Sydney
Sydney is sensational at all times of day. This photo was shot a few minutes before sunrise.
I was invited by Scott Kelby to join him and Mimo Meidany for four days down under with 10 other experienced photographers (five of whom I knew from previous expeditions). I was reminded how spectacular the architecture is on my second trip to this metropolis.
The Mercure Hotel on George Street was my home away from home for the duration of my stay, and this was the view from my window.
Two architectural icons feature prominently in my mind’s eye when I think of Sydney ... the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. No matter what time of day – from sunrise to sunset – they are quite photogenic and hard NOT to photograph.
Sydney’s skyline includes historic buildings as well as contemporary high-rises. This undulating tower is the tallest in the city. It’s quite literally too big to fit in one frame without some special equipment.
The waterfront and waterways also define Sydney’s coastal character and inform its architectural identity.
The Queen Victoria Building is a five-story historic structure constructed in the 1890s that now houses 140 boutique shops and restaurants. Occupying a full block of Sydney’s CBD, it features elaborate Romanesque architecture and beautiful stained-glass windows.
The State Theatre, which opened in 1929, was designed as a picture palace – a monument to movies – with over 2,500 seats. We got a behind-the-scenes tour and were treated to a performance of Wizard of Oz tunes by a musician wearing ruby slippers and playing the original Wurlitzer organ. For more on breathtaking theaters, visit Venice.
Not far from where I stayed there was a building that caught my eye, the first structure in Australia designed by architect Frank Gehry – the business school at the University of Technology Sydney. The building's façade, which was made of 320,000 custom-designed bricks, has been described as a "squashed brown paper bag."
A visit to the Sydney Zoo allowed us to get close to koalas, kangaroos, and what I think is a pretty ugly emu who I found strangely compelling.
While lately I’ve been pursuing wildlife in their natural habitats, Sydney’s zoo and the contemporary installation “Forgotten Songs” made me aware of how preservation and memory play a role on our changing planet. Michael Thomas Hill designed this massive artwork with 120 suspended bird cages to illustrate the loss of native fauna via recorded bird songs of species that no longer can be found in the city.
Exploring Sydney’s underground metro stations on the one day it rained, I found them to be interesting subjects for black and white photography.
P.S. Scott Kelby created a unique gift: a magazine layout using some of my images. To see how these photos might look in a travel publication spread, click below.
