Lido Key and South Lido, Sarasota
Lido Key family photographer
Lido Key is my choice when a family wants more than one look without changing locations. South Lido gives us open Gulf sand and coastal greenery close together, so an hour can move from clean beach portraits to something softer and shaded without putting everyone back in the car. It is also an easy option for families staying around St. Armands or downtown Sarasota.
A family hour is $350 for up to five people, or $450 on a Friday to Sunday evening. No travel fee.
- Best for
- Early risers, and groups that want more than one kind of background
- Light
- Sunrise. The morning light at South Lido is the strongest reason to come here
- Session
- Full sessions, up to 20 of you online. No mini sessions on this beach
- Price
- $350 an hour
Two beaches in one, and a shoreline that keeps changing
South Lido sits on a corner where the water works on the sand from two directions, so the place is never quite the same twice. Some months a shallow lagoon forms and holds still water you can photograph in. Some months it drains and the shape of the point moves. After a storm it can look different again. I go and look before I promise you anything.
A few minutes away the public beach is wide and open, with the pavilion, restrooms and parking. So one session can hold two completely different sets of pictures: open sand and sky on one side, palms and green shade on the other. You do not get that combination on Siesta.
Because part of South Lido is wild and quiet, this is one of the places where I sometimes fly a drone, when the spot and the day allow it. I do not fly on Siesta, there are too many people.
South Lido sits at Big Pass, the point where the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay actually meet, and the city set the park aside as a wildlife preserve back in 1977. That is why one session here can hold open Gulf sand and quiet green shade in the same hour.
Practical notes for Lido Key
Weather and timing
Sunrise sessions start early and finish before most people arrive. Evening works too, but morning is the reason I like this beach.
Crowds
Mornings are quiet. The public beach fills through the day, the park end stays calmer, and that is the main reason I work at that end.
With small children
The pavilion end has restrooms and shade close by, which matters with toddlers. The park end has trails and roots, so with a very small child we keep to the open sand.
The walk
Short on the public beach side, a little longer at the park, and the ground is easy either way. If we use both areas in one session we drive between them, we do not walk it.
Large groups
This is a good island for ten to fourteen people. There is room to spread out, and the two settings mean a big group does not end up with sixty frames of the same background.
Parking and access
The pavilion lot on the public beach has about 368 free spaces, and the spots along Ben Franklin Drive are paid by the hour. South Lido has its own free lot at the park end. In season I would rather meet you early than fight the lot at midday.
Who this beach suits
Come here if you can get up early, if you want more than one kind of picture out of a single session, or if you are staying near St. Armands and do not want to drive far.
If your family is not going to be awake at sunrise, or you want the shortest and cheapest way to try me out, Siesta Key is the better call.
Siesta Key for evening sessions and for the short mini sessions
Anna Maria Island if you want the island itself to show in the pictures
Prices and availability
Booking Lido Key
$350 an hour
Friday to Sunday evening is $450. One hour or ninety minutes, up to 20 of you online, no separate package for a large family. A 30 percent deposit holds your date and the rest is paid right after the session, the same day.
Maternity on Lido Key: see how I photograph maternity sessions.
Looking for something shorter
Mini sessions run on Siesta Key
The 15 and 30 minute sessions happen at one fixed spot on Siesta Key, in set time slots. Base price covers four or five depending on length, and more people can be added for fifty dollars each. They do not run on this beach.
Questions I get about Lido Key
Why sunrise and not sunset?
Because the morning light here is better than the evening light, and the beach is nearly empty. If sunset suits your family better I will shoot it, I am just telling you which one I would pick.
Is South Lido the same as Lido Beach?
No. Lido Beach is the wide public beach with the pavilion and parking. South Lido is the park at the end of the island, quieter and greener. I use both.
Do you fly a drone?
Sometimes here, where the spot and the day allow it. It is not part of every session and I will not promise it before I see the conditions.
We are fourteen people. Is there room?
Yes. This is one of the better beaches for a large family, and up to 20 of you book online. More than that, write to me.
How long does a session take?
An hour of shooting. Add a few minutes at the start for everyone to arrive and stop being nervous.
Planning a proposal on Lido Key?
Surprise proposal
$450 for 45 minutes
Friday to Sunday evening is $500. 60 edited photographs. No travel fee on Lido Key. We settle the spot and the time by message before the day, I stay out of the way until the ring comes out, then photograph the reaction and a short couple session after.
Christmas and New Year
The most popular time to propose
The weeks around Christmas and New Year are the busiest for proposals all year. In late December the sun sets around 5:40 pm, so an evening proposal is over before dinner. The calendar shows the open evenings for your date.
Other beaches I work on
Not sure which one fits your family? Compare all the beaches in my guide. Every beach I photograph, from Venice to Anna Maria Island, is on one page: Sarasota photographer.
Longboat KeyThe quiet island, driftwood at the north end, and resort beaches you can walk down to
Anna Maria IslandPine shade, pastel cottages, and Bean Point where two waters meet. The island shows up in the pictures
