Barnegat Lighthouse State Park Photography
Photography Hot Spot for Sunrise, Sunset and Milky Way
WHERE TO DO PHOTOGRAPHY – BARNEGAT LIGHT
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park is also a Dark Sky location, so be sure to visit at the right time of year. You can get sunset and Milky Way images all in one trip. Be sure to visit our Dark Sky Information Page.
BEST TIME TO GO
We think the off-season is the best time to go. Not during the summer weekends when the areas you drive through to get here are bustling. This is also a Milky Way photography location, so we highly recommend checking our Milky Way page to find the optimal time to visit for both daytime and nighttime shooting. Remember that you need to go during certain times to view the Milky Way. We have a Barnegat Lighthouse Milky Way page specifically for you to view the details.
HOW LONG TO STAY HERE
Set aside several hours to spend at this beautiful location. And don’t forget it’s not always about taking pictures. It’s also about the experience. Connecting to Mother Gaia and all of the beauty in this area can be a profound experience. If you’re going to do Milky Way images here during the season, set aside at least three hours. This is a Milky Way Photography Location so if you plan to stay, we suggest you stay overnight.
WHAT ELSE TO BRING
Remember to bring organic bug repellent and sun protection, as well as a durable pair of hiking boots, if you plan to walk out on the jetty rocks. Also, bring a pair of water shoes if you’re going to go next to the jetty during high tide. Packaging long pants, a hat, and sunglasses is also wise to shield yourself from the elements.
OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY NEARBY
Check out the bottom of our page for other articles on where to do Photography in New Jersey.
HOW BUSY DOES IT GET?
This location doesn’t get too busy—or at least it hasn’t every time we’ve been here. However, driving down LBI on the summer weekends, the roads get busy.
HOW TO GET THERE
Take the Garden State Parkway
ADDRESS FOR GPS: Broadway and The Bay, Barnegat Light, NJ 08006
FACEBOOK PAGE: Follow the link to the State Park Page
Here you will find up-to-date information, including alerts and things to know before you go.
Birdwatching & Photography
The spring and autumn migrations offer fantastic opportunities to observe a wide array of bird species, alongside many fellow bird enthusiasts! Barnegat Lighthouse State Park is renowned for its birdwatching potential. Despite its modest size, it features a rare forested area and access to the bay, inlet, and ocean, making it a unique spot for natural habitats. The best birdwatching occurs during the off-season, when the park is less crowded than it typically is during summer months. For those interested in a bird checklist for Long Beach Island, one is available for the wildlife refuge at the southern tip.
May and October are prime months for spotting migratory waterfowl. During these times, large flocks of ducks and other birds often rest on the bay’s tranquil waters. The optimal times for birdwatching are in the early morning and evening, when new arrivals settle in to rest before continuing their journey.
Park Activities
The park hosts nature walks, maritime history lectures, and more throughout the year. These free events usually start at the interpretive center, where a schedule is posted.
Accessibility
Facilities such as the interpretive center, lighthouse base, picnic area, and jetty walkway are all designed to accommodate visitors with disabilities. Beach and regular wheelchairs are available for loan; ask at the interpretive center.
MILKY WAY AT BARNAGAT LIGHTHOUSE
LIGHT POLLUTION MAP:
CAMERA:
You will need a camera to manually control your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.
LENS:
A fast, wide-angle lens of 1.4 – 2.8 is ideal. If you use a lens with a speed of 3.5 or higher (slower), you must increase the ISO. The higher the ISO, the more grain or digital noise will appear in your photos.
TRIOPD:
A good, sturdy tripod is essential for night photography. If it gets windy, you will need a sturdy one. Remember that when you buy one, it should be sturdy enough to withstand the wind but small enough to fit in your suitcase.
SKY MAP:
Sky Guide is available through the iTunes Store for $1.99.
FLASHLIGHT:
Our choice is the Coast brand for flashlights. The ideal flashlight will have high lumens, and you can zoom in and out on the light emitting from the flashlight. Get the HP7, PX45, or the G50. Ideally, go with the HP7.
MOON PHAZE MAP:
The best time to go is during a new moon; you want to be in the darkest area possible. The week before the new moon, when the moon has not risen, is a perfect time to go, so be sure to check the moonrise chart to see when the moon will be up.
REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASE:
When painting with light and using over a 30-second exposure, you need a shutter release to use bulb mode. You can use the remote release or your camera’s built-in two-second timer when displaying your pictures.
CAMERA SETTINGS FOR MILKY WAY
ISO:
Start with ISO 1600 – 3200. This is a common starting point, and you will adjust from here.
Shutter Speed – Remember, the Earth is rotating. If you leave the shutter open too long, you’ll see star trails that won’t make for a crisp image. We want crisp, non-star trail images.
APERTURE:
Depth of field isn’t critical on these shots, but letting light into the camera is; therefore, you should shoot wide open if. If the depth of field is essential to you, try not to go too high. (Wide open =the lowest aperture your camera will allow.) You must increase the ISO a bit, but it will give you some digital noise.
SHUTTER SPEED:
Now that the ISO and aperture are set in manual mode, roll your shutter speed until your meter reads (0) zero. Take a test shot and adjust from there. Remember, the Earth is rotating. If you leave the shutter open for too long, you will see star trails that will not make for a crisp image. You can create star trails specifically, but that’s not what we are going for here since we started with Milky Way photography. We want crisp, non-star-trail images when doing this.
