The Portfolio

Sydney Harbour at Night From Mrs. Macquarie's Chair

I arrived at Macquarie Point at three thirty in the afternoon. In my last visit to Sydney, I thought the point was part of the botanic garden which locks up after sundown so I did not make the trip for any photos. But the point is just beyond the gates and it is possible to stay until after dark. I set my tripod up and took a few shots with the sun setting behind the bridge. And then a few with the sky turning a golden colour. There were six or eight people with tripods and dozens more taking handheld shots with various kinds of cameras at sunset. Slowly everyone disappeared except me and an Asian fellow taking handhelds and setting his camera on a ledge to take longer exposures. He asked me with some curiosity why I stayed well after everyone else had left. I think he was staying around in case I knew something that he should stay for. I told him that I was staying until the sky above the Opera House was fully dark - even after sunset there was a lingering bit of light making the sky uneven. This is one of my last shots from the night - the sky is almost even, but you can still see a bit of light remaining. It was at least an hour and a half, maybe two hours after sunset. Fortunately the sun sets in Australia much earlier than it does on warm Canadian evenings and night shots are easier to take!

One of the biggest challenges of night shots in Sydney Harbour is the watercraft. You can see exactly how far the Manly Ferry travels in a twenty second exposure! On this one, I think I've minimized the moving ships but I'm sure you can still find some.

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