Beach Engagement Photos Massachusetts
Beach engagement photos in Massachusetts are a staple for any couple getting married in the area. Massachusetts has 192 Miles of coastline, and with that comes some beautiful beaches for photos.
North Shore Beaches for Engagement Sessions
I am familiar with the beaches all the way from Gloucester, Newburyport all the way down to Cape Cod! On the North Shore (the area literally north of Boston) of Massachusetts, you have beaches that been in actual Hollywood movies! You have Gloucester Harbor which was filmed in The Perfect Storm. You also have other famous movies filmed at Manchester By The Sea in the epic namesake movie "Manchester By the Sea". The beaches in Massachusetts are endless for whatever look you're going for in your engagement photos.
Good Harbor Beach is a spot that is great to explore and take photos! On one side of Good Harbor, you have a rocky jetty that lines the beach and on the backside, you have green vegetation to work with to add a bit of color. The sunset is not over the water, which helps with setting up a variety of shots with perfect light and the ocean behind the subject. It also has a hidden secret called Milk Island. Milk Island is an island 2 miles southeast of Rockport and is a wildlife sanctuary. Rumor has it, you can only get to it at low tide. I haven't tried it yet, but I just might next year!
If you have a kayak and a little ambition, you can travel out to Rockports other secret island, Thatcher Island. It has 3 miles of walking trails around it. You can walk out on a spit of land and turn around and see all of Gloucester without ever getting on a boat! How fun is that! Imagine getting your photographer to plan the tides just right to have a photo of the two of you that no one else would have. Interesting fact, The Town of Rockport owns the southern end of the Island and manages it via the TITC and TIA. The northern end is owned by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
I'd be amiss if I didn't spend time talking about one of the prettiest beaches on the North Shore, Wingaersheek Beach. This beach is something truly special! It's a cove at high tide and at low tide opens up to a spectacular beach. You get to see the Annisquam Harbor Light Station (formerly Wigwam Point) from this beach. The Light House is where the Annisquam River meets Ipswich Bay and another beautiful spot on the North Shore.South Shore Beaches
On the south shore of Massachusetts, you have beaches like Scituate Harbor, or Duxbury Beach where you can four-wheel October - March! If you are adventurous enough to go out with a four-wheel-drive, watch out for the state-protected Piping Plover!
As you head down route 3 to Cape Beaches, you cross over the Bourne Bridge or the Sagamore Bridge and down Route 28 to famous Falmouth Massachusetts. Falmouth is home to the Falmouth Road Race and to many wedding venues that are wonderful spots for photos. One or two wedding venues I have been to are The Coonamessett and The Wequassett Resort and Golf Club which can double as a perfect place for engagement photos. The Wequassett has a wonderful boardwalk for photos for Engagements, Propsals, or Weddings! Also, in Mashpee you have the Popponesset Innwhich has a wonderful boardwalk to walk out on. It's part of The New Seabury Club.
Beaches for Engagement Session on Cape Cod
If you are looking for engagement sessions on the Cape, you have oodles of beaches, all easy to get to, with a beautiful landscape! You can head to either the North Side or the South Side of Dennis. The best way to go between the two is to take Route 134 or Old Bass River Road to 6A. On the south side, you will find the well-known mile-long West Dennis Beach. Here you have a mile of beach, both with people and without for photos. You can go further down the beach towards the Bass River and duck behind the sand dunes where the windsurfers launch from. This is normally a very secluded area of West Dennis Beach. You can also use the marshes on the other side of the road from the beach and get some epic sunset photos! (Fun fact, West Dennis Beach is actually a road! It's called Davis Beach Road and you can drive down there, and not park.) Parking at West Dennis Beach gets charged from Memorial Day to Labor Day!
If you are looking for another Dennis Beach for photos, you can always head over to the famous Mayflower Beach! Mayflower Beach is known for its crystal clear water, and low tides. At low tide, you can walk out almost a half-mile to the ocean. At low tide you are able to find sand dollars and if you are lucky a starfish! At high tide the beach gets skinny, so be sure to time your visit carefully! If you decide you want to four-wheel, and hit a Dennis Beach, you may want to head over to Corporation Beach.
CHATHAM MASSACHUSETTS
Further up the Cape (or down the Cape if you're a local!) You can head over to Chatham for the breakwater, or stop in Harwich at the Wychmere Harbor! It has been said that Whychmere Harbor is the most photographed spot on Cape Cod. Back when Wychmere Harbor Club (now the Whychmere Beach Club) had a main function Ballroom, brides use to go to the top of Snow Inn Road, over to Thompsons Clam Bar to take photos of the iconic location! Those daring enough could walk out on the harbor jetty for a different view. Today, when you visit Wychmere harbor, you will find the Thompsons Clam Bar (Formerly owned by Richard Fennell) has been turned into a wedding function hall. With its mahogany wood and garage doors that open up to the ocean air, it's one of the few spots on the Cape to have dining ON the water. (The other location is the Ocean House in Dennis.)
If you head a little further east on Route 28 you will come to the town of Chatham. Chatham is known for having homes on the edge of the ocean, and storm after storm has taken many homes. Some of the beaches in Chatham are Cockle Cove Beach, Hardings Beach, and the famous Lighthouse Beach. Lighthouse Beach (also known as Coast Guard Beach to the locals) houses the famous Chatham Lighthouse. It stands perched 70 feet from the edge of the bluff set back from the coast of Nantucket Sound and is one of 16 of the remaining lighthouses on the Cape. This lighthouse was seen in movies such as The Perfect Storm.
Nantucket Sound gets its name from being off Nantucket. The breakwater known as Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard breaks the stronger waves that would hit the south shore of Cape Cod if those islands didn't exist. Many seals and whales, and yes sharks, call Nantucket Sound home. In the summers you can often hear reports of great white sharks feeding off the many seals near Monomoy Island.
Where ever you think you want to do your beach engagement photos in Massachusetts, there is a beach not too far away!
Location: Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester Massachusetts.
Reading Photographer Headshots-Portraits-Kids-Families, Senior Portraits 40 Marla Lane, Reading MA 01867 781-315-6030 - aw@cordelephotography.com
