St. Augustine Beach Pier Photography Guide

About St. Augustine Beach Pier

The St. Augustine Beach Pier — officially the St. Johns County Ocean Pier at 350 A1A Beach Blvd, in St. Johns County — is the landmark of St. Augustine Beach: a long fishing pier that reaches more than a thousand feet out over the Atlantic, with wide, walkable beach spreading out beneath and around the pilings. For photography, the pier is the draw most other local beaches don't have. The structure gives you architecture against open ocean: long leading lines down the deck, the repeating rhythm of the pilings, and the silhouette of the pier against a bright sky. Down on the sand you can shoot through and underneath the pilings for framed, layered compositions, then step back for the classic wide beach-town view with the pier cutting across the horizon. It sits inside Pier Park, a developed county park with a splash pad and playground, a covered pavilion, restrooms and outdoor showers, volleyball courts, and a Wednesday-morning farmers market — so it has the energy and amenities of a popular beach, rather than the empty-coast feel of the quieter spots north of town. For engagement, family, and maternity sessions it's the spot you pick when you want the pier itself in the frame.

The pier is one of the beach picks in our photo locations guide — the broader St. Augustine Beach guide covers the rest of this shoreline.

Best Time to Shoot

St. Augustine Beach faces east, so sunrise is the headline window — the sun comes straight up over the Atlantic behind the pier, and the pilings and deck go to a clean black silhouette against a warm, glowing sky. That sunrise-pier silhouette is the signature shot here, and at dawn you'll usually share the beach with only a few anglers and walkers. Because the sun rises over the water and sets behind town, evening sessions are soft backlight rather than a sunset-over-water: the sky over the ocean still turns lovely colors, and the lower, warmer light is very flattering for portraits even though the sun itself drops behind you. Aim for low tide to open up hard-packed sand under and around the pilings for reflections and clean foregrounds. Weekday mornings are quietest. Note the Wednesday farmers market (8 a.m.–noon) brings crowds and parked cars to Pier Park — great atmosphere, but plan around it if you want clean frames.

What to Expect at St. Augustine Beach Pier

• Who manages it: St. Johns County (Pier Park / St. Johns County Ocean Pier). The beach itself is a free public beach with no entry gate for walking on.
• Pier walk-on fee: Walking out onto the pier itself costs $2 for sightseeing (valid all day). Fishing is separate: $4 SJC residents, $6 non-residents, $2 military/disabled, free for kids under 6 and residents 60+. You don't pay anything to shoot on the beach beneath the pier — the fee is only to walk out on the deck.
• Hours: The pier and park are generally open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., daily (subject to seasonal change), so sunrise sessions are easy and you can be there for first light.
• Parking: The Pier Park lot at 350 A1A Beach Blvd is free. It fills early on summer weekends and on Wednesday mornings for the farmers market; metered/ParkMobile spaces along A1A Beach Boulevard are a backup. Arrive early for sunrise to get a spot near the pier.
• Permits (this is the big one): St. Johns County requires a special-event permit for any wedding on the beach, no matter how many people attend ($100 minor-impact / $200 major-impact, 200+ guests), and a $50 permit for commercial/professional photography. Third-party vendors — photographers included — may need a Certificate of Liability Insurance ($1M, naming the County), due at least 14 days before the date or the permit is denied. For a small private family or engagement session it's worth a quick check with County Beach Services before booking; we sort out any permit a session needs.
• Sea turtle nesting season (May 1 – Oct 31): Active on these beaches. Expect marked nests, night-lighting rules, and county vehicle gates that close at 7:30 p.m. and reopen at 8 a.m. through the season. Don't disturb roped-off nests or the dunes.
• Beach driving: St. Augustine Beach allows vehicles on designated stretches with a driving pass required March 1–September 30 ($50 SJC resident / $100 non-resident annual; daily passes at the toll booths), 10 mph limit. The pier sits at developed Pier Park, but be aware of slow vehicles near the water's edge on the open beach — the opposite of neighboring Anastasia State Park, where driving is banned entirely.
• Amenities: Strong for a beach — restrooms, outdoor showers, covered pavilion, splash pad/playground, volleyball, and restaurants and shops within walking distance.

Photo Tips & Angles

• Shoot the sunrise silhouette. Get to the beach before first light and put the pier between you and the rising sun — expose for the sky and let the pilings and deck go dark for the signature pier-at-dawn silhouette.
• Use the pilings as a frame. Down on the sand, shoot through and under the pilings to layer foreground structure in front of your subjects; the repeating posts give depth and a built-in frame.
• Follow the leading lines. The long line of the pier and the deck rails draw the eye — angle your composition so the pier carries the viewer toward your couple or out to the horizon.
• Work backlight in the evening. Sunset is behind you here, not over the water, so place subjects with the soft, low light skimming across them; expose for faces and let the ocean sky glow behind.
• Chase low tide. A receding tide exposes hard-packed, reflective sand under the pier for mirror foregrounds and clean lines.
• Mind the crowds and dunes. Keep anglers, the busy deck, and Wednesday market traffic out of frame, and stay off the protected dunes and sea oats — shoot around them, not through them.

What to Bring

• A wide lens for the sweeping pier-and-beach context, plus a longer lens to compress the pilings and ocean behind your subjects.
• Wardrobe: soft coastal tones — cream, sand, dusty blue, warm neutrals — read well against the weathered pier and bright sky. Flowy fabrics catch the ocean breeze; avoid neon and busy patterns.
• A few dollars if you want to shoot from the pier deck itself ($2 walk-on), plus sun protection, water, and a towel for the soft, deep sand.
• The right permit if it's a wedding or a commercial shoot — we handle permitting for the sessions we photograph here.

Nearby Alternatives

If you're already in this part of town, consider these other spots:

• St Augustine Beach
• Anastasia State Park