A star jump above the Derwent
We started Angel and Andrew’s session at the very top of Hobart, on the boardwalks of kunanyi / Mount Wellington, with the River Derwent winding silver far below. They came up in soft pink and white knits, and the first thing they did on the lookout platform was jump, arms and legs out like starfish, hair flying. We shot it from a little above so the whole valley sat behind them instead of sky. Then they strolled up the steps between the steel railings, laughing, and we let the rails lead straight in to them. A pale, cloudy sky kept the light soft on their faces.
Boulders, grass and a grey suit
Up on the plateau, Angel and Andrew sat together on a boulder in a sea of rocks and low scrub, and we stepped right back so they looked tiny against the mountain top. Lower down we found a field of tall golden grass with forest rising behind. Angel wrapped her arms around Andrew’s neck for a kiss while he held up a stalk of grass, and we shot through the grass in front so it melted into a warm haze. Later, in a grey suit, Andrew strode down a road lined with gum trees and white posts, then leant on a trunk as the low sun flared through the leaves.
Iron lace at Corinda
Then the gown came out at Corinda, the Victorian mansion on the hill at Glebe. Angel stepped onto the upper verandah, between the cast iron lace and the painted columns, and looked back over her shoulder with Hobart’s rooftops and the water behind her. Andrew joined her beside her white bouquet, and we kept the verandah posts in the frame because that ironwork tells you exactly where you are. Inside, she paused on the stair landing under a window edged in blue and red glass, and we leant over the banister to shoot straight down onto the tiers of her skirt.
A piano and a topiary garden
Angel sat down at an old upright piano with a carved, fretted front, and Andrew stood behind her, watching her hands. Heritage rooms are dim, so we turned her side on to the tall window and let the daylight do the work. On the dark timber staircase her skirt spilled down the steps, and against a pale wall Andrew leant in close while she smiled down at her flowers. Outside, the clipped hedges and topiary balls lined up in front of the bay windows. We stood low with the sun behind the house for a backlit kiss, then followed them across the river stone courtyard.
An ochre terrace and the docks
Back down the hill, an ochre terrace with red iron lace and a bicycle leaning on its verandah made a perfect street frame, so we crossed the road and shot long, with the mountain on the horizon. Then it was the waterfront. Fishing boats sat at their moorings with the old sandstone warehouses of Hunter Street across the water, and the sky had cleared to deep blue. Angel and Andrew walked the dock edge hand in hand past a red-hulled boat, and Andrew lifted her train for her. Bright sun on water is harsh, so we kept them side lit and turned their faces from the glare.
Seagulls and a cruise ship
Then the seagulls found us. Angel and Andrew ran along the wharf hand in hand and a whole flock lifted around them, wings everywhere, with a cruise ship berthed behind. We dropped low and went wide so the birds filled the sky above their heads. A few minutes later Andrew lifted Angel off her feet in front of the ship’s blue and white bow, her curls catching the wind, and we used a long lens to pull that huge hull in close behind them. Our last waterfront frame was a run past the old buildings, Angel’s skirt bunched up in her hand and both of them grinning.
Alpacas, horses and a ute
Out of the city, a dry paddock under big hills gave us the most unexpected guests of the day: alpacas, white and brown, and a couple of horses. Andrew held a lead rope while Angel reached out to stroke a nose, and a little alpaca wandered into every second frame. The wind picked up Angel’s veil, and we let it stream across the lens for a soft, dreamy layer, then caught one quiet black and white frame of her holding it up against the sky. To finish, they climbed onto the tray of a farm ute and we shot into the sun, so the whole paddock glowed.
Sandstone in Richmond
By late afternoon we were in Richmond. On the paved forecourt of St John’s, the sandstone church with its red roof and slim spire, Angel’s train spread across the pavers while Andrew held her close. Around the side, old gum trees and stone steps gave us backlight through the leaves as she turned to look back at him. Then we walked down to the Coal River, where the arches of Richmond Bridge, built by convicts in the 1820s, curve behind the grass. We kept the arches soft in the background and let the reeds and the water frame a long, slow hug.
Sunset on Bridge Street
The light turned gold as we walked Bridge Street. Angel and Andrew strolled past the old sandstone and rendered shopfronts, then leant into each other under a hanging sign, his cheek resting on her hair. Andrew gave Angel a piggyback down the middle of the tree-lined street, both of them laughing, and they wandered past the green-roofed verandah of the Richmond Arms Hotel. If you are planning Tasmania wedding photos around Hobart, finish here. Our last frame was under the sign for Ashmore on Bridge Street, a pink sky glowing behind them over the village rooftops.
