Soldiers Point wedding photographer: Low sun, still water
As a Soldiers Point wedding photographer we drive about an hour from Cooks Hill, to the very end of Soldiers Point Road. It's a narrow point pushing north into the port, with a marina, quiet streets of holiday houses and a beach on its western shore named for what it does best at the end of the day.
Evenings with a Soldiers Point wedding photographer
Most of Port Stephens faces north or out to sea; Soldiers Point is one of the few spots where you can watch the sun go down into the water.
Soldiers Point Road runs up the spine of the point from Salamander Bay, with houses either side and the water never more than a street away.
Sunset Beach and Pearson Park line the western shore, looking across the port toward the hills on the far side. The marina sits toward the tip, with boats moored off the point.
It's calm and residential, with no surf, no big car parks and few crowds even in summer, which makes for unhurried portraits.
On the western shore at Soldiers Point
Sunset Beach
A strip of sand and shallow water along the western shore of the point, looking straight across the port.
The water is usually flat and clear, so on a still evening the sky reflects in it, and you can wade out in a dress without fighting waves.
Pearson Park
A grassed park at the southern end of Sunset Beach, with the water right beside it.
It's an easy place for family groups: room for everyone to stand on level ground, picnic tables for the grandparents, and the port as the backdrop.
The marina
Boats, masts and timber walkways near the tip of the point, with the water opening out beyond.
The public areas around it give a nautical backdrop for a few frames; the pontoons are private, so we keep to where anyone can walk.
The western shore faces close to due west, so the sun's last hour comes straight across the water at you.
In winter it sets in the west-north-west, low over the port and the far shore; in summer it moves round to the south-west, so the light rakes along the beach from the left. Calm water doubles the colour on a clear evening.
Mornings are the opposite: the houses and trees behind the beach keep it in shade until the sun is well up, so getting-ready photos suit a room with windows to the east.
Soldiers Point, the questions couples bring
What time does the sun set at Soldiers Point?
It moves a long way through the year, from a little after eight in midsummer with daylight saving to just before five in midwinter. We look up the exact time for your date and build back from it, so the ceremony finishes with about an hour of good light left.
Can we hold a picnic reception at Pearson Park?
It's a public park, so small, informal gatherings happen there, but anything with a marquee, catering or a large guest list needs a booking with Port Stephens Council. Ask them early for your date, and we'll help you work out where the light falls on the grass.
Is the water at Sunset Beach shallow enough to stand in?
Usually, yes. It's sheltered port water rather than surf, and the edge is gentle along most of the beach. At low tide we can walk you out a few steps for reflections; at high tide the water comes close to the grass, which frames the park nicely.
What if it's cloudy at sunset?
Cloud is often better. A band of cloud over the western horizon catches the colour after the sun has gone, and it can glow for twenty minutes. If the sky is thick grey, the flat water still gives soft, silvery light, and we move in closer for the portraits.
Can the bridal party head out on a boat from the point?
If you hire a boat or a friend has one, a short run off the point makes a lovely finish, with the sun dropping behind you. The boat and the skipper are arranged by you; we'll either come aboard or photograph from the shore with a long lens.
Will midges spoil a still evening by the water?
On a warm, windless evening beside still water they can turn up. Bring a good repellent and put it on before the portraits rather than during, so it doesn't shine on skin in the photos. A light breeze off the port usually keeps them away.
Let the light come from behind.
Give us your date and a rough guest count. We'll work out the sunset, the tide and where everyone stands as the sun goes down.
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