A Quick Visit to the Jersey Shore

September 2026
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30

Joe Benning

A Quick Visit to the Jersey Shore

We were able to take a quick trip up to the Jersey Shore to see friends, including a couple from California who rented a house in Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island. It’s been quite a while since we stayed on LBI. It has really been built up; especially since the times we went there when we were (ahem) quite a bit younger. Still nice as ever though.

Spring Lake, NJ, USA — July 28, 2024. A photo of a not-too-crowded Spring Lake Beach and life guard station on a hot summer day.

Ship Bottom, LBI, NJ — An iphoto of sand dunes on Long Beach Island NJ.

We also got a chance to see friends from the Spring Lake area and bumped into Mary Anne’s brother Joe while we were out to dinner in Sea Girt. That was a surprise, so we made plans with Joe McDonald to go out to Charlie’s in Bay Head for lunch the next day.

Bay Head, NJ == a horizontal iPhone image of two restaurants on the water in Bayhead, NJ

Actually the whole visit turned into a bit of a restaurant tour. We wound up going to Scarborough Fare, Inn in Main, Charlies, Brandls. We also had a fine dinner of BBQ chicken at Dennis and Maryanne Mulvihill’s house in Spring Lake. All in all a good time was had by all, and we will be back before too long.

Spring Lake, NJ, USA — July 26, 2024. Photo of crystal and cutlery set for an outdoor summer dinner in Spring Lake, NJ.

We also got a chance to make our way to Ocean Grove where the Tent Houses were set up.

Ocean Grove, NJ, USA — July 25, 2024. A wide-angle photo of tent houses flying American flags in Ocean Grove, NJ.

And that’s all for now. We will be back at the Shore before too long.

JFB

0 likes

No Comments

Joe Benning

Summer's Almost Gone

As the summer drew to a close we made a quick trip up to Long Beach Island. There we spent some time with Jim and Debbie Benning who rented a place in Brant Beach on Long Beach Island in mid-September. So here are a few shots from early and mid morning at Brant Beach, and later at Barnegat Lighthouse.

Early morning light at Branch Beach, on Long Beacg Island.

A landscape photo looking up a hilll and over beach grass toward beach houses in the distance.

Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, NJ, USA — September 13, 2019. Photo of Barnegat Lighthouse taken against a blue sky in the waning days of summer.

JFB

0 likes

No Comments

Joe Benning

Autumn Colors in Shark River Park

The colors of autumn are sprouting everywhere, and Shark River Park is a great place to observe the leaves turning colors as the Fall arrives in earnest. In the space below I have included some photos from a recent trip over there. Please click on the photos to see larger full resolution versions.

And before long–the middle of next week–we will be heading out for Paris and Lyon. Photos to follow.

Colorful trees along the Shark River in Belmar, NJ

A trail winds around a lake surrounded by the lush colors of autumn leaves and a blue sky peaking through the clouds.

Reflections of colorful Trees in Shark River

Beautifully colored trees are reflected in a lake on an autumn morning.

Trees with leaves turning colors on the bank of a lake.

Trees with leaves turning colors on the banks of the Shark River

Tree leaves create an explosion of color in Autumn at the Jersey Shore.

SaveSave

0 likes

No Comments

Joe Benning

From Summer to Fall

Summer is gone, the fall is here, the ocean is getting rougher, and of course it is hurricane season. The water was sufficiently treacherous over the past weekend that 35 people had to be rescued from the surf in Belmar, according to the Mayor. The Mayor said that 35 people had to be pulled out of the water by lifeguards, police, the Coast Guard and…”water rescue staff”. If not lifeguards I wonder what the term “water rescue staff” is supposed to refer to.

Anyway, off to the Finger Lakes region in New York State soon, where we hope to get some nice autumn shots. Some Spring Lake beach shots below.

Waves from rough Atlantic seas smash up against the rocks of a jetty at the Jersey Shore.

Waves roll into the beach on a cold gray rainy morning

Waves come crashing onto shore on a rainy, gloomy morning

Rainy, foggy morning with a storm on the horizon

Photo of the Spring Lake boardwalk on a wet and foggy fall morning.

JFB

SaveSave

0 likes

No Comments

Some Sights Around Spring Lake

Visit the Joe Benning Photography Pinterest Site.

0 likes

No Comments

Asbury Park Photo Walk

A beautiful summer morning—just right for a photo walk with Michael and Beverly Miller in Asbury Park. We started at Convention Hall early when we had the pale morning light, and wandered around taking photos as the sky brightened and the beach and boardwalk began to fill up.

Here are some photos from the walk.

JFB

0 likes

No Comments

Joe Benning

Glorious Day for a Race

Saturday May 27—a glorious day to kick off the summer season with the 41^st running of the Spring Lake 5 mile race. About 12,500 runners participated in this 40^th anniversary of the original race, first run in 1977. The rain that threatened the night before didn’t show, but blue skies did.

JFB

Spring Lake NJ, USA — May 27, 2017 A trail of discarded water cups on the street as the race begins to wind down. Editorial use only.

Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 Runners race down Ocean Avene in the annual Spring Lake 5 mile Race. Editorial Use Only.

Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 Three competitors in the annual Spring Lake 5 mile race sprint down Ocean Avenue. Editorial Use Only.

Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 Runner takes an early lead in the annual Spring Lake 5 mile race. Editorial Use Only.

Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 Female joggers out for a morning run on the boardwalk in Spring Lake. Editorial Use Only.

Discarded water cups in the wake of the runners

Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 A police barricade blocks off a street. Editorial Use Only.

0 likes

No Comments

Joe Benning

Bell Works

Bell Works in Monmouth County is a revitalization of the famous Bell Labs facility, originally designed by architect Eero Saarinen. The new facility is one that tries to blur the lines between work and play, home and the office. Whether that works remains to be seen. In any event, much of the building is open to the public. Today, Monmouth Arts Council sponsored a Art Walk through the building led by Michael Miller of Visions Photographic Workshops.

Here are some photos from the workshop.

Lobby of Bell Works

Unusual arrangement of unusual furniture

Unusual furniture in an unusual lobby

Silhouettes of both the Photographers and the Subject

Open space in the lobby of the Bell Works building

Patterns on a floor leading to an empty wall

0 likes

No Comments

Joe Benning

A Little Macro Photography

Macro photography, which entails close-up photos of a subject, is particularly well suited for nature photography. So in order to learn about the art of macro photography, composition and technique, I went to a Visions Photographic Workshop run by Michael S. Miller. I might add that Michael’s classes and workshops can benefit any and all photographers, from beginners to more advanced practitioners. Michael is a great teacher, and his classes and workshops are a lot of fun to boot. Try going to the Visions Workshops website to have a look. You also might want to check out the Visions Facebook page.

Anyway, for the Macro Photography workshop Monday evening, the light and weather were perfect. So we spent the evening on the beach crawling around in the sand to get some close-ups of seashells and other stuff lying around in the sand. Here (below) are some of the resulting photos.

JFB

Seashell with a Heart

Broken-up Seashells Litter the Beach

Mussells, Pebbles and Seashells on the Beach

A collection of seashells lying on the beach

A seashell lying on the beach in late afternoon

Seashell on the beach Surrounded by sand pebbles in late afternoon

0 likes

No Comments

Joe Benning

Summer is Here--at Least in Spirit

Summer has arrived, if not officially, at least in spirit. The brand new Marina Grill opened for business in Belmar—and it was packed. The tent houses in Ocean Grove are being readied for the summer season, and the rides at Jenkinson’s Pavilion on the boardwalk at Point Pleasant are open for business on the weekends.

JFB