One of the most common questions I get asked before a session is: “Where should we go?” It’s a good question, and the honest answer is that not all parks are equal when it comes to photography. A park that’s great for an off-leash run isn’t necessarily great for photos — the light might be wrong, the background cluttered, or the space too busy with other dogs to get a moment of calm.
After years of shooting sessions across Melbourne, I’ve built up a solid shortlist of locations that consistently deliver. These are the parks I return to again and again — and the reasons why.
Curtain Square, Carlton North
A reliable inner-north option that punches above its weight for photography. It’s compact, which actually works in your favour — the tree canopy creates beautiful dappled light for most of the day, and the paths and garden beds give you varied backgrounds within a small area. Always a few other dogs around, which some dogs find settling rather than distracting.
Best for: smaller breeds, dogs who are a bit nervous and benefit from a calm environment, owners who want a mix of greenery and urban character.
Best time: mid-morning when the light comes through the trees from the east. Avoid midday in summer — the light gets harsh quickly.
Parking: good street parking on Rathdowne Street.
Gasworks Park, Albert Park
One of my favourites for sessions where we want to cover multiple looks in one shoot. The park itself has open grass, mature trees, and some lovely textured surfaces — but the real bonus is that it’s a short walk to the foreshore, so we can move between a green park environment and a beach or marina backdrop without getting back in the car.
Best for: active dogs, owners who want variety in their gallery, golden retriever-type dogs who suit the open green aesthetic beautifully.
Best time: late afternoon facing west toward the bay. The light in the last hour before sunset here is exceptional.
Parking: available on Pickles Street and surrounding streets.
Yarra Bend Park, Fairfield
The biggest natural space on this list and one of the most underrated photography locations in Melbourne. It rarely gets overcrowded, which means fewer distractions for dogs and more flexibility to take over a particular spot without people walking through your frame constantly. The river, the bushland, the open meadows — there’s genuine variety here that you don’t get in a manicured suburban park.
Best for: energetic dogs who need space to burn off steam before they’ll settle, dogs who suit a natural bush environment, multi-dog sessions where you need room to move.
Best time: morning light on the eastern side of the park is excellent. The canopy provides good shade through the middle of the day.
Parking: off Yarra Bend Road, Fairfield.
Footscray Park
The Maribyrnong River winding through this park creates some genuinely beautiful backdrops — the water, the willows, the stone steps — that you won’t find in many other Melbourne parks. It’s a more formal, landscaped environment than somewhere like Yarra Bend, which suits certain styles of portrait beautifully.
Worth noting: only a small section of the park is actually off-leash, so plan accordingly if your dog needs to run freely before they’ll settle for photos.
Best for: dogs who suit a refined, classic portrait style. The stonework and river make for gorgeous backgrounds. Also excellent for multi-pet sessions with mixed species — the formality of the setting suits cat portraits surprisingly well.
Best time: morning along the river when the light is soft and the park is quiet.
Parking: off Ballarat Street or Hyde Street.
Pipemakers Park, Maribyrnong
One of Melbourne’s most distinctive off-leash locations and one that rewards photographers who know it well. The park sits along the Maribyrnong River and has an interesting mix of open grassland, native plantings, and remnant industrial heritage — the old pipe manufacturing infrastructure that gives the park its name creates some genuinely unusual backdrops that you won’t find anywhere else in Melbourne. For clients who want something a little different from the standard green-park portrait, this is the location I’d point them toward first.
The river frontage is excellent for water-loving dogs, and the open grass areas give energetic breeds room to move before they’ll settle. The native plantings attract birdlife which — depending on your dog’s prey drive — is either a wonderful natural distraction that produces great alert expressions, or something to be aware of before we start.
Best for: dogs who suit a more urban or industrial aesthetic, water-loving breeds, owners who want a sense of place and character in their images rather than a generic park backdrop. The heritage infrastructure makes for a genuinely striking background for the right dog.
Best time: late afternoon when the western light comes across the river. The combination of the water reflection and the warm light in that last hour before sunset is hard to beat.
