Photo Spots Tampa
Today we want to talk about some of our favourite places to take photos in Tampa, whether you’re a Florida native, or a sun-loving visitor. 😎 (Many of us are currently shivering and simultaneously craving palm trees this time of year! 🥶💭🌴) Tampa, Florida is a great family-friendly destination on the Floridian Gulf Coast, home to some of the country’s best beaches! With an array of stellar art galleries, museums, restaurants, golf courses, shopping, and even a zoo, Tampa pretty much has it all.
Here at Flytographer, we easily connect people with trusted photographers for fun photo shoots and have captured over three million memories worldwide. 📸 Today, we asked our local photographers in Tampa to show us around all the very best spots for pictures, and we can’t wait to share them with you!
Photo: Andrejka in Tampa for Flytographer. Christy and family capture memories in Tampa with a family photoshoot at St. Pete Beach.
TLDR
(A little sneak peek just for you 😊)
- Downtown Tampa – With a sparking waterfront, equally shimmering nightlife, dining, and a healthy dose of family-friendly entertainment, museums, and recreation, too, Downtown Tampa is a perfect destination for fun and photos!
- University of Tampa – Located in Downtown Tampa, the University of Tampa features stunning grounds to wander, enjoy, and- our favourite- to photograph.
- Tampa Riverwalk – One of the top Riverwalks in the whole country, taking photos on the Tampa Riverwalk is the perfect way to capture some of Tampa’s most notable highlights.
- St. Pete Beach – St. Pete Beach is an award-winning locale set on a barrier island, known for its breathtaking soft, white sand, and warm, glistening emerald waters.
- Clearwater Beach – Clearwater Beach is famously lively, hip, and active! With soft, white sand and stellar views from the famous boardwalk, Pier 60, Clearwater Beach is one of Tampa’s top places to take photos.
- Siesta Key Beach – With sand made mostly of quartz, Siesta Key was likely chosen as the backdrop to a popular TV show for a reason!
- Historic Ybor City – Once known as the Cigar Capital of the World, Ybor City features brick streets, iron-clad balconies, bustling sidewalks, charming boutiques, and multicultural eateries.
- Treasure Island Beach– Treasure Island Beach is a wide community beach with tons of beautiful scenery and countless shells to collect!
- Philippe Park – Philippe Park is a 120-acre historical site overlooking Old Tampa Bay with beautiful mature trees, providing a shady respite from the sun.
- Cypress Point Park – With a beach, trails, sand volleyball, disc golf, fishing, kayaking, not to mention the chance to grill up some dinner, and/or enjoy a stunning sunset picnic— Cypress Point Park easily falls in our Top 10!
1. Downtown Tampa
With a sparking waterfront, equally shimmering nightlife, dining, and a healthy dose of family-friendly entertainment, museums, and recreation, too, Downtown Tampa is a perfect destination for fun and photos! 🤩 One of our favourite things about Tampa is the beautiful artwork and murals throughout Downtown and all around the City of Tampa. 🎨
Bonus tip! Not far from downtown in South Tampa is Bayshore Boulevard— the longest continuous sidewalk in America. (Who knew, right?!) This stretch along Tampa Bay is sure to provide plentiful Tampa photo backdrops. Walkways are one of our best kept secrets for great photo shoots— with room to move, stretch, dance, jump, and play, long stretches are awesome to utilize during your next photoshoot. ▶️
Photo: Carolina in Tampa for Flytographer. Natalie celebrates their birthday with a photoshoot in Downtown Tampa.
2. University of Tampa
Located in Downtown Tampa, the University of Tampa features stunning grounds to wander, enjoy, and photograph.
On the beautiful University of Tampa grounds lies the famous Henry B. Plant Museum (Plant Hall). Formerly the Tampa Bay Hotel, the Henry B. Plant Museum now occupies part of the property, shared with the University of Texas. 🌟 If you’re unfamiliar, a quick Google search will show you just why this spot is so lovely— the architecture, landscape, and grounds make it one of the very best spots to take photos here in Tampa.
Fun fact: Downtown Tampa – UT is our most popular Flytographer route here in Tampa! 🎓
Photo: Mackenzie in Tampa for Flytographer. Lacey captures memories in Tampa with a headshot photoshoot at the University of Tampa.
3. Tampa Riverwalk
Nominated as one of the top Riverwalks in the country, the Tampa Riverwalk is a must-see. The 4.2 km/2.6 mile trail forms a continuous path along the Hillsborough River, connecting some of Tampa’s most unique, charming, enjoyable destinations including the Tampa Bay History Center, Amalie Arena, the Tampa Convention Center, Rivergate Tower, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Water Works Park, the Tampa Museum of Art, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Glazer Children’s Museum, and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.
Taking photos along the Tampa Riverwalk is a perfect way to capture some of Tampa’s most notable highlights. Come to the Tampa Riverwalk to walk, run, bike, sightsee, or just enjoy a big brunch if that’s more your style! 😜 Check out more from the Tampa Riverwalk on our Destinations page. It is one of the places to take photos in Tampa!
Photo: Elizabeth in Tampa for Flytographer. Brittany and partner celebrate their babymoon with a photoshoot at the Tampa Riverwalk.
