape May:  Boat and Lifeguard Stand

Cape May:  Lifeguard Stand at Sunrise

Cape May:  Victorian House
("The Abbey")

2) OCEAN CITY

Ocean City:  First Light at the Pier 

Ocean City:  Under the Pier

Ocean City:  Morning at the Pier

Ocean City:  Patterns in Sand

Ocean City:  Bicycle, Boardwalk, Beach and Pier

3) ATLANTIC CITY

Atlantic City:  Damaged Pier with Breaking Waves

Atlantic City: Beach and Steel Pier

Atlantic City:  Morning Waves and Sky

4) MARGATE

Margate:  Pier and Tide at Sunrise

Margate:  Pier at Sunrise

Margate:  Boat, Lifeguard Stand and Pier

Welcome / Atlantic City, New Jersey

Hello & welcome to my photo blog.  Many of my images are in and around Bucks County, Pennsylvania, but my camera is usually with me wherever I go.  Last weekend, my wife & I were in Atlantic City, New Jersey (primarily to see a Jerry Seinfeld performance, which was terrific).  I ventured down to the beach one morning.  Here are 2 of my photographs:

For the image of the pier, I used a slow exposure (1/2 second, with my camera on a tripod) to give a sense of motion.  For the shot of the three waves, I used a very fast exposure (1/1600th of a second) to "freeze" the action.