As a regular visitor to Florida, I’ve spent a lot of time hunting down Miami’s best photography spots. Although personally my main interest has always been in shooting urban landscape photography of Miami, I also regularly take some street photos and keep an eye out for other interesting locations when I see them too.
Whether your interest is in night photography of the urban landscape, street photography, or even shooting portraits, here’s a quick run down of what I’ve found to be some of the best photography spots Miami has to offer.
Ocean Drive Miami Beach
This is where you’ll get to see the archetypal palm-fringed Miami Beach street scene, complete with tanned beach-bums and lycra-clad joggers. This whole area is great for street photography, and of course the beach itself makes for some nice landscape shots in the early evening.
The Miami River
Those looking to shoot night photography of Miami will undoubtedly want to head over to the Miami River. Since it’s redevelopment a few years back, this has definitely become one of the best places for viewing Downtown and Brickell, affording spectacular views of waterfront towers and condos lit up at night.
Miami Skyline from the MacArthur Causeway
Another personal favorite for night photography of Miami is looking at the Downtown-Brickell skyline from the MacArthur Causeway. Even the causeway itself makes for a fantastic photographic subject – especially when lit up and reflected in Biscayne Bay with Miami’s skyscrapers beyond.
Miami Skyline from the Venetian Causeway
This is also a top spot for shooting the downtown Miami urban skyline. You can photograph the MacArthur Causeway from here too.
Matheson Hammock Park
South of Downton you’ll find the Matheson Hammock Park, a scenic beachfront area with a very pretty man-made atoll pool that’s replenished directly from the Biscayne Bay. Nearby there’s also the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, which makes for another great location in its own right.
Art Deco District
The Art Deco District is world famous for the array of stunning Art Deco structures and buildings that line this part of Miami Beach. If you’re looking for some retro architectural charm with a tropical twist, this is the place.
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
The Miami Beach Botanical Garden (not actually on the beach) offers fantastic lush, green locations for shooting portraits, weddings and other types of photography that need a natural tropical vibe. The garden charges a small fee for photo shoots.
Little Havana
Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood is another great spot for vibrant street life. And if people-watching is your thing, then you should definitely check out Maximo Gomez Park – more commonly known as “Domino park”, because serious playing of dominoes is largely what goes down here.
South Pointe Pier
At the tip of South Beach is South Pointe Park Pier. Both the park and the pier itself are great locations for photographing either the ocean or Miami Beach. But with the fantastic light here it’s also one of Miami’s best photography spots for shooting intimate romantic portraits. This is a location that really comes into its own at sunrise and sunset.
Final Thoughts
With it’s excellent weather, delicious tropical light, and stunning modern skyline, Miami is a city that’s well suited to shooting all kinds of photography. Indeed, Miami’s best photography spots offer everything from tropical vegetation and fine white sands to stylish prewar architecture and modern glass-box skyscrapers. Meanwhile, along with other anomalies such as NYC and San Francisco, Miami Beach is that rarest of North American phenomena: an urban area that actually has plenty of vibrant street life.
Are you based in Miami? What do you think? Do my recommendations coincide with what you consider to be Miami’s best photography spots? If you think I’ve missed anywhere, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section. Check my galleries here!