Wedding Photo Location Ideas

Words by Florent Vidal

After the vows have been exchanged and the marriage has been made official, the couples are on a natural high! The few moments after the ceremony is charged with emotions ranging from elation to even disbelief that they are finally married! The last thing I want to do is to disrupt these raw emotions that come naturally.

Wedding Tips & Location Ideas for Couple Portraits

The couple portrait shoot is a unique part of the wedding day. Unlike the rest of the day, where it is my job to naturally capture the events and emotions as they unfold, this is the time where we go to a place to create a series of portraits. However, the way I approach this is very much similar to photojournalistic style: instead of telling couples how they should pose, I want couples to have fun and enjoy their first moments as married couples! And amazingly, when I let them be – there isn’t a lot of directing needed from me.

What can be more beautiful than a bride touching her new husband’s face? The soft whispers that couples exchange a few moments after saying I do? To me, these are the precious moments that cannot be recreated and could only be captured by letting the couples be themselves.

I want couples to have fun and enjoy their first moments as ‘married couples’! And amazingly, when I let them be – there isn’t a lot of directing needed from me.

How to relax?

I understand that not everyone is comfortable in front of the camera. How do I get my couples to relax? I like to treat the couple shoot as literally a ‘walk in the park” or the beach, or forest or wherever we’ve decided to do the shoot. When people are moving, they are more likely to interact. They will pause when it feels natural and couples usually have a lot of things to say to each other after the ceremony!

Preparation is the key

As with pretty much everything else in life preparation is the key. A few weeks before the wedding day, the couple and I meet each other for a wedding preparation meeting. Here we discuss the little details of the wedding so that they feel confident that their wedding will be as they envision it. With this confidence, they are much more likely to be relaxed on the day! A little nervous maybe, which is a good thing, but not stressed. The wedding preparation meeting also allows us to get to know each other a bit more. With the knowledge that it will be me who will personally shoot their wedding also puts the couple at ease, as they know exactly who they are getting. One thing I discuss with the couple is the location of the couple portraits.

Location, location!

Experience dictates that the shortest distance to the wedding photoshoot location, the more relaxed you will be!

There is no point in being stuck in the car for longer than necessary just to get to a certain location. No matter where your wedding will be, we are bound to find a special place. We are so lucky that Australia has an abundance of natural beauty from white sandy beaches (think Port Stephens for a destination wedding that isn’t too far away), the vineyards of the Hunter Valley, the amazing cliff formations in Sydney’s eastern and northern beaches and beautiful parks, cities all within our reach. The challenge for me as a photographer is to always find something new with these locations that I am given. To see it every time with fresh eyes.

Timing is everything

I also advise my couples if their timing is right for a certain location. As I have said many times, photography is about working with, and understanding light. “A sculptor cannot create what the marble does not contain.” This is the same with photography, you can have the best location but if it’s the wrong time of the day, the location cannot show its full potential.

For example, a beach location shoot in the middle of the day is really not advisable- the light is too strong and there is no shade to protect yourself. But when you go there when the sun is low: during sunrise or sunset – the same place becomes amazing!

Here are some of my favourite wedding locations for your couple portraits…

Sydney Classic – Sydney’s harbour, Opera House and The Rocks – we love our harbour and most couples understandably like to have their wedding photos around our amazing city!

Port Stephens Beaches where you can walk hand in hand while the sun is setting in the background or discover some of its hidden beauty like Sunset Beach, Soldier’s Point, Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay.