Best Vantage Points for Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge

[avidphotographer]

Hello,

I will be traveling to Sydney, Australia for business at the end of the month, and I will have a few free days in Sydney. I would like to photograph the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. I will have my Fuji G617 and GSW690 cameras with me.

Please advise the best vantage points for photographing the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge with wide angle lenses and the panoramic format. Also, if you have any other suggestions for scenic photography in Sydney, please advise.

Thanks!

Bruce

[Bruce Watson]

I will be traveling to Sydney, Australia for business at the end of the month, and I will have a few free days in Sydney. I would like to photograph the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. I will have my Fuji G617 and GSW690 cameras with me.

Please advise the best vantage points for photographing the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge with wide angle lenses and the panoramic format. Also, if you have any other suggestions for scenic photography in Sydney, please advise.

Can't tell you want you really want to know. However, I can point out that you can climb to the top of the Harbor Bridge. It's supposed to be an outstanding view, and that 617 would probably make a killer pano or two from up there.

IIRC, they teach you some bridge safety. There might be guides as well, I don't remember -- My trip to Oz fell through. Sigh.... Anyway, just a thought.

[Mattg]

Hi Bruce and Bruce,


Here are your best Bridge/Opera House Spots:

Blues Point
Milsons Point
Fort Dennison

You can probrbaly still take photos from the Opera House forcourt but I'm not sure about that.

Let me know if you want to give a me a call when you arrive and I can fill you in on how to get to these places and other interesting spots in Sydney.

Regards, Matt.

[Randy Redford]

With respect to the bridge climb, I did it a few months ago and forget about bringing the camera. After you put on your special climbing suit, you have to go through a metal detector to insure that you dont' have a camera, watch, etc.

As far as taking the opera house, you can get a great view from the waterfront to the left side of Circular Quay, down where the restaurants are. This is the Rocks neighborhood. Also good views from the botanical gardens walkway just past the opera house. You will be looking at the opposite side of the opera house and have the bridge in the background. There are a few places to frame the images with branches.

As far as the bridge goes, the opera house has great views of it and there are good views from the opposite side of the bridge (which you can walk over in about 20 minutes) from the amusement park for sunset and along the harbor on both sides of the bridge.

The Rocks is one of the best places to stay in Sydney. As far as other views, take the Bondi Explorer bus (the blue one) to the stop after Bondi beach and take the walkway along the coast back to Bondi. Beautiful views.

We only had a week there, and hope to go back soon.

[roteague]

Almost anyplace near the Opera House would work, although you are going to have to deal with crowds. It all depends upon what time of day you want to shoot, and if you want to have the bridge as part of your background. I've photographed it two or three times, it is such a fascinating building that you won't want to shoot it from one vantage point.

[Jeff Drewitz]

Don't forget that you can go up onto the Pylon Lookout--for about A$8 and you can take your camera. I don't fancy your chances setting up a tripod there, but hand held can get you some great views over the Opera House, Cricular Quay, city and interesting view of the bridge arch. Try mid-late afternoon--not open late enough for dusk at this time of year, annd shadows get to be an issue later in the day from that vantage point. As already mentioned, Botanic Gardens, by Fleet Steps for the classic view of both--good early and late. Also steps up to Botanic Gardens immediately behind Opera house--good for wide angle at dusk I think. You are probably not supposed to do 'commercial' photos from that vantage point--but use your trusty American accent to get out of trouble--I do

[Shen45]

The Australian accent worked for me on my last two trips to the US.

[Leonard Metcalf]

A Warning about taking comercial photographs on Sydney Harbour Foreshore... the following is taken from the Australian Copyright Council Information Sheet G11 "Photographers and Copyright Jan 2006"

Photographs taken of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore
The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority Regulations 1999 (NSW) restrict the taking and subsequent use of photographs for commercial purposes. The Regulations prohibit any use of a camera for commercial purposes in a public area unless authorised by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. “Public areas” are defined as any part of the Sydney Harbour foreshore that the public is entitled to use and
include Luna Park, the Rocks and Circular Quay, Darling Harbour, Woolloomoolloo, Pyrmont, White Bay, Rozelle Bay and the Australian Technology Park.
For further information, contact the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority by phone 02 9240 8500 or see the website: http://www.shfa.nsw.gov.au.