Nelson Bay wedding photographer: Harbour, masts and lighthouse
We come to you as a Nelson Bay wedding photographer from Cooks Hill, an hour's drive over the Stockton Bridge and up Nelson Bay Road. The town is the busy heart of the port: boats coming and going from the marina, grassy reserves along the water and a heritage lighthouse on the headland, all close enough together to fit into one afternoon of portraits.
Planning the day with a Nelson Bay wedding photographer
Nelson Bay is a working harbour town as much as a holiday one, and its best pictures have boats, water and green headland in them all at once.
The town climbs the slope above the water, with Stockton Street and its shops on top and the marina below.
East of the centre, Victoria Parade runs out past Fly Point to Little Beach and the lighthouse on Nelson Head; to the west, the foreshore path follows the shore toward Dutchmans Bay.
Everything we would use sits within a few minutes' drive, and most of it within a walk, so the time goes on pictures rather than on parking. Through the summer holidays the foreshore fills with visitors, and that decides where we go first.
Around the marina and the headland at Nelson Bay
The foreshore and marina
Grass and a path along the water beside the marina, with masts, the cruise boats and the hills across the port behind you.
It's lively, so we use it for the bridal party and save the quieter corners for the two of you.
Fly Point
A low point between the town and Little Beach, inside a protected aquatic reserve.
The water below is clear and green over sand and rock, and the shore gives an open outlook across the port without the bustle of the marina.
Little Beach
A small beach east of Fly Point, tucked in under Nelson Head, with a grassed reserve above the sand.
It stays calm on most days, so it's an easy place to get your feet wet without a wave catching the dress.
Nelson Head lighthouse
The heritage lighthouse cottage on Nelson Head, off Little Beach Road, looks down over the bay. White walls, a small lantern room and a view over the port give a high, open frame for a short stop after the ceremony. We check what the grounds allow on your date.
Nelson Bay faces north, so the sun crosses the sky in front of the town rather than behind it.
Around the middle of the day it sits high over the water and bounces hard off it, which is why we keep that stretch for the ceremony and family groups in shade.
Late in the afternoon the sun swings to the west and lights the foreshore from the side.
In winter it sets over the water toward Corlette; in summer it goes down further south, behind the land, so the last half hour on the foreshore is soft and shadowed rather than gold.
What couples ask before a Nelson Bay wedding
Can we have portraits on the marina itself?
The public paths and the foreshore around the marina are open to everyone, and that's where we'd work. The pontoons and the boats are private, so photos out among the berths need the marina's or a boat owner's permission. If a friend keeps a boat there, tell us early and we'll plan around it.
Where do we go when the Nelson Bay foreshore is packed in January?
Away from the shops. Little Beach and the shore round Fly Point are quieter than the main foreshore even in the school holidays, and the lighthouse grounds are quieter again late in the day. We also start the portraits a little later, once the day visitors begin heading home.
Is there anywhere for photos if it rains in Nelson Bay?
Yes. Rain over the port looks moody rather than miserable: grey water, low cloud on the hills across the bay and boats with their lights on. We bring clear umbrellas, use covered spots near the marina for the bridal party, and step out for a few frames whenever the rain eases.
Can we arrive at our ceremony by boat?
It can be done, and it photographs well from the shore. The boat and the landing spot are arranged with the operator, not with us. We'd stand on the foreshore with a long lens as you come in, then meet you where you step off.
Will you photograph us getting ready in a holiday apartment?
Yes. Lots of couples stay in apartments and houses around the bay. Big windows facing the water give soft light in the morning, and we'll ask you for a few photos of the rooms beforehand so we know where the light falls and how much space there is.
Is a sunset ceremony on the Nelson Bay foreshore a good idea?
In winter, yes: the sun goes down over the water to the west. In summer it sets behind the land, so a ceremony in the hour before sunset gets even, shaded light instead of a glowing horizon. Both look good; we'll tell you which one you'd get on your date.
Finish the day at the water's edge.
Send us the date, the ceremony spot and where you're staying. We'll plan the afternoon around the port, from the marina out to the headland.
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