4. St. Pete Beach
St. Pete Beach (formerly St. Petersburg Beach) is an award-winning locale set on a barrier island, known for its breathtaking soft, white sand, and warm, glistening emerald waters. 🥇 Voted as America’s #1 Beach in 2021 (and 5th in the world!), enjoying St. Pete Beach is a clear no-brainer no matter your reason for visiting the Tampa area; St. Pete Beach is one of our very favourite spots for photos in all of Florida, especially if you’re looking for laid-back, chill vibes. 😎 If you’re on the hunt for a great photo spot for an engagement session, family session, or any other photo shoot configuration, St. Pete Beach is sure to provide what you’re hoping for.
Photo: Mackenzie in Tampa for Flytographer. Elizabeth and family celebrate an anniversary in Tampa with a photoshoot at St. Pete Beach.
5. Clearwater Beach
Clearwater Beach is best known for its clear (wait for it…) waters (shocking based on the name alone, isn’t it? 😉)! 🌊 Clearwater Beach is famously hip and active. With similarly soft, white sand as the aforementioned and nearby St. Pete Beach, one thing that sets Clearwater aside from other Floridian beaches is the famous boardwalk, Pier 60. Pier 60 is an active fishing pier, 🎣 and a stunning place to take photos in Tampa!
Photo: Tami in Tampa for Flytographer. Lauren and family celebrate an anniversary in Tampa with a photoshoot.
6. Siesta Key Beach
Aside from being a popular TV series (heya, tv fans! 👋), Siesta Key was before and still is an absolute island paradise, no matter your age or reality-tv-based-affiliation. Siesta Key Beach keeps with the theme of gulfside turquoise waters, baby soft white sand, and beachside activities. Also ranked more than once as one of the top beaches in the United States, did you know Siesta Key Beach sand is made of 99% quartz? ✨ The pulverized quartz is so reflective it also keeps feet cooooool even in that toasty Florida sun. 🆒
Photo: Flytographer in Tampa. Gisele and family capture memories in Tampa with a family photoshoot.
7. Historic Ybor City
Switching gears from white sands for a moment, we have to talk about historic Ybor City! Located in northeast of downtown Tampa and accessible by a short, free streetcar ride, Ybor City is known for 7th Avenue shops, boutiques, and multicultural eateries. Once known as the Cigar Capital of the World, Ybor City features brick streets, iron-clad balconies, and bustling sidewalks. Ybor City was once almost entirely owned and run by immigrants (mainly from Cuba, Spain, and Italy). Today, Ybor City is one of our favourite places to take photos in Tampa!
Hot tip! If you’re a history buff, don’t miss a visit to the Ybor City Museum State Park to learn even more about Tampa’s rich history and fascinating Cuban roots. 🇨🇺
Photo: Flytographer in Tampa. Shawn and family capture memories in Tampa with a photoshoot at Historic Ybor City.
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8. Treasure Island Beach
Treasure Island Beach is a large, wide community beach with tons of scenery, and countless shells to collect! 🐚 Treasure Island Beach is a quintessential beach town; it’s one of our favourite spots for families to visit, and one of the best places to take photos in Tampa thanks to the spacious sandy stretches— plenty of space to frolick freely!
Photo: Mackenzie in Tampa for Flytographer. Lauren and family capture memories in Tampa with a family photoshoot at Treasure Island Beach.
9. Philippe Park
Philippe Park is a 120-acre historical site overlooking Old Tampa Bay. Featuring mature, beautiful trees providing a shady respite from the sun, they also make Philippe Park an amazing spot for photos in Tampa. 🫶 If greenery is a favourite backdrop of yours, Philippe Park is the spot for you.
Photo: Tami in Tampa for Flytographer. Brianna and family capture memories in Tampa with a family photoshoot.
10. Cypress Point Park
Cypress Point Park is a favourite among locals, and visitors alike. Cypress Point Park not only features a beach and trails, but also great recreational options like sand volleyball, disc golf, and more. Here you can also fish, swim, and kayak, not to mention, grill up some dinner, and/or enjoy a stunning sunset picnic. 🌅 With the larger, more popular mainstream beaches nearby taking many of the touristy crowds, the vibe at Cypress Point Park is a bit quieter, slower, and local, making it one of the best places to take photos in Tampa.
Photo: Flytographer in Tampa. Frances and family capture memories in Tampa with a family photoshoot at Cypress Point Park.
Capturing memories in Tampa
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about some new and even familiar photo hotspots in and around Tampa! Whether an Instagrammable destination is on your agenda or not, Tampa is one of our favourite photo places for a reason. We can’t wait to help capture some of your Tampa memories! 🥳
“Elizabeth was excellent to work with. She was very responsive and when we were unsure about the weather conditions she was very accommodating. She was also very empathetic and asked if needed breaks as I am 7 months pregnant. I was very pleased with the experience and highly recommend choosing Elizabeth as your photographer.”
Brittany
“Tami was so fun to work with and was super easy and flexible to work with. She met us at our resort and she was able to get many great shots in such a short period of time. We received our photos in 2 days and they were stunning and exactly what we were hoping for. It’s the fastest I have ever received photos back from a professional photographer! Flytographer was so easy to use and would recommend it to anyone and especially to book Tami if you are near St Pete beach!”
Puja
“Carolina was amazing for our last-minute shoot! The pictures turned out amazing and she made our birthday girls dreams come true. Would definitely recommend. Thank you so much again!”
Natalie
