Sydney Harbour

The wife and I spent the day on Sydney Harbour. What opinions do you have on these :

Sydney Opera House


City skyline at sunset


Harbour and city skyline at sunset


Luna Park


A panorama of the Bridge and Opera house



All taken with the DA 16-45. And the sky colour is real

Nice set Clarky, #2 is the standout for me

Having recently returned from Sydney, and discovered that having iconic architecture around doesn't actually make it any easier to get good photographs, I was interested to see these. The days I was wandering around Circular Quay it was very bright, and I overexposed several of mine since the Opera House is so reflective. You've got good detail in it though. For my taste, though, the OH seems a little cramped in the scene, and the photo could do with being rotated about 0.4 degrees clockwise, to get the vertical lines in the wood vertical (not the water line horizontal).

I like the silhouette of the skyline very much - you've placed the Centrepoint tower in a commanding position and the overall shape makes a pleasant arc. Clouds always have potential once the sun is low enough to light them from below, and there's some good colour there.

Not so sure about the next one - the sky is a bit bland (haven't you got a stock of good skies? ), and the shape of the silhouette isn't as commanding as the previous one. The final one is even more bland, with little of interest in either the sky or the water. This forces the eye to the OH and SHB, and I don't think these stand out quite enough.

We didn't go to Luna Park - or indeed that side of the bridge at all - which I'm regretting now, although there's never time for everything. There was some interesting light about for this shot, but I find my eye flitting about and not finding anything for it to rest on. Pointing the camera this high with a wide angle lens also causes the verticals to converge a bit, which I find a bit distracting. It might have been better to turn the camera round to portrait, aim lower, and crop off what would have been unwanted foreground. It might also have been better to ignore the bridge in this composition, which I don't think adds anything, and find a way of making more of the colours and lights in the park.

I do like number two though. Much better as a silhouette, too, since you don't see that island on the left hand side. You could probably lift the water just a little, so that the reflection from the setting sun is a little clearer.

Thanks Chris for the constructive critique. I will put your recommendations to good use. I too like No 2 the best. I regret not taking my tripod and getting some wonderful night shots in Darling harbour.

Nice set Clarky....Make me remember my days in Sydney a few years back.

#2 is by far the best shot - very nice composition and colors.

I agree about the first one - make it horizontal - that would be a lot better. Nice exposure control.

The Luna Park shot - I cant figure what you aimed at - It seems a bit soft/out of focus. Thats holds me off a bit.

Overall - a very nice set of shots from the harbor.

The luna park was shot hand held in near darkness standing on the deck of a moving boat. So i guess i was just pleased i got anything. but I like the park lights and ferris wheel so i thought i would offer it up for some critique. Its not the sharpest by any means I regret not having a tripod with me.

Look on the bright side - you don't have far to go if you want to have another go.

It'll be a while before I get the chance to repeat the ones I failed make the most of.

I took 1100 pictures in about 4 weeks in Australia. You lot sure as heck aren't going to see many of them.

Likewise Chris when i spent a few weeks in the UK in May, I took near 2000. Loved London though