No matter how bad my day is, I can always count on a sunset making it better. Im not sure why I’m so attracted to sunrises and sunsets but I love them the same. I shot this picture at the Old Bridge in Key West Florida. The entire purpose of the trip was to get the sun setting right between the old broken bridge.
Key West is South Florida’s best-kept secret. I like to visit often and know the place well. Key West is so beautiful and that is why I created this list. The best places to photograph Key West. If you have never been, get packing because you are going got love it. Yes, there is plenty of sun, plenty of drinks and of course lots and lots of photographs. Like anywhere else, you need to know where to go to take epic shots. I have put together a list to help you do just that. I do private Photo tours in Miami. If you are interested you can arrange it here or use my contact page to get in touch.
Below is a list of the best places to photograph Key West Florida along with maps and the best times to shoot. If I missed any, please drop me a line below and I will add it to the list. Hashtag #edinchavez when you post photos from these spots. I would love to check them out.
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The gear I used for all my photos: Nikon D800 with a Nikon 14-24mm and a Nikon 24-85mm. A MeFOTO tripod and a wide-angle is a must. I edit all my images with my Lightroom Presets download them and give them a try.
1. Mallory Square. This place is awesome but its best for sunset. Make sure you get here a bit early to get a good spot as this place gets packed with tourists to watch this epic sunset.
2. Higgs Beach Pier. Best time to come her is sunrise, most likely you will be the only one here while everyone else is sleeping away the festivities from the night before.
3. The Strand aka Wallgreens. The best time to shoot is at night. Beware, lots of drunkies will jump in front of your camera making obscene gestures. It all depends how late you are there.
4. Tropic Cinema. Bring your tripod and a beer, you might be here a while.
5. 801 Bourbon Bar. This place is awesome, just linger outside and wait, you will see what I mean. Best time to shoot is at night.
6. San Carlos Institute. This is a really cool Cuban museum and the people there are super nice. They will tell you endless history and allow you to photograph the entire place. Best time to come is during open hours.
7. Smathers Beach. This is a really nice beach to come play in the water or get some cool daytime long exposures. Best time to shoot is any time.
8. The Old Bridge. Ok so this is not key west but it’s on the way down (or back to Miami). This place is stunning. The best time to shoot the Old Bridge is any time. Just make sure you hydrate as it tends to get hot out there.
9. Bahia Honda. This is on your way back from Key West and it’s a state park. You can get some amazing views of the old bridge from here. Best time to shoot is sunset and or sunrise.
10. Duval Street. Walk up and down Duval Street, there are lots and lot of places light up just right. Sloppy Joe’s Bar it is super fun in case you want to stop in and get a drink. If not you can just sit outside with your tripod and snap some flicks.
11. Stop along the way. Make sure you stop at random spots along the way. There are many hidden gems that you will miss for speeding along the highway. Remember going to Key West is about the experience and the places you see before actually getting there. Safe travels!
There you have it the best places to photograph Key West Florida. Are you visiting Miami? Check out my top 10 spots to photograph Miami Beach.
I do private Photo tours in Miami. If you are interested you can arrange it here or use my contact page to get in touch.
Here is an insane sunset I shot in Bahia Honda. It’s a state park on the way down to Key West. Here is another post with exact directions to this place. We planned this entire trip on the sun setting between the broken old bridge. There were clouds earlier in the day but all left right before sunset.
Camera settings: 1/80 F16 S
Here is a pic of the Old Bridge in Key West Florida. I planned this shot around the sun. I wanted to get the sun setting right in the middle of the bridge. The time to shoot it is December, its the only time you can get this exact shot.
I used a 70-200mm lens zoomed in at 200mm
Camera settings: 1/125 F13 ISO 100 Remember that if you want to make the sun bigger you need to shoot it at 300mm + (I recommend a 600mm) if you have it.
Location: Bahia Honda State Park
If there is a sunset to catch in Florida it must be in Key West. You can see some of the most insane sunsets from here, this is Mallory Square and I must warn you it gets completely packed so get there a bit early. This place is cool because you have a direct view of the sunset. There are lots of boats going by so you can get some good shots. Make sure you have a zoom so you can compress the sun. I shot this with a 70-200 but if you have a 300 or bigger, its even better.
There are lots of artists there and some great live music, after the sunset you can catch a drink at the famous Duval Street.
Camera Settings:
1/250 sec F16 ISO 100 70-200mm lens zoomed in at 200
Walking the streets of Key West at 1 AM I found this awesome Chevy Power Glide. I am a total car guy and I absolutely love cars. This beautiful car a caught my eye when I was looking for an awesome place to shoot. What more awesome do you want?!?!? I quickly stopped to admire the lines and the attention to detail.
I love old cars, but I really love “Rat Rods” I’m not sure what category this falls into but I really like this car. I shot it for about 45 minutes and people stared coming up to it and taking pictures with it. It’s funny to see how people act when there is someone with a camera taking photos. In their mind they think someone looks professional and its taking photos, I better get a photo my self ….
Che
