A C-scanning photoacoustic imaging system is designed with a pulsed laser diode, which has the properties of low cost, small size, compact structure, and high repetition frequency. The 3D-visual reconstruction algorithm is employed to observe the 2D and 3D photoacoustic image. During the experiments, the laser diode and the ultrasonic transducer keep the fixed positions using a front side detection configuration. The experimental results show that lateral resolution of the imaging system is determined as 0.5 mm, and the speed of A-scanning is 0.16 s/div with a signal-to-noise ratio of 20.6 dB. The laser diode is only 10 cm×3 cm×3 cm with a pulse energy output as low as 14 μJ. The proposal method has the potential to be developed as a configuration of inexpensive, real-time, and portable noninvasive photoacoustic imaging system for biomedical tissue.