Photography Locations Across the Illawarra
for Weddings, Families & Maternity
Living in the Illawarra feels like a gift. With the sea at our feet and mountains wrapping around us, it’s a dream landscape for storytelling. I’m drawn to the western sky especially at sunset and while any season will do, autumn has my heart. The light feels softer then, warmer, as if it lingers just a little longer to make everything feel held.
Below are three locations I return to time and time again. It is my creative home base. I’d love to photograph you in one of these familiar favourites, or venture somewhere new together.
Bombo Headlands
Bombo Headlands is one of those not-so-secret locations that photographers return to time and time again, and for good reason. It’s known for its breathtaking sunsets, dramatic cliff faces, and quiet rock pools, all offering an incredible amount of variety within one location.
There’s something special about the way the light moves here, changing the mood from one pocket to the next. It’s a place that feels expansive and intimate all at once, making it endlessly inspiring to photograph.
A small note to be prepared for: it can get a little muddy underfoot, so sensible shoes are always a good idea.
Windang Beach
Windang Beach offers something a little different. I take my clients along a quiet, tucked-away pathway that leads to where the sea meets the lake, combining the openness of a sandy beach with a sunset over the lake. It’s a little secret spot that offers a sense of privacy and ease away from the more obvious access points.
This area works beautifully for relaxed sessions, with gentle movement in the water and plenty of space to walk, pause, and take things slowly. The contrast between shoreline and lake edge provides great variety within a short distance, making it an easy and comfortable location to shoot in.
Lake Illawarra
Leaving the best to last, Lake Illawarra provides me with endless inspiration and the most beautiful colour. I found this location back when I was living in Wollongong, and I fell in love with it instantly. So much so, I eventually moved closer, drawn by sunsets spilling across the lake and the way the light settles here at the end of the day. There’s a mix of tall grass, dramatic trees, and quiet, walkable pockets that I return to again and again with my clients.
Over the years, I’ve explored many different spots along Lake Illawarra, each offering its own look and feel. These pockets can be photographed to feel completely different from one another, making the location incredibly versatile and well suited to maternity sessions, relaxed family photography, and engagement shoots.
I can honestly say this is my favourite place to shoot. After six years of living here, that hasn’t changed.
Pictured are some of my favourite images I’ve ever captured at the lake. The first six are from a deeply meaningful family session with Laura and Daniel, captured in celebration of their beautiful boy, Teddy. The final two images are from my own maternity session, photographed with the help of my mum in early autumn light.
Whether you’re newly engaged, expecting a little one, or wanting to capture your family just as it is right now, these locations offer the space to tell your story in a way that feels natural and unforced. My work is about documenting this chapter of your life as it’s being lived, focusing on connection, movement, and the moments in between. If one of these places feels right to you, I’d love to photograph you here.