John Rice Photographer

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John Rice Photographer

Camera-shy? Hate having your photo taken? Hey there! No stiff poses or awkward smiles - just you legends being yourselves in places you absolutely love.

You're my kind of people! 👋 I'm your Margaret River mate who turns wedding photography into an actual fun day out (no awkward poses or forced smiles here!) Promise you'll be laughing too much to feel awkward! 😊 I'm John - your Margaret River mate who happens to be absolutely stoked about capturing wild-in-love couples having the time of their lives! 🌊
When I'm not chasing epic sunset shots or help

ing camera-shy couples crack up laughing, you'll find me:

Surfing our gorgeous coastline (usually badly, but enthusiastically!)
Living the good life with my awesome tribe of kids, wife, and our crazy-but-loveable menagerie of pets
Growing veggies that sometimes actually survive 😅
Hunting down Margaret River's best drops of red (it's research, I swear!)

But here's what really gets me excited - creating those 'holy moly, is that really us?!' moments for couples who usually dodge the camera faster than a roo dodges headlights! Whether you're planning an intimate shindig or a full-blown celebration, my style is all about catching those belly-laugh moments, happy tears, and spontaneous hugs that tell your real story. Think of me as your personal adventure buddy with a camera - I'm here to make sure your wedding photos are as fun to create as they are to look back on (and trust me, they'll be ripper!)

Reckon we might be a good fit? Chuck me a message - I'd love to hear what kind of magic you're planning! ✨

02/09/2026

Sarah and Samuel got married on a private property in Margaret River. Their brief to me was clear: prioritise candid, in-the-moment shots. Photos they could come back to in ten years and remember what the day actually felt like, not what it looked like arranged for a camera.

For portraits they gave me a 20-minute window at golden hour. Just 20. Here's some of the pics we came up with in that time.

Private property weddings are a big part of what I do in Margaret River. Family land, holiday houses, farm blocks. You get a ceremony that's completely yours, on land that means something to you, without venue rules dictating the day. I plan the timing, flow, and vendor logistics around whatever the property is.

The nicest postscript: a few weeks after the wedding, a woman came up to me at the gym in Margaret River. She used to teach my kids at the local primary school. She said "you did such a wonderful job at that wedding." I asked which wedding. She said Sarah and Sam, and that they were over the moon with the photos.

Margaret River is small. Word travels fast. That kind of unprompted feedback still makes my day.

If you're planning a private property wedding or elopement in Margaret River, DM me.

01/09/2026

I chase the last hour of light.

After Ashleigh and Ben's ceremony at Boranup, I drove them out to a cliff top near Bobs Hollow to catch the sun dropping into the Indian Ocean. This is when Margaret River looks unreal.

The play I love: wide dramatic landscape shots that put them small against limestone cliffs, karri forest, or open ocean. Then in close for a portrait, side lit warm, everything soft around them.

Same couple, same location, two different photo languages. One shows the scale of where they eloped. The other shows the two of them.

For golden hour to work in Margaret River you need to build the day around it. Ceremony timing, drive time between locations, a backup spot if the wind kicks up on the coast. Especially for Perth couples doing a one-day trip, this timing has to be tight. That's part of what I plan when I book an elopement.

If you want a Margaret River elopement built around the best light, DM me.

31/08/2026

Why I keep booking Boranup for ceremonies.

Shaun and Aaron got married in Boranup Forest in February last year. Two grooms, karri canopy, small guest circle, quiet vows. One of my favourite ceremonies of the season.

Here's why Boranup works so well for elopements:

Light. The karri canopy filters harsh Margaret River sun into soft even light almost all day. Rare in coastal WA.

Sound. It's quiet. Really quiet. Nothing competing with the celebrant or your vows.

Weather shelter. If the coast is wild, Boranup is calm. Trees break the wind.

Access. Sealed road in, short walk to the ceremony spot. Guests in heels, older parents, everyone gets there without a hike.

Photos. Vertical karri trunks, warm bark tones, filtered light. Hard location to make look ordinary.

Boranup just works. I've photographed same-sex elopements, cross-cultural weddings, camera-shy pairs, classic cars, big-family gatherings, and quiet two-person ceremonies here.

I usually book Boranup for the ceremony then move to the coast for sunset portraits. Forest plus coastal golden hour is one of the strongest Margaret River elopement setups going.

If you want a Boranup Forest elopement organised end to end, DM me.

26/08/2026

The camera goes up last.

Ashleigh and Ben drove down from Perth and got ready at Redgate Beach Escape last week. By the time we left for the ceremony at Boranup, we'd spent a good hour chatting, laughing, sorting and logistics.

That's the trick most couples don't hear about. If the first time you meet me is when I'm pointing a camera at you, the camera feels like a stranger. If we've hung out first, I'm just the person who happens to have a camera.

The full planning package builds this in naturally. I'm the one who books your accommodation, your celebrant, your hair and makeup. So by the wedding day I'm not "the photographer showing up at 2pm." I'm someone you already know.

Add to that: mirrorless camera dropped to my chest when we chat, simple prompts instead of stiff posing, fast pace, a bit of movement. You're relaxed before you've clocked it.

