Our Photographers in Clearwater Beach

Weddings at Clearwater Beach Venues

Photographers in Clearwater Beach need to be in great shape

Our photographers in Clearwater Beach know how to overcome the obstacles that a beach wedding can present.  We have shot weddings from the Sandpearl to the Marriott on Sand Key.   It is easy to see why this beach is such a popular location for destination weddings.  It was voted #1 Beach in the United States in 2017 by Trip Advisor.  Whether it is the beautiful view from the 16th floor Sky Terrace at Hyatt Regency, or cruising up the Intracoastal Waterway on the Yacht Sensation, Clearwater Beach has some of the best areas for wedding photography.

If having a wedding on Clearwater Beach;  your photographer needs to be in decent physical shape, or it will affect the quality and the amount of pictures taken.  The heat from March to October can be “brutal”, and thus the photographer has to know how to manage it, not only for himself or herself, but also for the Bridal Party & Family.  We will therefore try to do as many family pictures indoors as possible, and save the Portraits & Bridal Party shots for the beach.  Photographers in Clearwater Beach must also deal with extreme “brightness issues”, which the Florida sun and the white sand, therefore, we like to do the pictures as close to sunset as possible especially if there are no clouds in the sky to diffuse the harshness of the sun.

One of the most popular venues that our photographers in Clearwater Beach love is the Hilton Clearwater Beach , which is the closest resort to Pier 60.  The Hilton has a couple very convenient outdoor covered decks, (Sandpiper Deck & Flamingo Deck) right on the Boardwalk, which provides a great tropical atmosphere for a wedding reception.  When the reception is close to the beach,  it is super convenient to walk right out on the beach for sunset pictures.  The first dance on the Sandpiper Deck during Dusk with the orange sky over the Gulf of Mexico provides a great atmosphere for wedding photography.  The Grand Ballroom is newly renovated which you can see on the video at the top of this page.

If you really love the water, how about a wedding literally on the water aboard the Yacht Sensation operated by Yacht Starship Dining Cruises.  The food always gets rave reviews and the staff is very friendly.  It is also great for wedding photography because the Captain will many times help us by steering the yacht to give us the most advantageous angle for sunset shots.  It is one of those venues that really requires a very experienced photographer due to space limitations and back lighting issues.

The Clearwater Beach Marriott on Sand Key is a great venue if you do not want to deal with the massive crowds and parking issues.  The ceremonies are on the veranda terrace area which is right on the Intracoastal waterway.  The way the ceremony area is laid out, you are shooting with the Intracoastal Waterway in the background, and is ideal for photography because the sun as behind us, instead of in front of us so we are not shooting against the sun.  This makes lighting conditions ideal.  The staff also does a great job at separating the public from the ceremony.    There are also great areas for pre-ceremony from the balcony of the rooms which face the Intracoastal Waterway or the balcony in front which faces the beach like you see in above picture.  The staff is also very friendly.   The gift shop has some great fresh ice cream at a reasonable price, which come in handy during a hot summer wedding.

On the southern side of the Sand Key Bridge sits Shephard’s Beach Resort and the Holiday Inn Clearwater Beach right next to each other.  Shephard’s Beach Resort has a jetty of rocks, as well as Sand Key Bridge which makes great backgrounds.  During sunset or Dusk you can usually get a Sailboat, a Pirate Ship or some other sea vessel in the background.   This part of the beach tends to have less foot traffic as well as you do from Opal Sands to the Sandpearl.   This is because there is no beach area at the Holiday Inn which is next door to Shepard’s. The Holiday Inn has the Duval Ballroom, which literally sits right on the beach.  With most beach venues in Pinellas Counties, the reception rooms have no view of the beach, however the Duval Ballroom, has the receptions on the 2nd floor and a balcony is right over the beach, great for cocktail hour.  The parking is the most convenient that you will find on a beach venue, as you park right underneath the building.  This Ballroom is separated from the main hotel, therefore, you do not have to deal with tourists and guests of the hotel.

Also south side of Sand Key Bridge is Sand Key Park.  With 2 major resorts less than a half mile away, the Sheraton Sand Key and the Marriott Sand Key, Sand Key Park is a convenient location for wedding Ceremonies.   There are 8 places to choose from for the ceremony, with Walkway #8 being closes to the Sheraton Sand Key;  however, as a Photographer,  we like Walkway #1, because it is closer to Sand Key Bridge.  This area  has a reef of rocks that jet out into the ocean and along with Sand Key Bridge that provides a great background for wedding Photography.

