About
David Graham
The photographer you will actually be meeting on the beach
Hello, I am David.
I photograph families, couples, and the occasional barefoot wedding on Siesta Key and the beaches around it. It is a small business and I am the whole of it: I answer the emails, I shoot the sessions, and I do the editing myself. When you book, I am who shows up.
What I care about is the in-between. The posed group shot matters and I will get you a good one, because somebody always wants it for the wall. But the frames people come back to a decade later are usually the other ones: a kid mid-sprint into the water, a grandmother laughing at something off camera, two people who forgot anyone was watching.
My approach is light-handed. I will give you enough direction that you are not standing there wondering what to do with your hands, then I get out of the way. No two-hour shot lists. No holding a smile until your face aches.
Why Here
Why Siesta Key
Siesta Key has an unusual advantage for photography, and it is not just the postcard sand. The island faces west. The sun sets straight out over open water, which means that for one hour every single evening the entire beach is lit from the side by something no studio can reproduce.
The sand helps too. It is nearly pure quartz, so it stays cool enough to walk on barefoot and it bounces light back up under people's faces like a reflector the size of the island.
What I bring to that is knowing it well. Which end of the beach still has light in July. Where the crowd thins out on a Saturday in March. Which access point has parking when the main lot is full. That knowledge is most of what separates a good beach session from a stressful one.
The Practical Bits
Working With Me
Based on the Gulf Coast
Sessions across Sarasota County: Siesta Key, Crescent, Turtle Beach, Lido, Longboat, Casey Key, Nokomis, Venice, and up to Anna Maria Island.
Sessions from $250
All-inclusive pricing with professional editing, an online gallery, full-resolution downloads, and print rights. No print minimums.
Replies within 24 hours
Usually much faster. If you are already on the island and need something this week, call or text rather than emailing.
Galleries in about two weeks
Every image is edited by hand. If you need favorites before you fly home, ask about rush delivery.
Licensed and insured
Siesta Key Photography, LLC. Some venues and rental properties require proof of insurance, and I can provide a certificate on request.
Full weddings, elsewhere
Whole wedding days run under my wedding brand, David Alan Graham Wedding Photography. Same photographer, different scope.