Jersey Shore Lifestyle Family Portrait Session | Angelsea Urban Photographer

What would you do differently if you knew THEN what you know now? This session was taken just 4 days before Hurricane Sandy hit the Jersey Shore, demolishing the historic Seaside Heights Boardwalk and almost every shore town that surrounds it. Susan had scheduled her session weeks before, and the weather predicted a cloudy and breezy day. Very typical for a fall day at the shore. Sandy was on the Horizon, but just like the A-R named storms before her, we could easily prepare, suffer a little wind and rain and get on with fall.

Obviously, not this time, as you can see here and here where I blogged some images of what my own town and surrounding towns now look like. The Seaside Heights Boardwalk where these photos were taken is now a giant pile of sand and wood. The roller coaster in the background is now in the ocean. Some of the bumper cars even washed up 7 miles down the beach were homes were completely destroyed. The American Red Cross vans look like a permanent fixture and my 5 year old son is loving the fact that every day he sees a new helicopter or Army truck driving down the street.

Our session started at Casino Pier. For “Lifestyle” sessions it’s less about the posing and camera angles and more about the authentic moments captured in an artistic and flattering way. So as we walked down the boardwalk, Susan showed everyone where she used to work as a teenager scooping ice cream and reminisced how she and her sister Cindy would come to the boardwalk each week with a dollar for ice cream and a photo-booth picture. Every week. They lived nearby growing up and even though Susan now lives in Manhattan, she still spends her summers at the Jersey Shore.

They took the drive down from NYC (with their dog Astro) just to have their session with me here at this special boardwalk. As we made our way down towards Funtown Pier we visited the few remaining shops that were refusing to let the summer go. The hermit crabs clinging to their shells must have been freezing, and the smell of fresh zeppoles almost gave us a forced intermission from our session – almost. We hit every nook and crannie of the boardwalk that day. Savoring every memory and smell and story. Each interesting corner gave us a new backdrop for our session and we tried to take advantage of every one of them.

I’m so grateful for this particular session and this family and it’s location. Growing up at the Jersey Shore, I have also spent many, many nights there and in the surrounding towns. I took my husband on his very first roller coaster at Seaside Heights when we were 18. The one that now lays in the ocean. When we finished our session I remembered to pick up some fudge from the corner shop of Funtown Pier at Biscayne Candies, because it’s just the best around. I’m so grateful that we took full advantage of the last time any of us would see that place as it was. And especially grateful that we didn’t get rained out!

Thank you Susan and Tom, and Tara, Tom, Ruby & Astro for a wonderful day at the beach!

XOXO,