Permits for Fotos Might Be Required...

Some of the beautiful locations, unfortunately, charge for a permit to photograph there. We understand and respect this especially when they are private property. But there are also sometimes wedding photography charges on locations where you don’t expect this – such as the steps of Parliament

House or the Botanical Gardens. It’s a bit crazy that these public places charge for a wedding photography permit, but private images are beautiful – does a wedding dress make a difference? These permits can cost anything from $50 to $500 – sometimes you are free to photograph when you have the wedding ceremony in this location (for example the Abbotsford Convent or the State Library of Victoria in the Melbourne CBD).

But don’t worry there are plenty of free options available.

We usually ask our wedding couples to think about the location they want to do their wedding photography. It’s not about finding the typical wedding photography location in Melbourne – it’s about you.

Think about the location a bit … What matters to you? Where did you meet for the first time? Do you have a special place? The park bench where you kissed for the first time? You both love horses and want to go for a ride? Maybe a ferry trip to Williamstown from the Melbourne CBD? An empty beach at sunset – just the two of you? The late night visit to the Melbourne Supper Club at the arch window?

Wedding Photo Locations in Melbourne in the Right Light

Light is usually far more critical than the location – we instead photograph in the right light than a fancy locational the wrong view. When you select an area take the time of the day and glow in consideration.

You want to shoot in the Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenongs at around sunset or very late afternoon. Not a great idea. The sun might be behind the trees, and it will be already very dark … An early afternoon photography session will be much better.

You love the beach and want to have the Brighton Beach boxes as the backdrop. You thought about going there at 12 pm as this is the perfect time from a timeline of your wedding in January. Not a good idea. The beach will be packed on a summer weekend – it’s school holidays! The sun will be super harsh and not very flattering. The late afternoon or even sunset will be much better light but don’t expect the beach empty at that time in summer. Read on, and we show you what we can do here.

Quiet Melbourne Wedding Photo Locations

Popular and iconic locations such as Brighton Beach Boxes will still be full of people on a hot day. Stay flexible and consider a different stretch of beach when it’s too busy. Just a few hundred meters away could be already a wonderful spot.

As wedding photographers in Melbourne, we can give you some advice here. There are lots of photographic “tricks” to make a location look, empty and feels like you have the spot for yourself. Long exposures, double exposures, a 1.2 to 2.0 Aperture to blur out the background or just great composition can make a place look empty.

For Example:
Think about the busy entrance of Luna Park in St.Kilda, Melbourne. The ideal time to photograph would be early morning when most of Melbourne is still sleeping. This does never work out with a busy wedding schedule.

So we use a little trick – stand in front of the gate, and we take two photographs and blend them over (one will be exposed for you and the other one a prolonged exposure (with ND filter) to make the people disappear). This setup requires some time and is not suitable for every wedding – it all depends on your priorities.

In other busy locations, you might include the crowds – imagine one of the iconic Melbourne laneways – imagine the two of you standing there and looking at each other while you forget about all the people surrounding you.

How far do you want to Travel to get to your Melbourne Wedding Venue from your Photo shoot?

Melbourne is a big city – , and it can take 1.5 hours to drive from one end to the other. The wedding photography locations in Melbourne are widely spread, and you need to consider your personal preferences.

When you get married in the Melbourne you will need to select your photography locations by the location of your ceremony and reception venue – or do you want to spend your big day in the car driving around? There might be this little secret park close by or a fantastic backdrop on your travel route. Google maps are your friend, and you will be able to see an exciting location on the satellite image.