New South Wales
New South Wales is a state located in the southeastern part of Australia, known for its stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and vibrant cities. It is a popular destination for photographers, offering a plethora of picturesque locations to capture. From the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge to the rugged Blue Mountains, the state is home to a range of natural and man-made wonders that make for stunning photography subjects. Other popular photography locations in New South Wales include the Hunter Valley wine region, the pristine beaches of the Central Coast, and the rugged coastline of the South Coast.
Photography regions of New South Wales
Photography of New South Wales
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Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge
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The Three Sisters Echo Point, Kotoomba Jamison Valley Blue Mountains World Heritage Site, New South Wales
View it large: www.flickr.com/photos/jcheaphotography/8580442204/sizes/l...
The iconic Three Sisters taken at the iconic Echo Point lookout. I was a little hesitant in posting this image as there are millions of rendition of the same scene. The sunset was pretty dull with the lack of clouds and my original plan for a panorama was scrapped by strong winds. In fact this is one of the few images that was sufficiently sharp and relatively free of camera shake. If you view it large, you can even notice the trees swaying in the wind. I was even afraid of my Lee's Graduated Neutral density filter being blown out of my hands and falling into oblivion.Thankfully, all my equipment remained unscathed!
The smoke in the background is caused by forest fire brewing in the area. Fun fact of the day: January 2013 was the hottest month every recorded in Australia, with average daily maximum temperature was a sweltering 36.92 degree Celsius. Another interesting fact: During the recent summer heat wave down under, temperatures soared so high in Central Australia that weather maps didn't even have a colour to represent it. As wildfires raged, tar melted off roads and gasoline evaporated before people were able to pump it, meteorologist added a racy shade of purple to denote predicted temperature of 50-52 degree Celsius. Then, just to be sure, they also slipped an even racier shade of magenta, to denote temperatures of 52 to 54 degree Celsius. (source: DCM March). Australia is well and truly on fire!! One of the few times when I am glad to be in Singapore :)
1 exp, Lee's 0.6 ND grad (hard), edited in Photoshop. Comments and constructive criticisms are appreciated!
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... at sunset, Norah Head, NSW
Junction Falls South Lawson Waterfall Circuit Lawson, New South Wales
A long overdue shot from an awesome outing with great friends, into the Blue Mountains region earlier in the year. Unfortunately, lighting conditions were fairly harsh which made shooting at slower shuttle speeds very difficult. Making the best of the situation, I explored different compositions and tried to incorporate foreground elements into my images. I was intrigued by the surround sandstone walls that are completely covered by green mosses and ferns. It was a living, breathing green wall! Water trickle down the walls, bring out the vibrant colours of the plants. Using a circular polariser, to cut down the reflections, and soft graduated neutral density filter, I managed to achieve the silky effects of the water. However, this also resulted in slight motion blur of some of the leaves and vines in the foreground.
Furthermore, being so close to my foreground subject, I knew that I had to use focus stacking to achieve the required depth of view. Looking back, I should have photographed those frames featuring the foreground subject at a faster shutter speed and blend it into the waterfall background, which has a slower shutter speed. Waiting for some cloud cover might also be helpful to eliminate the slight overexposure at the top of the waterfall.
Regardless of flaws evident in the image. I hope that you will enjoy viewing the image, as much as me photographing it!
3 exp shot using focus stacking, edited in Lightroom and Photoshop. B+W circular polarizer filter and LEE's Graduated Neutral Density filter (soft) Comments and constructive criticisms are appreciated!
Quite an engineering feat, this balanced, cantilever bridge skirts the mountainous coastline of southern New South Wales, Australia...
Adele Falls South Lawson Waterfall Circuit Lawson, New South Wales
This image was taken during my foray into the Blue Mountains regions two weekends ago. Sydney was experiencing a lot of rain and I thought the waterfalls must be flowing at full capacity. As you can see, I was fairly wrong. Furthermore, the overcast sky that was forecast, turned out to be more of a mostly sunny weather. It was a relief for my fellow hikers, but it was not ideal for photographing waterfalls. In this image, I couldn't use an extra long exposure as there are water continuously dripping off the cliff face and onto my camera. This meant that I had to wipe the lens between every exposure! Plus having learnt the hard way the 5d Mark II's weatherproofing is hopeless. I sure did not want to risk my camera getting water damaged again!
For some reasons, I often find it difficult to get a good composition when photographing in a forest. It could be due to the clutter of foliage that makes getting a clean composition difficult. Images often turn out messy and the subject is often lost in all the different shades of green. Furthermore, lighting is a lot more uneven in the forest. For this image, I was really intrigued by the ferns lining this cliff face and wanted to featured them in the foreground. While using them to lead the viewer's eyes to the trickling Adele falls. I am still having mixed emotion about the composition this image. Feel free to leave your feedback/ comments below. Enjoy!
1 exp shot, Lee 0.9 GND (Hard) filter, edited in Lightroom and Photoshop.
Trekking the coastal walk in gale force winds at Mooney Bay, NSW...
Another NSW sunset....
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.... in Nelson Bay, NSW
5-picture panorama stitched with Hugin, Cylindrical projection.
