It was a dreary day in Newcastle. I had driven over an hour to this engagement session, and I was so excited to bring Tamara’s vision to life. Being a Central Coast photographer, I don’t get to head into the city very often for sessions, so this was a treat for me. In the lead up to our session, Tamara made her vision clear, and a fun city vibe was on the cards for this one. Upon taking on this Newcastle engagement session, I had a clear idea of how it would look. We would explore Bolton St and nearby areas, taking advantage of the architecture of the region.
There is a huge dichotomy in Newcastle between the new and old buildings, the city and the sea. The options are truly endless. So I was so excited to capture this huge moment for Tamara and Blake.
However, given how the weather had been on the east coast of NSW recently, I knew there was a fair chance of rain interrupting our session. And whilst it wasn’t how anyone intended on spending their Saturday afternoon, everyone was up to making it all work.
We initially got lucky; it was cold and overcast, but still a dry day. We started at the bottom of Bolton St and waited for some trams to pass so we could create an epic first photo of the gallery. A long exposure of a tram is an absolute must for Newcastle engagement sessions. The trams have become an iconic part of Newcastle life, and as a photographer, I was so excited to put this part of Newy life into the storytelling of Tamara and Blake’s gallery.
However, unfortunately, not long after we started, the rain we were trying to avoid hit us. Thankfully, we had some umbrellas ready to go, and we could carry on with some romantic and candid photography. The rain, however, picked up, and we could not continue.
After 10 minutes of heavy rain we were somehow blessed with a break and we could head out again. The streets were drenched, Tamaras dress was drenched, I was drenched. Actually the only one who wasn’t wet at this time was Blake somehow. We packed up the umbrellas and worked our way through Newcastle and made our way to the top of Bolton Street Carpark.
When I planned this session, I was banking on golden hour portraits at the top of Bolton Street carpark, but after the day we had, nobody was confident it would happen. But somehow we got lucky and were blessed with the sort of sunset that everyone knows Newcastle for. Bold & vibrant with blue and pink hues. As a Newcastle engagement photographer, these are the sorts of sunsets you hope for. And yes, whilst we didn’t get the golden hour we hoped for. I would argue this sunset made up for it.
Tamara and Blake are getting married at Mystwood in Wollombi in the Hunter Valley in 2026, and whilst I will not be their wedding photographer (Mystwood is an all inclusive venue) it was so special being able to not only be apart of its moment of their lives, but also to bring their vision for life.
Many people struggle envisioning their engagement photography; it can be an overwhelming experience, which is why we trust this part of our lives to engagement photographers. However when there is a vision in mind, it’s kind of a surreal experience bringing it to life.
If you would like to book a Newcastle engagement photographer, I would love to create some magic with you!
I am an inclusive LGBT wedding photographer who cannot wait to capture this moment in your lives.