Maintaining a long-standing stranglehold on the list of most liveable cities in the world, Melbourne is known for many great things. With an abundance of instagrammable places in Melbourne, it’s no surprise the city is known for its trend-starting fashion scene and cultural hotspots. Plus, it’s nigh-impossible to walk around the city without stumbling over the perfect cup of coffee.
Being an incredibly artsy city, you’ll find several photoshoot locations in Melbourne that can take your Insta from first-timer shots to world-star compositions with some genuinely incredible Melbourne photography spots. If you want to capture new images for your Instagram feed, read our list of the best places to take photos in Melbourne, grab your camera, and snap these Melbourne photo-opps!
Flinders Street Station
On top of being a major transport hub for the CBD and one of the first stops for everything from business to site seeing, Flinders Steet station is a picturesque structure worthy of capturing on camera. Alight at Flinders Street station if you are interested in French Renaissance architecture. Then, take a moment to practice your documentary street photography and study the personalities of the crowds that gather here throughout the day.
Photography Suggestion: You’re sure to find other shutterbugs around this Melbourne photography spot, so it’s also a great place to meet others in the scene.
Hosier Lane/ACDC Lane
We’ve lumped these two photography locations in Melbourne together since we couldn’t decide which was the best place to view high-quality street art in Melbourne, the so-called cultural capital of Australia. Plus, they’re so close together that it only takes four minutes to walk between them. But before you depart for graffiti photos in Melbourne, you’ll want to bring the most essential piece of equipment in your camera bag to capture Street art: a wide-angle lens. Thanks to their smaller focal length and wide field of view, wide-angle lenses can capture far more than your standard prime lens, allowing you to easily fit entire lengths of artwork without struggling with your back against the wall.
Photography Suggestion: this one is a little more advanced, but if you’re up to it, we recommend looking into image or photo stitching. You can produce a segmented panorama or high-resolution image by combining multiple photographic images with overlapping fields of view. See if you can capture the entire wall and stitch them together into one incredible photo!
Brighton Bathing Boxes
Built over 100 years ago, the Brighton Bathing Boxes are a row of 82 brightly coloured and uniform wooden structures lining the foreshore at Brighton Beach. Initially built to support the modesty views of the era, today, they are bright and vibrant reminders of the beachside culture that engulfs Melbourne in summer. Keen photographers will enjoy surveying the array of decorations and vibrant colours that make each box unique, despite being identical in size.
Photography Suggestion: Practice framing a number of these boxes in a row or zeroing in on your favourite for detail shots – a standard zoom lens is the best bet for this task.
St Kilda Pier
A historic site that was first built in the 1850s and has been invaluable for many ambitions, from boating and fishing endeavours and much more. Today, St Kilda Pier is a popular tourist attraction that is a joy to explore, especially regarding wildlife. Home to a beautiful colony of fairy penguins, be sure to plan your visit accordingly. Fairy penguins arrive at sunset from their long day at sea every evening, so save it for an end-of-the-day shoot.
Photography Suggestion: As with other wildlife photography, fairy penguins can be captured most successfully using a mirrorless camera, which is excellent for accurate exposure in varying lighting conditions, and a telephoto lens which gets you a closer view of the penguins from a distance.
The Great Ocean Road
A landscape photography haven for enthusiasts and beginners alike! The Great Ocean Road
offers a wealth of opportunities to practice landscape photography with various geographical attractions, including mountains, beaches and even waterfalls. Of course, the 243km stretch of road has several famous landmarks, but none more so than The 12 Apostles, a rocky coastline that draws countless visitors annually.
Hopetoun Falls is the best port of call to practice your waterfalls photography skills. It requires a few steps to get to, so it is not the best choice if fitness or mobility is an issue.
Photography Suggestion: For best waterfall photography, a neutral density filter is essential; this handy accessory limits the light entering your lens, forcing your camera to utilise a slower shutter speed for accurate exposure. Thus, allowing you to harness the effects of motion blur.
Melbourne Photography Spots To Up Your Instagram Game
Of course, there are plenty more photography locations in Melbourne and Victoria. You can visit Docklands, Centre Place, Princes Bridge, Yarra River and The Conservatory at Fitzroy Gardens, just to name a few. If you’re keen on capturing Melbourne on camera, keep an eye out for the latest deals on camera equipment online to ensure your photos of the most instagrammable places in Melbourne get those likes!