Florida has always been a big favorite of ours for many years. Its one of those lovely warm places that we can actually drive to. With beautiful coastlines, tropical wetlands, scenic riverways and enchanting wildlife, Florida offers one of the best nature photography destinations in the world. With borders opening up, we’ve put together a tour of our favorite photography destinations in Florida. From the tranquility of Flamingo Gardens to the exciting Art Deco District of South Beach Miami, discover our top locations and hidden gems, with tips for getting the most out of your trip. So, lets get started!
Miami South Beach
Miami South Beach is a fabulous destination to visit, whether you’re into people watching, enjoying the beach or enjoying the art deco architecture – Miami South Beach has it all. The area is home to over 960 Art Deco structures, a photographer’s dream land. We usually like to centre ourselves close to the Art deco district. This is close to Ocean Drive and has an endless display of art deco buildings and cool things to photograph. I also love the old vintage cars that are so often found in the area. If you like night time photos of Miami city, then get yourself over to Venetian Causeway where you can get reflections of the city on the water. And of course, the iconic lifeguard towers on the beach and the long boardwalks are a must to capture the ambiance of this area. This photo was taken with my 70-200mm lens in AV mode, f/9, ISO 100, 1/85 sec. exposure.
Flamingo Gardens
Flamingo Gardens is not far from Miami, about a 60-minute drive. It is a 60-acre Botanical Garden and Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary. The gardens are fantastic to walk around, but the main attraction is the wildlife. It is home to the largest collection of Florida native wildlife including alligators, bobcats, eagles, otters, panthers. Strolling along you’ll find peacocks, flamingoes, owls, hawks ducks, egrets, gulls, etc. There are a great variety of flowers and plants, featuring over 3000 species of rare & exotic, tropical, subtropical, and native plants and trees. We love this place and are looking forward to visiting it again soon. This photo was taken with my 70-200mm lens in AV mode, f/9, ISO 100, 1/200 sec. exposure. This photo was taken with my 70-200mm lens in AV mode, f/9, ISO 100, 1/200 sec. exposure.
Pass-a-Grille Historic District
The Old Town of Pass-a-Grille is a U.S. historic district. I just love this secluded beach. My parents had a motel 5 minutes away and I spent much of my teen years along the beaches of St. Pete/Clearwater. This beach can be found at the southernmost end of St. Pete Beach, near the historic Don Cesar hotel. The historic Pass-A-Grille area is a quaint, laid back beach town where you can park your car and just stroll the beach. It’s very reminiscent of the old Florida beaches with small low-rise buildings and cottages. The sunsets on the beach are breathtaking as well as the sunrise over looking the Tampa Bay side of the waters. (like the featured photo) This photo was taken with my 18-200mm lens in AV mode, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/400 sec. exposure.
Tarpon Springs
Tarpon Springs is quietly tucked on Florida’s central gulf coast, about 45 minutes from the bustling Tampa Bay area and is considered the Sponge Capital of the World. We love to visit this place not only for the great ambiance here, but because of the great Greek eateries that line the main street. The Greek sponge divers settled here in the early 1900s, and that gives this place a unique atmosphere. The Tarpon sponge docks are full of interesting boats and the sponge shops are everywhere. Deep blue water surrounds the boats at the dock and you can easily mistake it for the Aegean Sea. When the sun goes down, it casts a beautiful glow over the town’s main street. This photo was taken in auto mode, f/8, ISO 125, 1/250 sec. exposure.
Manasota Key Beach
Manasota Key is a beautiful beach just south of Sarasota and Venice where you can still enjoy secluded section of the beach. We stayed not far away in Englewood, which in itself is off the beaten path. Manasota Key is a small island in the inter coastal of Florida that is only accessible by boat. The nearest beach is Englewood Beach which is on the Gulf coast. Be sure to check out the shark tooth hunting on the beach. They make cool souvenirs. This photo was taken with my 18-55mm lens in AV mode, f/3.5, ISO 400, 1/1000 sec. exposure.
Boca Grande
Boca Grande is a small residential community on Gasparilla Island just south of Englewood and northwest of Fort Myers. It is an affluent residential community recognized for its old Florida charm. There’s a great bike and golf-cart path that runs the length of the island, past some great scenery. We rented an 8-person golf cart and had a blast driving around. The old historic downtown is full of quaint old homes, churches and stores and the beaches have white-powder sand and are great for shelling. There are two picturesque lighthouses there which make for great photo opportunities. Staying there is a little on the pricey side, but as a side trip from Englewood, where we rented a house, it was a fantastic adventure. This photo was taken with my 18-55mm lens in AV mode, f/13, ISO 400, 1/120 sec. exposure.
Portofino Loews
Loews Portofino Hotel Orlando may be a man-made paradise, but ever since I laid my eyes on it during a business trip, I fell in love with this place. I remember seeing it for the first time as our bus rounded the lake during sunset, it was incredible with the colors and reflections on the water. I literally threw my suitcase in the room and ran around the lake capturing the last rays of the sun as they luminated an incredible scene. Modeled after the seaside fishing town of Portofino in Northern Italy, the resort features quiet stone-paved courtyards, a gorgeous waterfront piazza, and a winding cypress-lined driveway that leads to the main building. As you pass through the pale marble lobby to the main piazza, you’ll find pastel-hued buildings lining the harbor and classically trained musicians perform every evening at sunset. It makes you feel like you’ve been transported to the Italian Riviera. The inspiration for the design reportedly came from Steven Spielberg, who has been a consultant at Universal Orlando Resort since 1987. Portofino, Italy, was one of his favorite vacation spots, and he suggested it as the setting here. Can’t wait to go back! This photo was taken in auto mode, f/7.1, ISO 125, 1/250 sec. exposure.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our photo adventures in Florida and will stay in touch with us. Visit our website for more great places to visit. Do you have any questions? If so, feel free to ask them in the comments section of our website. We always love hearing back from you. www.photographyadventures.ca
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Dulis is an award-winning photographer & large format-printing executive having worked with Canon Canada for the last 14 years. “I’ve had the chance to meet & work with some incredible people in the industry. Photography isn’t just about making photographs; it’s about choosing a life of curiosity, exploration, and wonder, immersing yourself in the world around you. Follow us on our adventures and grab your FREE e-book today – “5 Truly Amazing Places to Visit Before it’s too late!
