Sydney's Harbours

My third day in Sydney was all about the harbour.  In the morning I took a two hour Captain Cook coffee cruise into Sydney Harbour.  From Circular Quay all the way to Manly Beach and back, with a quick stop at Darling Harbour, I saw the city and its coastline from a new perspective.  The cruise was so relaxing, and the sun coming in the windows so warming and cheerful, that I found it a bit difficult to stay awake!  I think I realized how truly tired I was as I sat there with the sun on my face, feeling the lull of the ocean.  Alas, I did go atop the multi-story vessel to take some photos and feel the wind in my hair and enjoy my little box of treats while we cruised.  The lady giving commentary was very informative, so I did learn quite a lot about Sydney's history as we cruised along.

  
In the afternoon, I met up with Dheerja, one of my former students from my Discovery Week course to Venice!  She just happens to be studying at Sydney University, so we decided to get together to catch up and have coffee in Darling Harbour before my night photography tour.  I love meeting up with former students to hear how they're doing, and I had been in touch with Dheerja since I started planning my trip.  She was looking happy and healthy, and doing well in her studies, which makes her teachers proud!  We made plans for Saturday to go visit some native Australian animals (blog to come soon).  


When 4:00 rolled around, I met Joslin from Sydney Photography Tours again, this time in Darling Harbour to get some amazing night shots.  Because Darling Harbour is much more protected than Sydney Cove, the water is almost still and you get beautiful reflections of light and color off the water.  We essentially made our way around all sides of the harbour, taking advantage of the changing light throughout the evening.  I got some great photos of the sunset sky and water, as well as some beautiful photos of the harbour and buildings when the city lights came on.  Overall, it was a lovely evening and I'm very happy with the photos I took!  Just a note, you'll see images of snowflakes, ice carvings, and inflated iceberg in the harbor because there was a winter festival going on at the time!  What a beautiful way to see the city!

Cockle Bay Wharf, an area filled with nice restaurants

Isn't this a fascinating staircase?!

Sunset begins on Darling Harbour

The colors were absolutely fantastic!

This is where the reflections off the water get really beautiful!

Same shot as above, but playing with a different white balance.

Light painting with sparklers!

Light painting with glow sticks!

An ice carving demonstration--the light reflecting off the ice was very interesting. 

Giant snowflakes for the winter festival.

The window shades in the building in the background rotate and change color.

Color changing fountains in a children's park.

More light reflections off the water!

The most ridiculous giant iceberg I have ever seen! 

Photographing Sydney

My second day in Sydney was picture perfect, in fact it was just right for a photography tour with Joslin Hartley of Looks Fresh Photography who does Sydney Photo Tours.  During the six hours I spent with Joslin we walked all over Sydney with our cameras in hand taking iconic shots and creative photos in little known spots.

We met at 9:00 on Tuesday morning at Cadman's Cottage near Circular Quay and got started right away.  We walked up to Observatory Hill Park for a great view overlooking the city and a complete departure from the chaos that is happening all day in the CBD.  There wasn't a single soul to be found up there.  It was cool to see just how big Sydney Harbour is and it got me thinking about taking a harbour cruise during my stay so I could see the city from another perspective!  We talked a bit about elements of photography and then started shooting.  I love photos that tell a story, so my photos of Sydney aren't just of landmarks, which is cool.

I'm not sure I'll remember all of the incredible places we visited, but hopefully my photos will remind me.  From Observatory Hill Park we wandered back through the Rocks to Foundation Park, a hidden gem where the remnants of old houses built into the cliffside can be found.  It's a bit haunting, but very interesting at the same time.  

We wound back down toward the water, stopping to photograph some interesting cannons and Luna Park, an amusement park which looks to be in the style of Coney Island and would probably be very fun to see illuminated at night.  

Following the water, we ended up in Campbell's Cove which was built in the 1800's as a place for the tall ships to moor.  The historic buildings which served as shipping houses way back when have been preserved and have a beautiful European quality about them.  This was one of my favorite photo stops of the day.  There were so many fun things to shoot--the Opera House with cool lampposts leading up to it, the cove itself, and these interesting geometric steps.  All good!  

From there we walked over to the Opera House via Circular Quay.  I have to admit I've been wanting to inspect those sails up close to see exactly how they are constructed and what they are made of.  I suppose that's the scientist in me.  It really is quite something to approach the Opera House because it looks entirely different when you come up on it than it does from far away.  The sails look more like spikes and upon close inspection I found that each sail is covered in ceramic tile.  Yes, the same ceramic tile you might have on, say, your kitchen counter with grout in between.  It was fascinating.  Up close not every tile is white either!  Some are actually golden in color.  How cool.  In case you couldn't already tell, I am indeed easily amused.  We took a bit of time to snap some sort of abstract photos of the sails with their varying light and shadowy areas.  

Straight ahead of us was the entrance, or one of them, to the Royal Botanic Gardens.  Stephanie had already prepared me for a visit so I was quite happy this was included on the tour!  I didn't realize how absolutely massive the gardens were!  I think we spent at least an hour inside and could have easily given up half the day photographing this and that inside.  There were loads of wonderful trees, rock formations, flowers, and interesting wildlife to take pictures of.  The best part, however, is how the gardens provided a perfect frame for the city views!  I took some wonderful photos of Sydney from inside looking out.  Another of my favorite spots of the day was from Mrs. Macquarie's point where we could see both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House plus some great rocks and water to add a natural element.  

Leaving the gardens, we made our way toward Hyde Park, making lots of great photo stops along the way.  I met a large pig in front of the hospital (you can tell where people have rubbed him for good luck--there are 2 lovely places), a great arched walkway, and a fantastic art installation honoring the native species of birds that are no longer found in the city.  Whilst we were photographing the arched walkway, unbeknowst to us, a lovely older gentleman was noticing us taking photos and couldn't help but photograph us.  He stopped us to show us the picture--it was quite funny.  Back in Hyde Park we shot people meandering, a great fountain, and St. Mary's church which reminded me of Westminster Abbey a bit.  

By this time it was late afternoon and I set off on my own for one last photo stop on my way back to the hotel.  I had heard about the Queen Victoria Building from my local host, so I decided to stop there and check it out since I would walk right passed. There is a fantastic stained glass dome on the top level and wonderful old coiling staircases that just beckon to be photographed, so I obliged.  

It's funny, I don't even mind looking like a total nerd with a camera in my hand anymore because when I look through the lens, I know I have the potential to capture something really beautiful.  If you're ever in Sydney, I'd highly recommend spending a day out with Joslin photographing the city.  It was one of my best days!