Information
Free The Bird is a Melbourne-based wedding photography studio capturing weddings across Australia and worldwide on digital and 35mm film.
A wedding day should feel like your life, not a production. I move between observation and direction, stepping in when it helps and stepping back when it doesn’t. Drawn to the quiet, the chaos, and everything in between.
What’s included
Every wedding includes professionally edited digital files, 35mm film photography, an online gallery with a print store, a curated slideshow, and a timeline consultation. Some collections also include fine art prints and albums. Extra coverage, a second photographer, and additional film rolls can all be added where needed.
If your plans don’t fit a standard structure, we can shape something around your day.
Most couples invest between $4,500 and $7,500. Elopements and smaller weddings sit below this range.
I’m based on the Surf Coast and photograph weddings across Victoria, from Geelong and the Bellarine through to Melbourne, the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, and beyond..
A few things that make a difference
Where you get ready matters. Natural light, a bit of space, a calm environment. Ask the groomsmen to be dressed before I arrive, and hair and makeup done on the bridal side. If you have details you’d like captured; rings, florals, invitations, have them together in one spot and I’ll get to them early.
Walk slowly down the aisle. Hold the first kiss a beat longer than feels natural. Almost everyone rushes both.
Family photos work best straight after the ceremony while everyone is still together. Nominate someone who knows the list and isn’t afraid to use their voice. What should take ten minutes can easily drag without one.
Skip the formal couple session. Twenty minutes at sunset during the reception is almost always better. The light is right, the pressure is off, and it’s the one moment of the day that’s just the two of you. You’re also not disappearing from your own wedding for hours straight after the ceremony.
Don’t over-schedule. The best moments tend to happen in the gaps.
A rough timeline shape
1:00 — Getting ready groom and wedding party
2:00 — Getting ready bride and wedding party
3:30 — Arrive at ceremony location
4:00 — Ceremony & congratulations
4:45 — Family photos
5:00 — Wedding party portraits
8:15 — Couple portraits (sunset)
9:00 — Dance floor flash moments
10:00 — Photography concludes
We’ll build yours together closer to the day.
A note on the kind of work I take on
I tend to work with couples who care more about how their day feels than how it’s perceived. People who are present with their friends and family, who trust the process, and who are open to letting things unfold naturally — while allowing space for something more considered when it matters.
If that sounds like you, we’ll likely be a good fit.