Parking: off Cowper Street, Maribyrnong.
St Kilda West Beach
The combination of green foreshore, beach, and the pier gives this location the most variety of any on this list. Within a ten-minute walk we can move from open grass to sand to the weathered timber of the pier — three completely different looks, three completely different moods.
Dogs love it here for obvious reasons. The energy of the beach tends to bring out the best in them — ears up, alert, eyes bright — and that translates directly into better photos.
Best for: water-loving dogs, high-energy breeds, owners who want a mix of beach and green backgrounds, anyone who wants that classic Melbourne bayside feel.
Best time: early morning before the crowds arrive, or late afternoon for that golden light over the water. Avoid summer midday — it’s too busy and the light is too harsh.
Parking: foreshore parking on Jacka Boulevard, though it fills quickly on weekends.
Sandown Street Beach, Brighton
Fenced, which is genuinely useful for dogs who aren’t reliable off-leash in open spaces. The proximity to the beach and the Brighton bathing boxes makes this a location that photographs with an immediately recognisable Melbourne character — clients who’ve moved interstate or overseas particularly love the sense of place it gives their images.
Note that dogs are restricted from the bathing box area during summer months, but for a winter or early spring session the whole foreshore is available and the light in those months can be extraordinary — soft, cool, and clear.
Best for: dogs who need a fenced off-leash area, owners who want that iconic Brighton backdrop, winter sessions when the beach is quiet and the light is at its best.
Best time: morning in autumn and winter. The low sun angle in those months does beautiful things along this stretch of coast.
Parking: street parking on Esplanade, Sandown Street.
Caulfield Park, Caulfield North
A large, well-maintained park with a good mix of open grass and tree-lined paths. Mostly leash-free with the standard exclusions around BBQ areas and playgrounds. It photographs well because the mature trees provide consistent, soft overhead light through much of the day — avoiding the harsh contrast you get in fully exposed open spaces.
Best for: consistent, reliable results at most times of day. A good option when session timing is flexible and you want somewhere that works in a range of lighting conditions.
Best time: flexible — the tree canopy makes this more forgiving than fully open locations.
Parking: good parking off Balaclava Road.
Coburg Lake Reserve, Coburg
An underrated location for inner-north clients. The lake provides a natural backdrop, there’s open grass for dogs to move freely, and the tree-lined paths give you shade and varied backgrounds without having to travel far. Quieter than most inner-city parks, which makes it easier to work with dogs who are easily distracted.
Best for: clients based in Coburg, Brunswick, Fitzroy North, or Preston who want a local session. Particularly good for medium and larger breeds who suit the open lakeside environment.
Best time: morning, when the light comes across the lake and the park is at its quietest.
Parking: Newlands Road, Coburg.
Merri Creek Trail, Northcote to Coburg
Not a park in the traditional sense but one of the best extended locations in Melbourne for photography. The trail runs through both Northcote and Coburg and offers the creek itself, overhanging vegetation, open grassland, and some genuinely beautiful natural light through the trees. It’s particularly good for dogs who need to walk and move to settle — the trail format means we can keep moving and shoot as we go, rather than trying to work a dog who just wants to keep walking.
Best for: active breeds, dogs who are more relaxed when they’re moving, owners who want a natural, unposed documentary feel to their gallery.
Best time: late afternoon when the low western light comes through the creek vegetation. One of the better golden hour locations in Melbourne.
A Note on Timing
Whatever location we choose, timing matters as much as the place itself. The two hours after sunrise and the hour before sunset consistently produce the best light for outdoor pet photography — warm, directional, and flattering. Harsh midday sun in summer is the enemy of good outdoor portraits regardless of location.
When you enquire about a session I’ll always factor in the time of year, your location, your dog’s personality, and what kind of images you’re hoping to end up with before making a recommendation. The right location for a calm, elderly Greyhound is very different from the right location for a six-month-old Kelpie.
Not sure which location suits your dog? Get in touch and I’ll make a recommendation based on where you live and what your dog is like. Pet photography sessions with Pupparazzi start from $150. View packages and pricing here.
