Shooting Film in Brisbane: Twelve Places I Keep Going Back To
People ask me for Brisbane photoshoot locations as though there were a secret list, and the honest answer is that there are only a dozen or so places I keep going back to. I don't go back for novelty. I go back because I know what the light does there, hour by hour. On film that's worth more than any view, because you can't check the back of the camera and try again.
So here they are, roughly in the order I'd reach for them.
1. Kangaroo Point Cliffs. The obvious one, and for good reason. The cliffs face west across the river to the city, so late afternoon puts warm, low light straight onto whoever is standing at the rail. Stay past sunset and the towers come on behind them.
2. The Story Bridge, from underneath. The steel throws hard, ruled shadows onto the footpath at Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley. It's good for anyone who suits a bit of geometry, and nearly every band I know has tried it.
3. Howard Smith Wharves. Old brick, the cliff face behind and the bridge overhead. Open shade there most of the day, which is rare in this city and very kind to skin.
4. New Farm Park. Jacarandas in late spring, figs the rest of the year. Under a big fig at midday you get soft, slightly green light that Portra handles beautifully. I just watch the colour balance.
5. The Powerhouse and the river walk beside it. Concrete, graffiti and the brown slide of the river. It's industrial without trying too hard.
6. South Bank. Busy, and I won't pretend otherwise. But the bougainvillea arbour gives you dappled shade for most of its length, and early on a weekday you can have it nearly to yourself.
7. The Goodwill Bridge at dawn. It's flat, open and pale. The sky does all the work, and if you're there before the cyclists it's very quiet.
8. West End laneways. Painted walls and corrugated iron, plus whatever's going on that afternoon. The light bounces off the buildings and arrives softer than you'd expect.
9. Fortitude Valley at night. Neon, shopfronts and the glow from the bars. It's the only place on this list I'd shoot after dark without a flash, and only on a fast stock pushed a stop.
10. The City Botanic Gardens. The mangrove boardwalk especially. Low, broken light comes through the canopy, and it feels a long way from the CBD that's two minutes behind you.
11. Mount Coot-tha. The lookout is for postcards. I go for the bush tracks below it, the dry eucalypt light and the grey-green that only Queensland seems to make.
12. The river itself, from a CityCat. This isn't a location so much as a moving one. Ride from one end to the other an hour before sunset and the light changes at every stop. It costs you a fare and a bit of patience.
A few notes that hold for all of them. Brisbane light is harsh from about ten until three for most of the year, so plan around the edges of the day or find proper shade. Summer storms roll in mid-afternoon. They wreck a schedule and then, now and then, give you the best light of the month. And public places stay public: be polite and keep the kit small. Some sites, like the Botanic Gardens and South Bank, ask for a permit for commercial shoots, so check before you bring a crew.
None of these places is special on its own. What makes them work is knowing them well enough to arrive at the right hour.