
Cape May is a Sunrise/Sunset and Milky Way photography hot spot location.
The Sea Crest Inn – The perfect romantic Cape May getaway for couples. The Sea Crest is owned and operated by a local couple, and located in a quiet part of Cape May overlooking one of the most extensive beaches on the island. Close to the shopping area, fine restaurants, and historic homes.
With features like oceanfront suites with fully equipped kitchens, the only outdoor whirlpool in Cape May, and extra-large balconies, why stay anywhere else? Close to restaurants, nightspots, fishing, tennis, golfing, swimming, horseback riding, biking shopping, and just steps away from the beach, you haven’t experienced the Jersey Shore until you’ve experienced Cape May at the Sea Crest Inn.
Cape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. One of the country’s oldest vacation resort destinations is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a year-round population of 3,607, reflecting a decline of 427 (-10.6%) from the 4,034 counted in the 2000 Census, which had, in turn, declined by 634 (-13.6%) from the 4,668 counted in the 1990 Census.[21] In the summer, Cape May’s population is expanded by as many as 40,000 to 50,000 visitors. The entire city of Cape May is designated the Cape May Historic District, a National Historic Landmark due to its concentration of Victorian buildings.
Cape May was recognized as one of America’s top 10 beaches by the Travel Channel. It is also known as one of the best beaches on the Middle Atlantic coast.
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Camera and Photography Information
Read more on our Photography How-to Page
If you don’t have a neutral density filter, you can buy one here.
When to Go: Weekdays, when it is slightly offseason, is best. This is a tourist town, so be prepared for people. Keep in mind this is also a milky way dark sky area, so you might want to plan your trip around a new moon or the week before during milky way week.
Camera Settings
Aperture Priority
It is generally used to control the depth of field (control how much is in focus from your subject back). If your shutter speed drops to 1/30th sec. or lower because you lack light, you will need to put your camera on a tripod to avoid blurry pictures. Anything handheld below 1/30 sec will be blurry. The higher the “f” number, the less light that will come in, and your shutter speed will drop to let more light in.
When your “f” number goes up, your aperture closes. At f-22, you are barely letting any light in. Always watch your shutter speed when taking your shot, look at the bottom of the screen through the viewfinder and check your shutter speed. Do not let your shutter speed go too low when hand-holding. Sometimes you cannot get a super high f stop because you do not have enough light. This will happen quite often at times, such as a sunset. Again, put your camera on a tripod, and now your photos will not blur except for any subject moving in the image.
You might want the opposite effect. That is when your subject is in complete focus, and the background is blurred, called the bokeh effect. You will use your lowest F-number, such as 2.8 or 3.5. Go as small as your particular lens will allow. Shooting in Aperture Priority allows you to control this.
Shutter Priority
If you have moving subjects such as people moving, you will want to shoot in shutter priority to be sure your images come out sharp. When people are moving slowly, shoot at 1/250th sec, and adjust your ISO accordingly. If they are moving very fast, increase your shutter speed to about 1/1000th sec. If it’s a bright sunny day, go as high as 1/1200 second for very fast-moving subjects.
Manual Mode
If you have moving waters here, you can do your long exposure running, milky water shots. You will have to use a tripod for this effect. All of your settings will vary depending on the lighting and what neutral density filter you have. You will shoot in manual mode for the milky waters.
ISO is always 100 or as low as your camera will allow. Aperture is f22. Your shutter speed will vary depending on the light. Take some test shots to decide on your shutter speed after you put your neutral density filter on. (It’s like sunglasses for your camera to stop light from coming in).
Use your shutter release or your 2-second timer also to prevent camera movement. Voila. You now have your milky water exposure. You will want at least a 5-second exposure for water. (If you don’t have a neutral density filter, you may not get more than 1/15th of a second in the sun. That does not give you a good effect). Go to our store to buy your ND filter. We like a 3.0 for super long exposure in the daytime, and we have a ten stop filter for bright sunny days.
Location Information
Local Hotel Information
Sea Crest Inn – See Above
101 Beach Ave, Cape May N.J.
Local Restaurant/Food Information
Camping Information
Weather
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