My Favorite Miami Photoshoot Locations
I love traveling, especially when it involves photoshoots and destination location scouting. I frequently visit South Florida and searched high and low for the most diverse range of locations to make each shoot feel fresh and unique and to give my clients options to create a session that best fits THEM! I have rounded up my favorite locations in the Miami and surrounding area and detailed them for you here. Some of these spots are about an hour or so drive but trust me all my clients have agreed that it is by far WORTH IT to go the extra distance to give their photos that wow factor. Some locations may charge a fee- my personal advice would be to still consider places and pitch them as options to your clients if you think they would really fit your shoot. Feel free to send this article straight to your clients as a list of locations they can choose from.
That being said let's get to it!
1) Miami Beach and Miami Beach Boardwalk
Miami Beach is a great location to get that timeless and classic “Miami” feeling. Many people immediately associate Miami with relaxing on the beach and the clear blue ocean in front of them. This is usually the easiest location for my clients as many of them are staying on beachfront property or live nearby.
Miami Beach also provides an abundance of additional settings. The lifeguard stands are all kinds of colorful and provide a fun prop for interactive shoots. The boardwalk is another great spot with a clean feeling and nice greenery. There are also pretty trees on the sand in certain spots between the beach and the boardwalk that I love to use! You can do countless amounts of shoots here and still make each one feel unique and special, and you can easily give clients a wide variety within their gallery.
When I shoot at Miami Beach I will usually meet my clients on the boardwalk of 43rd st. Behind SOHO House Hotel and give them this address to put into google maps:
4343 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Sometimes I meet clients behind the Grand Beach Surfside or by the hotel they are staying at as well.
2) Haulover beach
When my clients want beach photos this is my all time favorite beach to shoot at. It is located just 5 minutes from the big name oceanfront hotels making it easy for guests staying there to access and its easy for locals to get to as well. The reason I love this location so much is because every time I have shot there I have has the ENTIRE beach to myself! I’ve gone on all different times of the day on all different days and it just gives me so much more opportunity to get wide shots on the beach and not worry about anyone getting in our way.
Haulover Beach also provides a few other elements to include in your photos such as lifeguard shacks, grass, and greenery. Another thing I love is that you can extend longer sessions to include Haulover Park and Marina as well (see next location for details)
I love the sense of comfort and privacy that Haulover park provides for me and my clients. If you plan on shooting here follow these directions for how to get there and where to park (it can get a bit confusing if you’re not familiar). Go to this address, you can send this address to your clients as well:
Once you get there take the first right into the parking lot. You should see signs to pay for the parking through an app on your phone. It costs $5 for a decent amount of time (at least it did at the time this post was written). Pay the meter through your phone and then you should see a marina on one side and an underpass that you can walk through on the other side (the side with the road you just came from). This underpass will take you to the beach! It is probably safest to meet your clients in the parking lot and walk with them to the beach so noone gets lost.
3) Haulover Park and marina
I love the look of this Marina building for sessions and shooting along the Marina waterfront provides various settings that include trees and boats.
If you’re shooting at Haulover Beach this is also a great spot to add in with a second outfit change for your client. If you plan on shooting here follow these directions for how to get there and where to park. Go to this address, you can send this address to your clients as well:
Once you get there take the first right into the parking lot. You should see signs to pay for the parking through an app on your phone. It costs $5 for a decent amount of time (at least it did at the time this post was written). Pay the meter through your phone and then you should see the Marina and the waterfront!
4) Miami botanical gardens
The Miami Botanical Gardens provides a really peaceful and quaint setting for portraits. I personally love their Japanese garden as a photoshoot setting. One thing to keep in mind when shooting in Miami is obviously the heat and sun. Be careful here and watch that you are not casting green reflections from the greenery onto your subjects. I’ve shot here midday and had success so don’t stress out. Just explore the gardens for nice moments of shade.
