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! ✨

11/09/2026

Light like this is why I keep coming back.

Boranup Forest, mid-afternoon, sun cutting between karri trunks and hitting the road just right. Positioned Jon and Teagan into the shaft, backlit, dip kiss, done.

Dramatic light in Boranup is a matter of knowing where and when to stand. The karri canopy filters the sun into these vertical shafts most of the day, but they land in specific spots for short windows. If you're not looking for them, you miss them. If you know the forest, you point people straight into one.

That's the difference local knowledge makes. Boranup on Google Maps is a big green blob. Boranup with 300+ shoots under your belt is a set of light spots that move through the day.

If you want a Margaret River or Boranup Forest elopement planned around light like this, DM me.

10/09/2026

Shelley Cove. Last light. Lift.

Andy and Nicole again, back at Shelley Cove after their Caves House Hotel wedding, this time as the sun dropped and the sky went peach behind them. Groom lifted her up onto the granite, quiet kiss, glassy water below.

Shelley Cove delivers two very different portrait languages in one location. Big graphic granite shot from above earlier in the day (my last post), then this softer painterly light at sunset. Same rocks, completely different photos.

That's why I love it as a portrait stop for Yallingup and Dunsborough weddings. Ten minutes off the beaten track, huge range, and quiet enough that you actually get the cove to yourselves for the shoot.

If you want a Yallingup or Margaret River wedding planned around coastlines like this, DM me.

09/09/2026

Mark and Grace got married at Eagle Bay Brewery. That's them at the end of the night grabbing a pic with me, both grinning, one mid-laugh. That photo tells you exactly how their portrait time earlier in the day went.

Grace put it best in her review afterwards:

"Awkward dorks in front of a camera, but we felt so at ease."

She and Mark chose me because other reviews mentioned how comfortable I make couples feel. That's the whole game.

Most couples expect wedding photos to be a chore. The bit you tolerate to get the album. Stand here, tilt your head, hold that, smile bigger, cheeks cramping ninety minutes in. That's how photos come back stiff. That's why people say they hate photos of themselves.

Your portrait time is part of your wedding day. Not a tax on it. Shannon and I shoot it as an experience, not a duty. Get you laughing, moving, actually together, so the pictures look like you and the day gets remembered as a highlight.

Mark and Grace were done in under 90 minutes with a stack of portraits they love. And still had energy left to laugh with me at the end of the night.

If you want a Margaret River or Eagle Bay Brewery wedding where the photos are one of the best parts, DM me.

08/09/2026

Jett + Trina, Meelup Beach ceremony, Eagle Bay Brewery reception. Candid over posed, so their memories match how the day actually felt.

07/09/2026

Country wedding. Kept it real.

Casey + Lachlan, country wedding in Nannup. Candid over posed, natural over stiff, so the shoot itself was actually enjoyable.

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.

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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