Place Photos API

Endpoint

GET /v1/places/photos

Parameters

place_id *

Google place_id, as returned by Places Search

pages

Number of pages to fetch, 1-10 (default: 1). Each page returns up to 100 items and is billed as one request

country

2-letter region code (default: us)

language

2-letter language code (default: en)

Response fields

photos

Mixed array of photos and videos, aggregated across all fetched pages. Filter on the type field if you only want one

photo_id

Stable photo identifier

type

photo or video

photo_url

Standard-resolution image URL

photo_url_large

High-resolution image URL (typically 3000-4000px wide). Null when no large variant exists (some videos and older photos)

video_thumbnail_url

Video thumbnail URL (only set when type=video)

latitude

Capture latitude (may be null)

longitude

Capture longitude (may be null)

photo_datetime_utc

ISO 8601 capture datetime (UTC)

photo_timestamp

Unix timestamp (seconds)

count

Total photos returned across all pages

pages

Number of pages actually fetched (may be less than requested if photos ran out)

Example Request

curl "https://apidirect.io/v1/places/photos?place_id=ChIJifIePKtZwokRVZ-UdRGkZzs&pages=2" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://apidirect.io/v1/places/photos",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    params={
        "place_id": "ChIJifIePKtZwokRVZ-UdRGkZzs",
        "pages": 2,
    }
)
data = response.json()
print(f"Got {data['count']} photos across {data['pages']} pages")

Example Response

{
  "photos": [
    {
      "photo_id": "CIABIhAViB6GuQB0Czq6u1UIyD60",
      "type": "photo",
      "photo_url": "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gps-cs-s/APNQkAH...",
      "photo_url_large": "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gps-cs-s/APNQkAH...=w4280-h3407-k-no",
      "video_thumbnail_url": null,
      "latitude": 40.7546469,
      "longitude": -73.9868158,
      "photo_datetime_utc": "2026-05-30T00:00:00.000Z",
      "photo_timestamp": 1780099200
    }
  ],
  "count": 200,
  "pages": 2
}

Frequently asked questions

How does the pages parameter work?

pages is a count, not a page number. pages=3 fetches the first 3 pages of 100 photos each (up to 300 total) in a single request, billed as 3 requests. If a place has fewer photos than pages * 100, the response stops early — but billing is based on the requested pages value, so set it to the smallest count that fits your needs.

Can I get just videos or just photos?

Photos and videos are returned together — check the type field on each item ("photo" or "video") and filter client-side to keep one or the other.

What's the resolution of photo_url_large?

Typically 3000-4000 pixels wide — the original size as captured. Some items don't have a large variant (older photos, some videos) and photo_url_large will be null in that case.

Are these URLs stable?

The URLs are hosted on Google's CDN. They are stable for at least the medium term but may change if Google rotates its CDN tokens. Cache the image, not the URL, for long-term use.

How does pricing work?

You only pay for successful requests. The Place Photos API costs $0.003 per page. There are no monthly fees or commitments. You get 50 free requests per endpoint every month.

Do I need a credit card to start?

No. You can sign up and use the free tier (50 requests/endpoint/month) without adding a payment method. You only need to add a card when you want to exceed the free tier.

Are there rate limits?

Yes, there's a concurrency limit of 3 simultaneous requests per endpoint per user. If you need more, just get in touch.