Updated September 2026 — By Edin Chavez | National Geographic Photographer | Nikon | 20 Years Shooting Miami Beach
I have been photographing Miami Beach for over 20 years. Born here, based here, and published internationally. Every spot on this list is somewhere I have personally stood with a camera. These are my real spots — not copied from someone else’s blog. This is the only Miami Beach photography guide you will ever need.
Looking for private photo tours? I lead exclusive photography tours of Miami Beach — just the two of us, all my secret spots, golden hour to blue hour. Book a session here.
The 20 Best Photography Spots in Miami Beach (2026)
I have shot every location on this list hundreds of times across every season, every weather condition, every light. Here is exactly where to go, when to go, and what gear to bring.
1. South Pointe Park & Pier
Best time: Sunrise (east-facing) and sunset (west-facing pier)
What you get: The Miami skyline reflected in Biscayne Bay, cruise ships passing at close range, the Government Cut shipping channel. This is my single most-photographed location in Miami Beach. Arrive 30 minutes before sunrise for the best light on the skyline.
2. The Beach Lifeguard Towers — Ocean Drive
Best time: Sunrise (golden backlight on the towers)
What you get: The iconic Art Deco pastel lifeguard towers against a sunrise sky. Tower 12 at 12th Street and Tower 5 at 5th Street are the most photogenic. Get low to the sand and shoot wide. This is the most recognizable shot of Miami Beach worldwide.
3. Ocean Drive — Beacon Hotel & Art Deco District
Best time: Night (neon signs, no harsh shadows)
What you get: The most photographed street in Miami. The Beacon, Clevelander, and Cardozo hotels light up the strip in neon. Stand in the middle of Ocean Drive during a quiet moment at 2am for a perfectly symmetrical shot. This is where Scarface was filmed.
4. Maurice Gibb Memorial Park
Best time: Sunset
What you get: Stunning western views of the Miami skyline across Biscayne Bay. One of the most underrated spots in Miami Beach. Completely free, no tourists at sunset. Bring a tripod for long exposure reflections.
5. Venetian Causeway
Best time: Night and sunset
What you get: Seven connected islands between Miami Beach and Downtown Miami. The bridge sections give you elevated views of the bay, the city skyline, and the MacArthur Causeway. This is my most underrated spot in Miami Beach. Almost no photographers come here.
6. 1111 Lincoln Road Parking Garage
Best time: Night
What you get: Rooftop views of South Beach, the ocean, and the Miami skyline. Free to enter. The open concrete structure gives incredible 360-degree sightlines. One of the best secret spots for Miami Beach photography that most visitors walk right past.
7. 5th Street & Alton Road Parking Garage (Best Buy)
Best time: Sunset
What you get: West-facing rooftop with unobstructed views of the Miami skyline at sunset. Free. One of the highest publicly accessible points in South Beach.
8. Children’s Museum — MacArthur Causeway Underpass
Best time: Blue hour and night
What you get: Go under the MacArthur Causeway bridge next to the Children’s Museum. The bridge columns frame the Miami skyline perfectly. One of the most dramatic foreground-to-background compositions in Miami Beach.
9. The Bay Walk (Sunset Harbour)
Best time: Sunset
What you get: The western waterfront of Miami Beach looking toward the Miami skyline. The Sunset Harbour neighbourhood has incredible golden hour light. Walk north from the marina for the best angles.
10. The Beach at Sunrise — 10th to 14th Street
Best time: 30 minutes before sunrise
What you get: The wide Atlantic beach with zero people, the lifeguard towers in silhouette, and the most dramatic skies of any photography spot in Miami Beach. This is where I have made my best-selling fine art prints. Bring a wide-angle lens and get the wet sand reflections.
11. Lummus Park — Art Deco Backdrop
Best time: Sunrise and golden hour
What you get: The park between Ocean Drive and the beach. The palm trees, Art Deco hotels in the background, and the beach beyond create a layered composition you cannot get anywhere else on earth. Shoot from the beach toward the park at sunrise for the hotel facades in warm light.
12. Española Way
Best time: Night and blue hour
What you get: A pedestrian street with Mediterranean Revival architecture, string lights, and vibrant color. One of the most unique architectural photography spots in Miami Beach. Virtually unknown to most visitors.
13. Flamingo Park
Best time: Morning
What you get: The heart of South Beach residential neighbourhood. Classic Miami Beach architecture, local color, and real Miami life away from the tourist strip.
14. Haulover Beach Park
Best time: Sunrise and sunset
What you get: The inlet at Haulover is one of the most dramatic spots in Miami — boats, the inlet, the ocean, and the skyline all in one frame. Walk north of the main beach to the inlet for the best angles.
15. Collins Avenue — Mid-Beach Hotels
Best time: Night
What you get: The Fontainebleau, Eden Roc, and Faena hotels lit up at night create world-class architectural photography. The curved Fontainebleau facade is one of the most iconic architectural shapes in America.
16. Jungle Island / Watson Island
Best time: Sunset
What you get: Watson Island sits in the middle of Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach. You get views of both the downtown Miami skyline AND the Miami Beach skyline from one spot — a composition no other location in Miami gives you.
