Winding Down After Wedding Season: Camping, Fishing and Family Time at Wyangala Dam

After months of weddings, editing thousands of photographs, countless kilometres on the road, and weekends spent celebrating some of life’s biggest moments, there comes a point where I need to slow down.

Wedding season is beautiful, but it’s also incredibly full. Every wedding deserves my complete attention, creativity and heart. However, by the end of the season I find myself craving something much simpler.

For our family, that place is Wyangala Dam.

The camper is packed, the fishing rods are loaded, and the dogs jump in with excitement. For a little while the emails, timelines and editing lists can wait.

Trading Wedding Dresses for Campfires

Most weekends throughout the year you’ll find me photographing elegant celebrations, carefully styling details, and chasing beautiful light. I absolutely love what I do.

But after wedding season, there’s something equally beautiful about swapping bridal bouquets for fishing rods and polished shoes for muddy boots. In addition, I love the exchange of reception music for the sound of birds and water lapping against the shore.

It’s a chance to breathe.

The Best Kind of Reset

My favourite part isn’t catching the biggest fish—although Henry would probably disagree!

It’s watching the kids simply be kids.

Rosie spends hours collecting treasures along the shoreline, helping around camp and cuddling our husky, Shadow. Henry is happiest with a fishing rod in his hands. He patiently waits for the next bite while dreaming about the fish that got away.

There’s no schedule to keep.

No timelines.

No deadlines.

Just slow mornings with a cup of coffee beside the water, afternoons spent fishing, and evenings around the campfire under a sky full of stars.

After the pace of wedding season, it’s exactly what my heart needs.

Why We Keep Coming Back

Camping reminds me why I became a photographer in the first place.

It’s never been about perfect poses or flawless details.

For me, connection matters.

The quiet moments that often go unnoticed—a child proudly holding their first fish and muddy feet running back to camp. There is laughter over dinner cooked outside, or the peaceful silence as the sun sets across the dam.

Those are the moments that matter.

They’re the memories that stay with us long after the trip is over.

Filling My Cup Again

As photographers, we spend so much of our year pouring ourselves into other people’s stories.

Camping at Wyangala is where I refill my own.

It’s where I reconnect with my family, find inspiration in nature, and remember the importance of slowing down.

When wedding season begins again, I’ll return feeling refreshed and grateful. I will also be ready to tell another year’s worth of beautiful love stories.

Until then, you’ll find us by the water, chasing golden sunsets and casting another line. Meanwhile, we’re making memories that don’t need a camera to be unforgettable.