If you're camera-shy and planning a Margaret River elopement from Perth, DM me.

25/08/2026

Not show ponies. Just real memories.

Kerne + Sian, Masseria, Margaret River. Not big on posing. Candid over staged, so their photos give back who was there and how it felt. I think we hit on a nice mix of directed and totally candid. The sweet spot is getting the blend right so it just feels like the day is flowing and fun.

24/08/2026

Same couple. Four completely different lights.

Luke and Natalya's elopement wedding took us through Boranup Forest and down to Margaret Rivermouth Beach. Same evening, one couple, four very different photographs, because the light changed and I changed with it.

In the forest: warm sunburst filtering through the karri canopy while they walked through the ferns. Then soft dappled light on a fallen log, no direct sun, quiet portrait.

Down at the rivermouth: side lit black and white along the water's edge, all shape and shadow, no colour needed. Then full silhouette at sunset with Natalya's veil catching the sea breeze against a peach sky.

Finding good light is the easy part. The trick is knowing which treatment fits which moment. Backlit for drama. Soft for stillness. Silhouette when the sky is doing the talking. Black and white when the shape of two people together is enough.

Four photos, four ways of seeing them. That's what I'm doing on the day. Reading the light, moving you into it, choosing the treatment that matches what's actually happening.

If you want a Margaret River elopement built around varied natural light, DM me.

19/08/2026

Lionel and Nicole booked me for a wedding portrait session yesterday. Middle of July, which means one thing on the Margaret River coast: wind.

Locations I picked: Leeuwin Estate for shelter and vines, Boranup Forest for the Karri canopy, Redgate Beach for the more protected pocket at the north end.

Three spots, all working with the day's conditions instead of against them.

Living in Margaret River gives me two things a weather app can't. First, an in-depth knowledge of the coastline from Augusta to Dunsborough. There's always a beach, cove, or forest sheltered when somewhere else is getting hammered. Second, I get to watch the weather right up until I leave the house. If the forecast shifts, I can swap Redgate for Hamelin Bay, or drop the coast entirely and stay inland at Boranup.

That's the difference between "we booked a location six months ago and hoped for the best" and "we picked the right spot for the actual weather on the day."

If you're planning a Margaret River elopement, wedding, or portrait session in the cooler months, DM me. Winter here is beautiful when you know where to point the camera.

18/08/2026

Ashleigh and Ben drove down from Perth wanting a Margaret River elopement without the planning noise. Last week we made it happen.

What I organised:
Locations
Schedule
Accommodation at Redgate Beach Escape (getting ready and overnight stay)
Marriage celebrant
Hair and makeup
Flowers
Furniture for ceremony
Ceremony and portraits at Boranup Forest
Sunset portraits at a cliff top near Bobs Hollow

They arrived in the afternoon, got ready the next morning, said their vows under the karri canopy, then we drove out for golden hour on the cliffs. No vendor spreadsheet, no five email chains, no wondering who's doing what.

This is what the full planning package looks like for Perth couples. One person handling the whole day so you don't have to think about it. Three hours south, and you're eloping properly.

If you want a Margaret River elopement handled from accommodation to celebrant to camera, DM me.

17/08/2026

He flew from California to propose here.

Carson grew up in Australia and now lives in California. Months ago he messaged me from overseas with a brief: organise a surprise proposal at Injidup Natural Spa, keep Brenna unaware, make it feel effortless on the day.

We picked Wayadup Rocks for the light and the drama. I scouted the timing, got into position before they arrived, and shot the moment Brenna realised what was happening. She said yes. Carson exhaled. The Indian Ocean did its thing behind them.

Planning a Margaret River proposal from another country works when someone on the ground knows the coastline, the light, and how to stay invisible until the ring appears.

If you're organising a surprise proposal in Margaret River from interstate or overseas, DM me. I handle the logistics so you land, propose, and celebrate.

12/08/2026

Their whole day. In 35 seconds.

Jilly and Tim's morning started at Pullman Bunker Bay Resort. Getting ready, quiet moments, a coffee, the dress on. We did a few portraits around the grounds before we headed out.

Ten minutes down the road to Point Piquet. That quiet headland between Eagle Bay and Meelup Beach where Tim had asked Jilly to marry him a while back. Their celebrant met us on the rocks. Vows. Rings. Kiss. Done.

Portraits on the same headland afterwards. Water, sky, Jilly's belly, the two of them. No hurry.

Lunch at Wise W**e on the Cape Naturaliste ridge to finish. Ch*****ne. Big view. Just married.

Five weeks from Jilly's first message to this. Baby coming in September, and now they are married before their little one arrives.

If you are a Perth couple thinking about a Margaret River elopement and you want the whole day handled, that is what I do. Celebrant, florist, hair and makeup, permits, timeline, all of it. One payment, Dream Team booked, you just show up and get married.

DM me.

Address

PO Box 1293

6285

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 15:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 15:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 15:00
Thursday	09:00 - 15:00
Friday	09:00 - 15:00

Website

https://www.johnricephotographer.com.au/

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