Old Orchard Beach Pier
OLD ORCHARD BEACH PIER
Old Orchard Beach, ME
Image by Rick Berk @ www.rickberk.com
Old Orchard Beach is a classic seaside New England resort town. The beach is lined with hotels and restaurants, with a true boardwalk-style atmosphere throughout the downtown area. The highlight, however, is the Old Orchard Beach Pier. Featuring five restaurants and 5 bars, the pier is a destination in itself for those who want a seaside dining experience. But for photographers, the true experience is under the pier, or on the beach in the pier's shadow.
The pier first opened on July 2, 1898, and through many years of storms and hardships, survived until it was rebuilt in 1980 in its current form. The pier offers a variety of photographic possibilities no matter the time of day.
Photos and location summary by Rick Berk
Trail Difficulty - EASY
There is parking along Grand Avenue in private lots, and there is some street parking. You'll likely need to pay a parking fee unless you arrive early for sunrise. From Grand Ave, walk to the pier entrance and continue onto the beach next to the pier. You'll be walking on pavement until you get to the beach, and then it's nice soft sand until you get to the water. It's a good bet you may get wet depending on the tides, so in the summer, taking your shoes off is ideal, and at other times of year, wearing waterproof boots will keep your feet dry.
GPS Coordinates & Elevation
Sea Level Ft. Elevation
View In Google earth
Directions
CLICK HERE to get driving directions to Old Orchard Beach Pier
From Portland - Drive south on I-295 and merge onto I-95 S (16 miles). Take exit 36 for I-195 E toward Saco/Old Orchard Beach and follow Saco Ave, Union Ave and W Grand Ave to Old Orchard St. The pier is across the street from Veteran's Memorial Park.
Photography Tips
There are a lot of ways to approach this location, but my favorite is standing under the pier and changing my shutter speed to get different motion effects with the waves. Plan to get wet if you choose this approach. This shot was taken as the tide was on its way out, about two hours after high tide. The beach is soft, fine, sand, so you'll want to clean your tripod and be careful of blowing sand when changing lenses.
Other compositions at Old Orchard Beach Pier
Best Time of Day to Shoot
The pier is a great location sunrise or sunset. Depending on the angle you photograph from, catching the sun rising between the pilings makes for an interesting image. I prefer sunrise as the beach is less crowded and the sun throws long shadows across the beach, but sunset offers warm soft light and pastel colored skies, as the neon on the pier comes to life. There will be more people to contend with at sunset, however.
You'll also want to check the tides. High tide will allow you less beach to work with, while at low tide, you can walk out beyond the end of the pier and only be ankle deep in water. Mid-tides work well as you have some room to work and you'll get some waves washing around the pilings of the pier.
Best Time of Year
This is a great year-round location. Spring, summer and early fall are all similar, with only the position of the sun changing. In the winter, ice will form on the pilings, adding some extra interest to the scene. Also, from mid-November to January, the sun rises almost directly opposite the pier, looking straight out from under it, creating nice opportunities to frame the sunrise with the pier. In the spring, summer, and fall, the sun rises to the left of the pier. In the summer, at low tide, the nearby amusement park can be photographed from beyond the pier to create more interesting compositions from the water, especially at night when things are lit up.
The image above was taken on September 19th
Lens(es) Needed
Wide angle and standard length lenses offer the most flexibility here. A 16-35mm or a 24-70mm or equivalent are ideal here.
The above image was taken on at 20mm.
Birds-Eye View
Permits
No permit or fees required for non-commercial photo or video. However, commercial stills and video require a permit from the town of Old Orchard Beach.
Direction of the Shot
The direction of the shot is east by southeast @125°.
Equipment Needed
Just need a sturdy tripod.
Number of Other Photographers to Expect
You may share this location with a couple of photographers at sunrise or sunset.
Weather
Cell Service
I have Verizon and cell service is good.
Lodging & Camping
This classic seaside New England resort town has many lodging and camping options.
Nearby camping and lodging
Camping - click on the campground below for directions
Bayley’s Camping Resort
Paradise Park Resort
Click here for other camping options.
Hotels and Resorts
The area has many hotel and resort options. Here is a link for the complete list.
Nearby Restaurants
There is plenty of “pier food” available along the beach, from pizza, to pier fries, and more.
Nearby Restaurants - click on the restaurant below for yelp review
Duffy’s Tavern and Grill
(207) 985.0050
4 Main St.
Kennebunk, ME
Bailey’s Bait Shed & Lobster Pound
(207) 888-1069
9 Avenue 6
Scarborough, Maine
Jumping’ Jakes Seafood Cafe
(207) 937-3250
181 Saco Ave
Old Orchard Beach, ME
Area Guides and Workshops
Rick Berk (25 years as a landscape photographer) - offers private group, 1 on 1 and group workshops (BlueHour Photo Ventures) for the Maine and other northeast US area. Rick lives Freeport, Maine and has traveled and photographed the NE for most of his adult life. His outstanding work can be found at www.rickberk.com