Central Coast wedding photographer: Headlands at low tide
We're a Central Coast wedding photographer based in Cooks Hill, so our coast days start early, and the best spots down here keep their own timetable.
Rock shelves open and close with the tide, and the beaches face east, so the evening light comes from behind the hills, not over the sea.
Central Coast wedding photography, timed to the tide
The rock platforms under the headlands make the coast's best portraits, and they're only safe for a couple of hours either side of low tide. Drag through the day below.
It's a sample; for your date we read the real tide table from the Bureau of Meteorology and build the timeline around it.
4:30pm
Rock shelf: open
Low tide at 5:35pm. Plenty of dry rock, and the late light coming over the headland behind you.
Where on the coast
The Skillion's grassy ridge, the boat ramp at the Haven, and a rock shelf under the headland that opens up at low tide. Busy in summer, so we go early or late.
A surf beach between two headlands, with the lake behind the dunes for calm water and reeds when the wind is up on the sand.
On Brisbane Water rather than the ocean: waterfront parks, jetties and still water that holds a reflection at dusk.
Where Tuggerah Lake runs out to the sea, with a channel of sandbanks, wide sky and the pelicans that gather every afternoon by the foreshore.
Two we'd recommend
One is a whole valley, with Popran Creek running through the bush, the other a fountain lawn at Killcare Heights with national park all around.
Each page covers the drive down, the light at your ceremony hour and the corners of the property we'd walk you to.
Asked about the coast
Does it cost more to bring you down to the Central Coast?
No. Terrigal is a little over an hour down the M1 from our studio, and Gosford, Avoca Beach and The Entrance are closer, so the whole coast is home ground with no travel fee. For an early start we leave Newcastle before dawn rather than charging you for a room.
Why doesn't the sun set over the ocean on the Central Coast?
Because the beaches face east. The sun goes down behind the hills, not into the sea, which surprises a lot of couples. It's good news for photos: the late light falls on your faces as you look inland, and just after sunset the sky over the water turns pink and soft blue. If you want the sun itself on the sea, that's a sunrise shoot.
Is it safe to have photos on the rock platforms?
Only at the right time, and that's our call to make on the day. We plan rock platform photos for the couple of hours around low tide, stay well back from the edge, and skip them entirely if there's a big swell running, whatever the tide says. A wet rock is slippery in wedding shoes, so we choose the flattest, driest shelf and give you a hand across.
Do we need a permit for a beach or headland ceremony?
Usually. Ceremonies on beaches and in reserves run by Central Coast Council need a booking with the council, and national park ground, like Bouddi or Wyrrabalong, needs approval from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Book early for spring and summer Saturdays; the popular headlands go first.
Can we have photos on the Skillion at Terrigal?
Yes, and it's one of the best views on the coast, but it's a steep grassy climb and very exposed to the wind. We go up for ten minutes with the two of you only, in flat shoes, and leave the bridal party at the bottom. On a gusty day we stay on the lower path, which has most of the view without the struggle.
What's the best time of year for a Central Coast wedding?
Late summer into autumn, for warm water, softer light and fewer holiday crowds than December and January. Spring is lovely but windier. Winter weddings are quieter and cheaper to book, and the low sun in June gives long, gold light through most of the afternoon.
Catch the coast at low tide.
Send us the date and the beach. We'll check the tide and the sunset for that day, tell you if we're free, and sketch the timeline around both.
Newcastle ▸ Hunter Valley ▸ Port Stephens ▸ Central Coast