17. Star Island and Hibiscus Island Bridges
Best time: Night and sunset
What you get: The MacArthur Causeway bridge sections between the Venetian Islands. Long exposures of car light trails with the Miami skyline in the background. One of the most cinematic spots in Miami Beach.
18. Miami Beach Marina
Best time: Sunrise and blue hour
What you get: Yachts and sailboats reflecting in calm water with the city behind them. The marina at 300 Alton Road is one of the most underused photography locations in South Beach.
19. Art Basel Week — Wynwood Walls (December)
Best time: Any time during Art Basel week (first week of December)
What you get: The streets of Miami Beach and Wynwood transform into the greatest outdoor gallery on earth. Every wall, every corner becomes a photograph. This is when Miami Beach is at its absolute best for street photography.
20. Biscayne Bay Kayak — Water Level Views
Best time: Sunrise
What you get: Rent a kayak from Haulover or the marina and get a water-level perspective of the Miami Beach skyline. A completely different angle from any land-based photography spot. The low perspective with the skyline reflected in glassy bay water at sunrise is one of the most unique compositions you can make in Miami.
Best Camera Settings for Miami Beach Photography
After 20 years shooting Miami Beach here is exactly what I use:
- Sunrise / Sunrise: ISO 400, f/8, 1/60s — expose for the sky, let the foreground go dark, recover in Lightroom
- Night / Long exposure: ISO 100, f/11, 15-30 seconds — tripod mandatory, use a remote shutter
- Blue hour: ISO 800, f/8, 1/15s — 15-20 minutes after sunset is the sweet spot
- Gear: Nikon Z8 or Z9, 14-24mm f/2.8 for wide, 70-200mm f/4 for compression. Carbon fiber tripod is non-negotiable.
Best Times to Photograph Miami Beach
- January-March: Perfect light, cooler temperatures, the best season for photography
- April-May: Excellent — before humidity peaks. Dramatic cloud formations
- June-September: Storm season brings the most dramatic skies. Late afternoon thunderstorm light is extraordinary
- October-December: Ideal conditions. Art Basel in December transforms the whole city
Book a Private Miami Beach Photography Tour
I lead private photography tours of Miami Beach — every location on this list, every secret spot, with me personally guiding you. We shoot golden hour to blue hour, I show you my exact camera settings, and you leave with portfolio-quality images. Available for photographers of all levels.
Book a Private Miami Photography Tour →
Own a Fine Art Print of Miami Beach
I sell limited and open edition fine art prints from the locations in this guide — the lifeguard towers, South Pointe Pier, the causeway, Ocean Drive at night, and the sunrise beach. Museum-quality archival prints on Hahnemühle cotton rag paper with a signed Certificate of Authenticity.
Browse the Miami Beach Fine Art Collection →
— Edin Chavez | National Geographic Photographer | Nikon | Masters of Photography (MOP) | Miami Beach, Florida | 20+ years, 50+ countries
Fine Art Photography Prints
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Great post, just that I was a bit late to catch on this, since I got back to the Bay area by the time this was posted.
Nevertheless was lucky to get to #3, #6. Missed #1, #4, may be the next time I visit.
Also felt Ricken Backer causeway provided a good vantage location for the skyline
Thank you, book mark it and next time you can visit the rest. Yes Ricken Backer is a good spot too.
Idk where that Best Buy spot is at. I went there but I got a closer shot from the parking structure. This shot seems as if it’s much more behind the parking structure. Where exactly I’m the parking structure? I went all the way to the top and went to the furthest corner and still ended up much closer. Unless I was in the wrong structure lol I also went to LAZ parking and couldn’t find any spot to take that shot so I’m lost at this point lol
Where the AC units are. Walk around you will find it. Im not sure what the LAZ parking is…
Tried the top floor of the Best Buy parking this week. Before I was able to get a shot, a security guard asked me to leave…advising that the top floor is private property.
Security is getting tight up there. Best thing to do is to drive up and park there.
I drove up, parked in the far west corner…started to set up my shot over the wall when security came to stop me. I’ll try again sometime
Sounds good.
Great photos Edin. I will be in Coral Springs in early June and will definitely go photograph some of the views you share. Thank you for sharing and all the best to you!
That’s awesome, George. Let me know how it goes :)
Thank you Edinchavez Photography! Even as a Miami resident, I discovered places I had never considered those photography shots. I really appreciate your efforts!
No problem, I am glad you found it useful. Thank you for dropping by.
Edin, as a newbie photographer I wanted to thank you for helping me make my daughter’s birthday photshoot a success. I used one of the locations and had lots of fun. Forever an admirer of your work. Thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome, thank you for dropping me a note, I’m always happy to help :)
I like #7 my fiance and I are going to do our engagement session there, I’m just trying to picture us in that shot, do you think a season photographer will make it work? Do u have to be directly under the bridge, went by there this morning and it looks like there’s a construction crew doing work.
Hi Michael, unfortunately, they just closed it and are doing some type of construction. I am not sure when I will be open again. However, you can still go on top of the bridge and get a shot of the skyline. If you want a different vantage point of the skyline, try the Venitian Causeway #4. Hope that helps.
Yeah I was getting ready to ask you about that one. What’s the vantage point in order to get that shot?
I pinned it on the map.
Thanks for the spots. Well done and great photos
No prob, thank you for dropping by.