Wedding party celebrating outdoors on a rocky hillside, with some guests throwing confetti and holding glasses of champagne, all dressed in white and light-colored formal attire.
Stylized green leaf illustration with curved veins and multiple leaflets

Love-soaked
moments.
Beautifully
photographed.

A happy family of three on the beach, with a father, mother, and young daughter, smiling and posing for the photo. The background features sandy cliffs and an overcast sky.
A woman holding a young girl, standing outdoors near a rocky cliff, with water and sky in the background.

Capturing Love in the Fleurieu

☼

Capturing Love in the Fleurieu ☼

A young woman in a beige sweater and blue jeans barefoot on a sandy beach, taking a photograph with a camera, with the ocean and cloudy sky in the background.
Cliffs along a blue ocean under a partly cloudy sky.
A stylized pink flower with five petals against a black background.
A graphic illustration of a green leafy plant, possibly a tropical plant or a fern.

Capturing all the feels,

right here in the
heart of the Fleurieu.

Hi, I’m Maria Watkins, and welcome to Love in the Fleurieu. I’m a lifestyle photographer based in Moana, just south of Adelaide and I capture love in all its messy, magical, windswept glory. From weddings and growing bellies to tiny toes and beachside family snuggles, I’m here for milestone moments and the beautifully ordinary ones.

I photograph outdoors in the dreamy pockets of the Fleurieu Peninsula - golden bushland, sandy shores - and welcome newborns into my cozy, light-filled studio (where the kettle’s always on and the sea breeze isn’t far).

This coastline isn’t just a backdrop, it’s my muse. Its warm light and salty air shape every image, wrapping stories in beauty. If you’re after photos that feel natural, emotive, and joy-filled, you’re in the right place.

Let’s tell your story, one honest frame at a time.

A smiling bride and groom holding hands and walking down a tree-lined path during sunset, with the bride in a white wedding gown and the groom in a gray suit.
A dark green heart shaped graphic with the word "L*F" inside, where the asterisk replaces a palm tree icon.
A bride is getting ready in a sunlit room with two women helping her with her wedding dress.

Client Love

  • Black-and-white photo of a smiling bride and groom in a field, dressed in wedding attire, holding a bouquet of flowers.

    Lucy & Sam

    We are so incredibly grateful to have had Maria as our wedding photographer. From the moment she arrived, she made us feel completely at ease, like we were spending the day with a friend. She laughed with us, guided us without ever making anything feel forced, gave suggestions from her experience and was so flexible with timing throughout the day.

    Even though the weather was less than ideal, Maria handled it without fuss and still managed to capture the most stunning moments, almost embracing the wind. We were blown away by how beautifully she documented the emotion, joy, and little details of our day.

    Our sneak peeks came through so quickly and they were everything we could’ve hoped for, full of heart, light, and love. Maria is a dream to work with and we couldn’t recommend her more highly!

  • Lauren & Tom

    We’ve been lucky to have Maria take our family photos over the last few years. She took newborn photos of our daughter and our family in our home and of our extended family at a fun session in a local park and at the beach. In both settings Maria was very organized and directive while ensuring the session was relaxed and fun which was important to us! We received our beautiful photos promptly and we know that they will be cherished by all for many years to come. We plan to ask Maria to take photos for us again in the future thanks to such great experiences so far. 

A bride and groom stand close together outdoors during the daytime, surrounded by blooming bushes and a long table set for a wedding reception, in front of an old building with large windows and a garden patio under bright sunlight.
A stylized pink flower with six rounded petals against a black background.
Illustration of a green hand-shaped coral or sea creature with five fingers and rounded tips.

Because life’s too
short for stiff poses
and fake smiles

Love, light, and a little lens flair

☼

Love, light, and a little lens flair ☼

A white stylized flower with six elongated petals on a black background.
A woman holding a baby in a bright nursery with white walls, a bookshelf, and baby toys.
A happy family of three, including a man, woman, and young girl, smiling and looking at each other on a beach with rocky cliffs and a wooden walkway in the background.
Black and white photo of a wedding reception with a couple smiling and laughing at a table, surrounded by guests in formal attire, in an indoor venue with large windows and decorative ironwork.
A bride and groom dressed in white walk hand in hand along a rocky cliff by the ocean under a partly cloudy sky.