SYDNEY – URBAN “COSTUME JEWELRY” OR FABERGE? 1

Clive James once wrote that Sydney looked like costume jewelry from the air at night (or words to that effect). As a pom with a strong preference for Melbourne I’m not all that objective about the relative merits, whether cultural, cosmopolitanism, dynamism and even cuisine – of the two great rival cities of Australia but even I have to own that the capital of New South Wales wins hands down in the looks stakes. In fact, I would say that Sydney is an artist’s/photographer’s dream – definitely more Faberge than costume. I might even go so far as to claim that Sydney Harbour is the most photogenic “urban feature” on the planet. It’s one of those rare places where you can just point the camera willy-nilly and be certain that you’ll have a fabulous looking image. In the days of film, as a rule I would bank on having one good shot in every six and one great shot per-36 role. With Sydney Harbour though, the odds would be far more favourable. To prove my point here is the first in a series of two galleries concentrating on the harbour and its two most iconic architectural features. As a rule, I would never publish more than two or three images of the same structure but in the case of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the (unjustly-much-maligned) Opera House the aesthetic possibilities are almost endless…