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Cape Byron Light, Australia's most powerful lighthouse according to Wikipedia. This is the easternmost point of the Australian continent, in Byron Bay, New South Wales....
Pylon Lookout Sydney Harbour Bridge New South Wales
In our hectic lives, it is often very easy to lose track of time and forget some of our side goals. I am definitely guilty of that! I have neglected my photography for way too long, in pursuit of other more intangible goals.
Now more about this image. A sunset shot from the pylon lookout is only possible in the month of June, as the lookout closes at 5pm. On the day of the shoot, I wasn't very optimistic about the sky, it was clear blue. The forecast predicts cloud cover clearing in the afternoon. Thankfully, I decide to go against my gut instinct and was treated with an unexpected surprise!
Just as the sun was setting, it lit up the only band of clouds that was located behind the city. By now, everyone at the lookout was congregating at the ledge, blown away by the breathtaking view. Knowing that it is impossible to set up a tripod, I increased the ISO and opted for 3 exposures bracketing. I took dozens of shots hoping to get some of them to be sharp.
In post production, I manually blended the sky with cityscape foreground to achieve the necessary dynamic range. I sometimes forget how rewarding photography can really be!
2 exp shot, edited in Lightroom and Photoshop. Comments and constructive criticisms are appreciated!
10-picture panorama stitched with Hugin, cylindrical projection
Sydney Tower Eye Sydney, New South Wales
What a great way to admire the sunset from the tallest building in Sydney! However, scenes that look beautiful to the eye can be a pain in the ass to capture. Firstly the windows of the observatory deck had not been cleaned for months or even years! Dust specks were appearing in the shot, which I had to clone in the post processing. The reflection was also a big problem. Even though I was using a circular polarizer and the camera was tilted such that the lens was parallel to the window, I still had to use my hand to block out some of the bright reflections from hitting the lens.
Oh well, as the phrase goes 'no pain, no gain'. Hope that you enjoy this and upcoming shots from this location. Please view it in detail: www.flickr.com/photos/jcheaphotography/8295647603/sizes/k...
2 exp (1 for the sky, another for the buildings) manual blended and edited in Photoshop. Comments and constructive criticisms are appreciated!
Panoramic view from the inside of one of many caves found at Cave's Beach, Swansea, NSW....
... in Katoomba, NSW
.... a lovely community in New South Wales
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Vertical pano of a trickling Fitzroy Falls in Morton National Park, near Bundanoon, NSW....
Multiple caves occupy the base of these cliffs in Swansea, NSW....
.... near Wagga Wagga, NSW (the town so nice, they named it twice!)
... at Birubi Beach, NSW
... lit up during the "Vivid" light festival
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From North Sydney
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Sydney Tower Eye Sydney, New South Wales
Must view it large! : www.flickr.com/photos/jcheaphotography/8414925237/sizes/l...
Doesn't Sydney look pretty lit up at night? Standing on the observatory deck of the Sydney Tower eye, looking down as nightfall engulf the city. Lights are switched on and slowly transforming the whole city skyline. A truly beautiful sight to witness. That is the reason why twilight is the best time to photograph cityscapes. Having explained the difficulties shooting through a dirty window in one of the previous post, I will spare you the rambling. All I can say is that this image turned out better than expected :)
1 exp and edited in Photoshop! Comments and constructive criticisms are appreciated :)
From North Sydney
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Here's another panoramic view from the inside of one of several caves at Cave's Beach in Swansea, NSW.... my wife waits patiently, reading a book on the outside of the cave...
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.... trekking around Mooney Bay with a storm approaching Coff's Harbour, NSW
Three Sisters in the fog, at Echo Point, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, NSW...
Soldier crabs on the move at Pretty Beach, NSW
The 13th oldest lighthouse in Australia at Port Macquarie, New South Wales...
... walking along the cliffs of the Look at me Now Headlands in the Mooney Beach Nature Reserve
At low tide, hundreds (if not thousands) of Blue Soldier Crabs leave their burrows and march across the beach... they are one of the only crabs that can walk straight forward, instead of sideways. ... They are known as soldier crabs because they all "march" together across the sandy mud flat. Their large numbers are thought to help protect them from predators.
Vivid Sydney 2014 Cahill Walkway Circular Quay, New South Wales
I have always wanted to photograph a unique shot from this location and the Vivid Sydney event provided the much needed motivation. This is a composite shot of the Opera house, in its Vivid's colours, blended with a blue hour panorama photographed half an hour before. Being the first night of Vivid 2014 and having no past experience, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I had the impression that the Harbour Bridge would be lit on both sides, only to be slightly disappointed. Overall, the Cahill walkway provided a fantastic vantage point to enjoy the dazzling light and carnival atmosphere, while providing some breathing room from the crowds gathered below.
7 exps panorama, plus one exp blended in Photoshop. Comments and constructive criticisms are appreciated!
Thanks to all Phoide contributors to New South Wales!
Most notably David Hamments, Joao Eduardo Figueiredo, J. Chea, Andrey Sulitskiy, George Kurzik and Romain Pontida.