Discover St Pete Beach
18 carefully curated photography spots with GPS coordinates, shooting tips, and local insights
Pass-a-Grille Beach
Pass-a-Grille Beach offers stunning, unobstructed views of the Gulf of Mexico, making it an ideal location for capturing vibrant sunsets. The shoreline is often dotted with an array of seashells, providing excellent foreground interest for wide-angle landscape shots or detailed macro photography.
St. Pete Pier
The St. Pete Pier offers a modern architectural focal point extending into Tampa Bay. At night, the pier and surrounding palm trees are illuminated with vibrant colors, creating striking reflections on the water. The elevated walkways provide excellent leading lines toward the main structure, making it a prime location for nightscapes and architectural photography.
Upham Beach Park
Upham Beach Park offers a classic Gulf Coast sunset experience. The presence of rock jetties provides excellent foreground interest for seascape photography, contrasting with the smooth water and vibrant sunset colors typical of the area.
Pass-a-Grille Beach
Pass-a-Grille Beach offers a classic Gulf Coast sunset experience with its expansive, shell-strewn shoreline. The low-angle perspective highlights the intricate details of the shells against the backdrop of the setting sun, creating a compelling foreground for landscape photography. The calm waters and vibrant sky colors make it an ideal spot for capturing serene coastal moments.
Pass-a-Grille Beach
Pass-a-Grille Beach offers stunning, unobstructed views of the Gulf of Mexico, making it an ideal location for capturing vibrant sunsets. The shoreline is often dotted with an abundance of seashells, providing excellent foreground interest for wide-angle landscape shots or detailed macro photography.
Pass-a-Grille Beach
Pass-a-Grille Beach offers expansive, unobstructed views of the Gulf of Mexico, making it an ideal location for capturing dramatic sunsets. The gentle waves and sandy shoreline provide excellent foreground elements for waterscape photography.
Upham Beach Jetty
Upham Beach Jetty offers photographers a rugged foreground of large rocks contrasting with the smooth, expansive waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Facing west, it is an ideal location for capturing vibrant Florida sunsets, twilight gradients, and long-exposure waterscapes. The jetty provides natural leading lines and excellent opportunities to frame the setting sun or celestial bodies against the horizon.
Pass-a-Grille Beach
Located at the southern end of St. Pete Beach, Pass-a-Grille offers pristine, unobstructed west-facing views over the Gulf of Mexico. This makes it a premier destination for capturing vibrant coastal sunsets. The shoreline is often dotted with seashells and tidal pools, providing excellent opportunities for foreground reflections and low-angle compositions during the golden hour.
Public Access
Public beach access at St. Pete Beach offers wide Gulf vistas, soft white sand, dunes and occasional piers—ideal for sunrise and dramatic sunset skies, long exposures of surf, and minimalist shore compositions. No entry fee; public parking and boardwalks nearby can fill on weekends. Visit at golden hour for warm light, watch tides and sea breeze, and expect easy wheelchair-accessible sections and family crowds in high season.
Sunset Park
Small Gulf-front park with wide sandy beach, palm silhouettes, low dunes and long, colorful sunsets — ideal for dramatic sunset and waterscape shots. Best at golden hour and blue hour; accessible public beach with parking along Sunset Way, restrooms and easy street access. Visit weekdays or shoulder season for fewer crowds; watch tides and storm clouds for dynamic skies.
Ercius Park
Small Gulf-front pocket park on St. Pete Beach with wide sandy shore, palms and calm water — ideal for sunrise/sunset seascapes, long exposures of surf, palm silhouettes and candid beach life. Best at golden hour; weekdays and early mornings offer fewer people. Easy, free public access from Gulf Boulevard; limited parking on-site and street parking nearby. No entry fee. Watch for changing tides and summer storms; beach-town culture is relaxed and family-friendly.
Swim with our Fish
Shallow Gulf waters off St. Pete Beach ideal for close-up marine life, colorful reef fish and reflective seascapes during swim tours. Best visited at calm, clear-morning hours for underwater clarity; golden hour at shore for silhouettes and warm tones. Tours require booking; arrive by car (street and beach lot parking nearby). Weekends are busiest. Respect wildlife—no touching or feeding.
17th Ave beach access
Small public beach access on St. Pete Beach with wide white sand, low dunes, a gentle Gulf shoreline and classic Florida palms — ideal for clean minimalist seascapes and dramatic Gulf sunsets. No entry fee; street parking and small public lots nearby (can fill on weekends). Accessible ramp/boardwalk for gear and wheelchairs. Best lighting: golden hour and blue hour at sunset; early weekdays are least crowded. Storm fronts can add moody skies and reflections.
Secret Garden
Small coastal spot on St. Pete Beach with wide Gulf vistas, sandbars, mangrove edges and rich shorebird activity — excellent for sunrises and dramatic sunsets, long reflections and minimalist seascapes. Best at golden hour or low tide for exposed sand textures and tidal pools. Easily reached from Gulf Blvd with public parking nearby; bring wind protection and weather-aware gear. Weekday mornings are quieter; no special entry permits required.
View Point Pass-a-Grille North Channel
Small public bluff/boardwalk overlooking the North Channel where Boca Ciega Bay meets the Gulf — excellent for seascapes, sunrise color, backlit silhouettes of fishing boats, and shorebirds. Visit at sunrise for vivid colors and calm water; sunset offers warm rim light on passing boats. Easily accessible from Pass-a-Grille Way with street and small municipal lots nearby (metered/paid parking in season). No entry fee; flat, short walk from parking makes it good for quick shoots and tripods. Low-t
1st Avenue Beach Access
Wide sandy Gulf beach with low dunes, a wooden access ramp and long west-facing views—ideal for sunrise/sunset color, reflected wet-sand foregrounds and minimalist compositions with sea oats, lifeguard stands and surf. No entry fee; small public parking on Gulf Blvd (metered/paid during high season). Accessible boardwalk/ramp for beach launch. Best light: golden hour and blue hour; weekdays and early mornings are least crowded. Winter and spring offer clearer skies and dramatic sunsets; summer =
Colonel Micheal J. Horan Park
Small waterfront park on Boca Ciega Bay offering open sky, Gulf-facing sunsets, shoreline foregrounds and pier access — ideal for wide coastal vistas, reflections and silhouette shots. Best at golden hour and after sunset for color; sunrise can work for calmer waters. Free public access and small parking lot; arrive early on weekends. Flat, easy walking and wheelchair-accessible paths; no entry fee.
Nicholson Bayou
Nicholson Bayou is a narrow tidal inlet and mangrove-lined waterway offering reflective water, exposed mudflats at low tide and abundant shorebirds — ideal for intimate nature and waterscape shots. Visit at golden hour for warm side light and glassy reflections; low tide reveals textures and bird feeding activity. Small neighborhood access, no entry fee; limited curbside parking—be respectful of private property and quiet residential streets. Mild climate—bring sun protection and insect repellen