Wedding snappers turn Beauty Point apple shed into elopement destination

Seachangers Linda Pasfield and Anthony Pforr arrived in Tasmania without fanfare in 2015.

Earlier this month, their business Linda Pasfield Photography was named Tasmania's best for the sixth year running by the Australian Wedding Industry Awards.

Judges select a 10-strong shortlist before picking the winner based on client reviews, secret shoppers, social media and website presence.

"It's been incredible," Mrs Pasfield said.

"I feel very humbled to have won because there are some great photographers in Tasmania."

If their success has come quickly, it hasn't come easy.

Mrs Pasfield and Mr Pforr had built one of the biggest wedding photography businesses in Brisbane.

They were doing 150 weddings a year and were well-known across the city.

All that changed in Tasmania.

"When we moved down here no-one knew us from a bar of soap," Mrs Pasfield said.

"We had to humble ourselves and start from scratch. We networked with just about every wedding supplier, had bridal shows and did advertising and lots and lots of going to venues and starting out all over again."

While regularly flying back to Brisbane for weddings, they began settling into a four-acre property on the Beauty Point waterfront.

They converted a derelict apple shed that fronts onto the West Tamar Highway into their wedding photography studio.

"[It's] part of the history of Beauty Point, it's about 150 years old," Mrs Pasfield said.

"Anthony said he was going to build a studio for me and I remember walking in and seeing all these possums and rats and thinking 'yeah right' because I don't have that kind of creativity or imagination like he does.

"He built me this massive studio which has been a blessing, and now we have people coming to look at our work by appointment."

But they had only just begun to tap into the property's potential.

COVID hit and the wedding industry was rocked by gathering restrictions and cancellations.

Contemplating a crossed-out calendar, Mrs Pasfield started planning a brand new side to their business.

"One day I was walking outside and the lightbulb went on," she said.

"God spoke to me and said 'look at your property' and I [saw it with fresh eyes]."

She approached couples who had cancelled their original wedding plans and asked if they'd consider eloping at their Beauty Point property.

Many did.

"I think we might have saved 10 or 12 weddings and they came here and got married," she said.

"We started up our Elopements Tasmania and we just did micro-weddings and small elopements on our property.

"We ended up getting people from Germany, USA, all over the world, come to our humble Beauty Point.

"I should be in tourism because I think I sold everyone accommodation in Beauty Point and to restaurants in the Tamar."

Mrs Pasfield mixes her photography work with a chaplaincy role at City Mission.

She has chalked up 35 years in the industry, but still feels the joy of contributing to couples' special day.

"I just love people and I value that this is one of the most important days of their lives," she said.

"Communication is so important and you're spending five or six hours with these people - sometimes more - and it's so important they can work with someone they can relate to and feel comfortable with.

"I want to be able to give them the best memories I can."