St. Petersburg, FL

Gator Gaze Media is a Tampa-based real estate and Airbnb photographer serving St. Petersburg. Listing packages start at $190 and include interior and exterior photos, aerial drone photos, a 2D floor plan and a property website. Standalone vacation-rental photo sets start at $250. Every order comes back in 24 hours.

St. Pete is several markets, and we shoot them differently

People talk about St. Petersburg as if it were one thing. Photographically it is at least four: the downtown towers and condos by the water, the older bungalow and brick neighborhoods north and south of downtown, the waterfront streets on the bays, and the beach rentals out on the Gulf side. A listing in each one needs different light, a different shot list and often a different time of day.

We are based in South Tampa and cross the bay to St. Pete regularly, for listings and for vacation rentals.

Downtown and the waterfront

Downtown St. Petersburg faces east onto Tampa Bay, with the St. Pete Pier and Vinoy Park along the water and Central Avenue running inland. Condo buildings near that stretch usually come down to one thing: the view. Window exposure is the job. We photograph a unit when the interior and the bay are in balance, and we add a twilight image when the skyline or water is the sell. A virtual twilight image is $15, and a real twilight session with five photos is $200.

For a downtown condo, also ask us about floor plans. A $75 2D floor plan (included in our listing packages) helps buyers who are viewing from out of state judge whether the layout works before they fly in.

The historic neighborhoods

This is where a lot of the character is. A few names we get asked about and photograph:

• Old Northeast. Brick streets, mature oaks and larger early-twentieth-century houses. Big canopy trees make the light uneven, so we manage shadows on the front elevation and shoot the exterior when the sun is on the facade.

• Kenwood. A neighborhood known for its bungalows. Bungalows have small rooms and big porches, so we lean on the porch and original details.

• Roser Park. Historic homes on hilly streets near downtown, a rare bit of slope in a flat city.

• Crescent Lake and Euclid-St. Paul. Residential areas with older homes and lot sizes that vary a lot from block to block.

• Snell Isle, Coffee Pot Bayou and Shore Acres. Waterfront and near-water streets, where the dock, seawall and sky decide how the listing reads.

In older homes, photography is mostly an editing problem: mixed old and new lighting, small windows, fireplaces, original wood floors. We shoot interiors with the lights on and off where needed, and our editors balance color so the warm woodwork looks warm, not orange.

Waterfront listings

St. Pete is surrounded by water, and a large share of its higher-value homes are on a bay, a bayou or a canal. For those, a drone set is the shot that makes the listing. Our pilots are FAA Part 107 certified, and we include aerial drone photos with all our listing packages. A dock, a seawall and a view of the neighbor’s roof look very different from above, so we use the aerial to establish context and orientation. If the house is on a canal, we shoot the water side from the dock and from the air.

For a seller, that is the difference between “waterfront” as a claim and as a picture. For a host, it is the thing guests scroll for.

What a St. Pete shoot looks like in practice

Take our classic St. Pete home project. The house has a blue front door at the end of a brick walkway, original hardwood floors, a white brick fireplace, a renovated kitchen with black cabinetry and a screened porch with a swing. The back garden has a swim spa, a fire pit and artificial turf with colorful Adirondack chairs. Twenty photos cover all of it, and the back garden got as many frames as the living room, because outdoor space is half of why people buy in St. Pete.

The Airbnb and VRBO side of St. Pete

St. Petersburg proper has plenty of short-term rentals, from downtown condos and bungalows near the arts and dining areas to guest houses and duplexes in the residential neighborhoods. Beyond the city line, the barrier-island beaches are their own market, and we have separate pages for them:

• St. Pete Beach and Pass-a-Grille

• Treasure Island

• Madeira Beach

Rental photography differs from listing photography. A listing set shows a buyer the house. A rental set shows a guest the weekend: the coffee station, the porch seating, the bed that sleeps four. Our rental sets are priced by interior size, are licensed for Airbnb, VRBO and similar platforms and are curated for atmosphere. See the Airbnb and VRBO photography page for details.

Over 5,000 sq ft, contact us. Before you list, check your city or county short-term-rental rules, which are separate from anything photography related.

Listing packages for sellers and agents

Each package below is priced by square footage, starting with the base tier shown, and all include interior and exterior photos, aerial drone photos, a 2D floor plan, a property website, marketing content, the Blue Sky Guarantee on exteriors and a 24-hour turnaround.

Matterport hosting: each Matterport tour is hosted for the first 6 months after delivery at no extra cost. To keep it online, hosting renews every 6 months at $75 per tour.

Larger homes cost more in $20 steps per 500 sq ft. The pricing page lists every tier. We are also Zillow Showcase approved, so the media we deliver meets that program’s needs; read our Zillow Showcase page for what it includes.

Booking and travel

Booking is online, by phone at (813) 415-6349 or through the contact page. Travel is free for the first 30 miles and $15 for every 10 miles beyond that, rounded down to the nearest 10 and calculated round trip from South Tampa. We confirm the amount when you book. If you are in the middle of preparing the house, our home prep guide covers the usual checklist. Cross-bay agents may also like our Tampa and Clearwater pages.

Questions we get about photographing in St. Petersburg

How much does a real estate photographer cost in St. Petersburg?

Our Basic package starts at $190 for up to 1,500 sq ft and includes drone photos, a floor plan and a property website. Standard starts at $325, Premium at $495 and Deluxe at $750, each scaled by home size.

Do you shoot waterfront homes in places like Snell Isle or Coffee Pot Bayou?

Yes. Aerial drone photos are included in our listing packages, which is how most waterfront properties get a clear view of the dock, seawall and water frontage.

Can you photograph my downtown St. Pete condo for Airbnb?

Yes. Rental sets start at $250 up to 1,000 sq ft and $300 for 1,001 to 2,000 sq ft. Check your condo association rules on short-term rentals, and tell us if there are access or elevator requirements.

How soon will I get photos?

24 hours. This applies to all our packages.

Do you photograph older homes in Old Northeast or Kenwood?

Yes. We regularly shoot homes with mixed lighting, small rooms and original details, and we edit for accurate color.

Can you do both a listing set and a rental set for one property?

Yes, but they are separate orders because the editing style and license differ. If you plan to list and rent, tell us at booking.

Related Reading

• St. Petersburg Real Estate Photography: Bungalows to Waterfront

More Photo and Video Services in St. Petersburg

Besides listing photography, we also work with businesses, hosts and agents in St. Petersburg:

• Airbnb and VRBO photography from $250

• Commercial photography from $500 for offices, retail and warehouses

• Event photography and video: photos from $400, video from $500 (2-hour minimum)

• Business content video from $350, with packages from $950 and monthly plans from $1,100

• Agent branding reels from $295 and headshots for $150

See full pricing or book online.