Here is the formula to avoid star trails—the 500 rule – Divide 500 by the focal length of your lens. So, if you have a 24mm lens on a full-frame camera, you will set your shutter speed to 20 sec. (500/24 = 20.83). If you are using a crop sensor camera, first do the math of the crop sensor to find the focal length. The Canon is 1.6, and the Nikon is 1.5. Convert to full-frame focal length, then use the formula. Nikon 18mm x 1.5= 27mm – 500/27 = 18.51 seconds.
WHITE BALANCE:
In live view mode, you can adjust your white balance settings and see how they will look. You can shoot in shade or cloud mode as a standard setting and change things later when editing.
LIVE VIEW:
To focus in the dark, use your camera’s live view, hit the zoom button, and focus on a bright star. You can also use the infinity setting on your lens, but do several test shots to determine accuracy. It can be off a little on some lenses. You can also light it up with a flashlight, focus, and then gently, without touching the focus ring, put the camera in manual focus so it won’t search for focus. You must do this each time you move your camera to take your next angle.
WHEN TO VIEW THE MILKY WAY:
The best images are usually of the dense part of the Milky Way. We can see this part of the Milky Way in the southern sky. During March, April, and May, the Milky Way rises above the horizon in the pre-dawn hours. In June, at about 10:00 p.m., you will see the Milky Way. From July until October, you can see the Milky Way as soon as the sun sets, and it becomes dark enough to see about an hour after sunset. In November, the Milky Way no longer comes above the horizon. You will have to wait until March if you want to stay away really late or get up early to see her again.
Would you like to learn how to create dynamic images or Fine Art for yourself? That is what this magazine is all about. The first part of creating incredible photography is to find an outstanding subject matter. You must do several things to create something different than other artists. You can read more about other places on our Travel Photography Pages.
BARNEGAT LIGHT STATE PARK INFORMATION
There are no Fees.
Facilities & Activities:
- Barnegat Lighthouse
- Interpretive Center
- Trails
- Fishing
- Birdwatching
- Picnicking
- Related Links
- FAQ’s
HOTELS
For only $99, anyone can advertise with us for an entire year and be featured prominently in our magazine.
When Photographing Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, Stay at:
Drifting Sands Hotel – Quiet, Immaculate, and Affordable
But now, under new management, we can no longer vouch for them. There are lots of changes we haven’t seen, but I’m sure it’s great.
119 E 9th StShip Bottom, New Jersey 08008 Phone: 609-494-1123
The perfect location for LBI Beach Weddings. Our Wedding Photographers should have this clean, comfortable, affordable Beach Wedding location on their suggestion list. Drifting Sands offers a beachfront location for a flawless ceremony with breathtaking views.
This was one of our Top Picks when staying in Ship Bottom. They will be renovating, and I’m sure it will be fabulous, probably even better than it was.
It’s right over the bridge off Route 72 when you enter Long Beach Island. The bright, open, airy, immaculate rooms made us feel at home here. After a long drive, the fast check-in and highly attentive service were a pleasure. The management is top-notch here, as it is undeniable how well the establishment is run. We also enjoyed speaking with some of the grounds staff. They were accommodating in pointing out photography locations we were unaware of in the local area.
CAMPING
Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey
Sun Retreats LBI – 30 Route 72 Barnegat
One-room cabin rentals. These cozy cabins have hardwood paneling and flooring and provide a full bed and twin bunk beds to accommodate up to 2-4 guests comfortably. Heat and air conditioning, cable TV, and a kitchenette area with a mini refrigerator and microwave, picnic table, grill and fire pit provided for your outdoor enjoyment. Bath houses are nearby. Linens and towels are not included.
Add your campground here!
FOOD AND DINING
LIVING ON THE VEG
Manahawkin
657 E. Bay Ave. #3
Manahawkin, NJ
Phone: (609) 891-2383
BARNEGAT LIGHTHOUSE HISTORY
The lighthouse’s beacon remained a first-class navigational light until August 1927, when the Barnegat Lightship was anchored eight nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) off the coast. This prompted the automation and replacement of the first-order lens with a gas blinker. As a result, the tower’s light was reduced by over 80 percent. The gas blinker was replaced several weeks later with a 250-watt electric bulb, though the gas apparatus can still be seen at the top of the tower.
The light was deactivated as a Coast Guard lookout tower in January 1944 and given to the State of New Jersey. Four years later, the local municipality, Barnegat City, changed its name to Barnegat Light. In 1954, the lens was returned to Barnegat Light and is now on display in the Barnegat Light Museum. The area around the lighthouse was declared a state park and dedicated in 1957. The lightship was removed in 1969.
The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
In 1988, the tower was closed to make way for the new south jetty, and it was reopened to visitors in 1991 with a new walkway on top of the jetty. The top of the lighthouse is accessible via its 217 steps and continues to attract over half a million visitors year-round.
In 2008, the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, a local non-profit organization, raised funds to reactivate the lighthouse. A sum of $35,000 was raised, with $15,000 contributed by the local Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5. This funding supported the acquisition of a new $15,000 VRB-25 light system and the replacement of aging windows. Funding was raised entirely at the local level.
In October 2008, the VRB-25 system was installed. While physically smaller than the original light, the system has become a standard for US Lighthouses, with over 100 installed.
On January 1, 2009, at 5:00 pm, the 150th anniversary of its opening, the Lighthouse activated its beacon for the first time since before World War II.
The light now operates daily from dusk until dawn. A foghorn on the South Breakwater Light 7, at the ocean end of the south breakwater, guards the inlet. The tower is flood-lit at night.