Our next stop on our photographers in Clearwater Beach Tour is the Hyatt Regency Clearwater , one of two 5-star resorts on Clearwater Beach.  This 16th Floor Sky Terrace has the best view of any ceremony location on Clearwater Beach.  As you look toward the east, there is a great view of the Intra-Coastal Waterway and the Clearwater Memorial Bridge.  As you look toward the west,  you will see the Gulf of Mexico and Clearwater Beach.
 The Hyatt also has great areas indoors for pictures.   This is important for a beach wedding because there are times in the middle of the day where it is too bright for pictures.  It is also good to have indoor areas for family pictures as the heat during summer months can be brutal.  The Hyatt does not sit on the beach side of Gulf Blvd so you have to cross the street to get to the beach, however, probably the best shots of the beach are on the 16th floor anyways. We recommend to reserve rooms 1601 or 1602.  The view from these rooms is spectacular for photos.  We like it even better than the Sky Terrace.  We can get great shots with the ocean and beach in the background.

Another five-star resort, very popular with destination weddings from Europe is The Sandpearl.   If you want to be near the beach but do not want to have your ceremony in the sand, the beautiful Courtyard at the Sandpearl is ideal.  The courtyard has nicely paved walkways and rich green grass with a beautiful waterfall.  The Sandpearl has many great areas indoors, again allowing a photographer to take family portraits inside and give the bridal party a break from the heat and then go out for spectacular sunset shots.   The Sandpearl also has areas with green artificial turf for the cocktail hour or even dinner.  We love having green grass or turf in the background, because it makes the colors pop in your pictures, because it gives greater contrast to your images.

If you are on a budget, there are three less expensive venues on the Intra-Coastal Waterway.  The Clearwater Beach Recreation Center near the Sandpearl.  The Clearwater Sailing Center is across from Sand Key Park.  Island Way Grille which is a popular restaurant on the Clearwater Causeway, can also do smaller destination weddings.

The brand new Opal Sands which just opened in 2016, gets our vote for the best balcony to shoot from as you can see from this picture to the right.  It sits on a prime spot on Clearwater Beach, where the old Adams Mark Resort used to be.  We love this location because there is a jetty of stones which protrude into the gulf here. The Wyndham Grand just opened this year will also be a big hit with brides looking for a new Clearwater Beach Venue.  It is the closest resort to Clearwater Marina, so ideal for brides getting ready who are having their wedding on a Clearwater Yacht.

See our Photographers in Clearwater Beach Pinterest page for our most recent beach weddings. Please contact us if you have any questions about a Clearwater Beach Wedding Venue, we are very familiar with all of them.

Photography Packages

$1,195	6 hours	BASIC PHOTGRAPHY SERVICE includes high resolution pics on DVD, full copyrights
$1,395	6 hours	(same as above with) LITTLE BOOK 72 pics (30 pages) in 6×6 flush-mounted album
$1,495	6 hours	CLASSIC LEATHER FLUSH-MOUNT ALBUM 30  8x10s in a soft rich leather album with picture on cover, DVD of all pics
$1,995	7 hours	STORYBOOK ALBUM 80-100 pics in 10×10 STORYBOOK ALBUM 30 pages with picture embossed on cover
$2,995	10 hours	2 Photographers, Engagement STORYBOOK ALBUM & LITTLE BOOK with picture embossed on cover

*all packages included unlimited high resolution edited pictures, delivered on DVD with full copyrights
click play button to scroll through our Little Book Layout – 60 pictures (30 pages)  flush-mount album

additional options for Photography

TRADITIONAL PARENT ALBUM 24 5X7S in  Leather Matted Album………………….	$200
PHOTO BOX  with Acrylic Pictured Top (300 4x6s)………………………………………………..	$200
PHOTO BOOK 70 pics in 8×11 Magazine Style Album(Hard Cover/Soft Pages)	$200	$20 for every+10pics  beyond 70
Traditional Proof Album with 180 4x6s………………………………………………………………	$200	$20 for every +8pics beyond 180
LITTLE BOOK 72 Pics in 6×6  Flush-Mount Album (30 pages)………………………………….	$300	$2 for every picture beyond 60
CLASSIC LEATHER FLUSH-MOUNT ALBUM 30 8x10s (10×10 ALBUM)	$400	$20 per page for every page beyond 15
STORYBOOK ALBUM  80-100 pics in 10×10  flush mounted on 15 pages(30 sides)	$1,400	$20 per page for every page beyond 15
STORYBOOK ALBUM 80-100 Pics in 12×12 flush mounted on 15 pages(30 sides)	$1,500	$20 per page for every page beyond 15
Storybooks also available in 8×8, 8×12, 10×12, 11×14, 12×16, 12×18, & 15×15

$250	90min	Engagement Shoot: includes all high resolution pictures on DVD, shot in Hillsborough or Pinellas Counties
$300	90min	Engagement Shoot: Includes DVD & 16×20 print
$350	90min	Engagment Shoot if not using us to shoot your wedding. Includes high resolution pictures on DVD
$400	2 hrs	Engagement or Family Shoot includes DVD, and Flush Mounted Photo Book with 50 pictures