Entrance to the botanical gardens is free to the public but they do request that professional photography pay a fee of $50/hour. You do not have to reserve in advance, simply pay when you get there. When I shot there I parked in a metered spot right outside and paid for my parking online.
5) Wynwood art district
If you’ve been to Miami you’ve probably heard of or maybe even visited the Wynwood Art District. This area if full of amazing and colorful settings that will surely keep your session lighthearted and fun! Get creative with your posing and give your clients some action shots. This location is flowing with energy that’s easy to tap into!
As Wynwood is a general area and not an exact location, I would recommend visiting prior to your session and scouting around. The artwork changes so you can find a few spots you think would work well with your clients and send them an exact location or coffee shop to meet you at.
6) The Ancient Spanish Monastery
I’ll start out by disclosing that this location charges a fee for photo sessions taking place on the property. I will also say that the grounds are absolutely stunning and if it makes sense for your shoot it is definitely worth the money. The Ancient Spanish Monastery has a beautiful range of settings and if you work efficiently you can produce a very beautiful gallery with a large range of photographs. To start with, the old Spanish Architecture is absolutely breathtaking and beautiful.
The Monastery features multiple garden areas as well as beautiful palm trees and a large grass area with a gazebo. Each area is gorgeous on its own but when you experience the full grounds you and your clients are sure to fall in love.
I would highly recommend this location for anyone looking to shoot Wedding day portraits. You can read my blog post on this beautiful couple’s wedding here for more photos at this stunning location. Nicole and Mendy’s Wedding Portraits at the Ancient Spanish Monastery.
7) Coral gables entrance park
This is my favorite location for a client who is willing to go the extra distance to make their shoot spectacular! Coral Gables Entrance Park is about a half hour away from the main beachfront hotels but it is absolutely breathtaking. Shooting here will give you a unique setting unlike any other near Miami. The park is small enough that you can easily move through the entire space with your clients while also offering a range of settings to position them in.
The area is usually quiet and there are free parking spaces right alongside the park. If you are shooting here definitely be mindful of the position of the sun and because of the open space try to schedule your session on a day/ time when the forecast calls for clouds. The shade will be very helpful. For directions to this location put this address into google maps:
8) parkland golf and country club (coral springs)
Ok so this location is farther out from Miami, about an hour drive actually. But maybe you have a client who lives closer to this area or really loves the look of this place. Either way I really enjoyed shooting here and the different shots we were able to capture. There was no fee to shoot here as far as I know.
This spot is located in Parkland / Coral Springs. To get here you can use this address:
10001 Old Club Road Parkland, FL 33076
9) Minzer Park (boca raton)
This location is also not technically located in Miami but I love it so much and its also only about an hour away. Minzer Park is located in Boca Raton and is perfect if you have clients that are closer to there or just love the look of it! The statement fountain, colorful gazebos, and iconic Florida palm trees create beautiful settings that are easy to move between during your session.
It is located in the middle of shopping center which has large parking lots available to you for free.
Some final thoughts on shooting in Miami/ South Florida in general. It gets really HOT! Be safe and smart with your sessions and clients. Always take water with you and be mindful of how you and your clients are feeling throughout the day. As a photographer make sure you are prepared for whatever the sun and clouds decide to throw at you by packing an off camera flash for all your sessions. Hopefully you wont have to use it if you prefer not to but it’s always better to give yourself a backup. Helpful things to have with you that you and your client might appreciate are tissues (they will get sweaty), a comb/ some bobby pins (definitely keep an eye on the frizz and flyaway situation) and even a small hand fan. Some of these locations have shaded areas that can provide some shelter from the heat. Try and plan your session alternating between being out in the open sun and under these spaces. Give your clients breaks if they need them. All of these spots are really great in general so you can suggest to your client to spend the rest of the day there (or even an extra hour or so) if they are looking for activities to do and just enjoy themselves in general.
Most of all have a great time shooting and I hope these spots are helpful suggestions!