Anna Maria Island, Manatee County
Anna Maria Island family photographer
Anna Maria Island has the strongest sense of place of the four locations I use most: pines, piers, quieter residential streets and the north end of the island where the Gulf meets Tampa Bay. It can also require more walking and parking planning than Siesta or Lido, so I choose the exact spot around your group - especially when grandparents or small children are coming.
A family hour is $350 for up to five people, or $450 on a Friday to Sunday evening, plus a $70 travel fee for this island.
- Best for
- Families who want the location to be part of the picture, not just a background
- Light
- Evening on the gulf side. At the north end the water works from two directions
- Session
- Full sessions. No mini sessions on this island
- Price
- $350 an hour + $70 travel
An island with a character of its own
The island is three small towns - Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach - directly west of Bradenton, so for families staying in Bradenton it is the natural beach, closer than Siesta Key. For the south end, with the big lots and restrooms at Coquina, see Coquina Beach and Bradenton Beach. Most of this coast gives you sand, water and sky. Anna Maria gives you somewhere. There is shade from Australian pines right behind parts of the sand, which is rare here and useful when the sun is still high. There are stretches where the current is strong enough that nobody swims, which means nobody is standing in your photographs either.
I have my places on this island and I have been using them for years. I do not publish exactly where they are, for the same reason I do not shoot at the busiest lot on Siesta: the moment a spot is on a map it stops being the spot. When you book, I tell you where to meet me.
Parts of this island also suit a drone, on the right day and in the right place. Not everywhere, and not as a promise.
The point at the north end is called Bean Point, named for the island’s first permanent settler, and the current there runs strong enough that swimming is genuinely discouraged. That same current is why nobody ends up standing in the water behind your family.
Practical notes for Anna Maria Island
Getting here
It is a drive north from Sarasota, over the bridge into Manatee County, and it takes long enough that there is a travel fee for this island. Everything else about the session is the same.
Parking
The big county beaches have large free lots with restrooms, showers and lifeguards. The quieter spots have almost no parking and no signs at all. Which one we use depends on your group and the time of year, and I will send you the meeting point in advance.
Getting around
A free trolley runs the length of the island, which is useful if your family is spread across two rentals and nobody wants to move three cars.
The walk
Short at the main beaches. At the quieter places you park on the road and walk in, which is fine for most people and worth knowing about in advance if it is not.
With small children
The main beaches have shade, restrooms and food within a minute or two, which makes them the sensible choice with a toddler.
Large groups
A group of ten to fourteen works well here, and the island has enough different settings that a long session does not repeat itself.
Who this beach suits
Choose this island if you want your photographs to look like a specific place rather than any warm beach, if you are already staying up here, or if your family is big enough that a bit of extra room is worth the drive.
If you are staying in Sarasota and want the shortest and cheapest way to do this, Siesta Key is closer and carries no travel fee.
Siesta Key closer to Sarasota, no travel fee, and the short mini sessions
Longboat Key on the way here, and quieter still
Prices and availability
Booking Anna Maria Island
$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. A travel fee applies to this island and it is published on the pricing page.
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 Anna Maria Island
Is there an extra charge to come to Anna Maria Island?
Yes, $70 for a family session and $100 for a proposal. It is outside the area I cover without a travel fee, and these are the same numbers the booking calculator shows - published rather than mentioned later.
Which beach on the island do you use?
It depends on your group, the season and the light. I have places I have been using for years and I send you the meeting point when you book.
Is it worth the drive from Sarasota?
If you want the island to be visible in the pictures, yes. If you mainly want sand and sunset, Siesta Key gives you that twenty minutes from town.
Can we do this with grandparents along?
Yes. At the main beaches the walk is short and there are restrooms and shade nearby.
Do you photograph large families here?
Yes. Up to 20 of you book online, more by message, and there is no separate large family package. You book the hour and add your people.
Planning a proposal on Anna Maria Island?
Surprise proposal
$550 for 45 minutes
Friday to Sunday evening is $600. 60 edited photographs. Both include the $100 travel fee for a proposal on Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach or Coquina. 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.
