The Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge provide a stark silhouette against a bright orange sunset sky in this photo taken a couple of weeks ago in Sydney.

sunset behind the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge

Bradley's Head, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 24-70mm f/2.8L @35mm, 1 sec, f/6.3, ISO100

I was in Sydney for a few weeks for work, and took the opportunity to take some photos on the weekends. On my first Saturday in Sydney, I got together with Mitch, a fellow amateur photographer from OCAU, and we visited a number of different locations around Sydney, including Bradley's Head, where the above photo was taken.

As the sun rises above the horizon, the early morning light silhouettes the distant hills and buildings seen across the Swan River.

Sunrise photography is fickle - you can go to the same place at the same time on consecutive days, and the sunrise will be different every time!

sunrise layers

South Perth, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 70-200mm f/4L @200mm, 1/6400 sec, f/4, ISO320

Here's a photo from the Easter weekend, which we spent in Dunsborough. The very distinctly shaped Sugarloaf Rock is one of the attractions in the area, and I watched the sun set behind the rock one evening.

Sugarloaf Rock after sunset

Cape Naturaliste, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @11mm, 5 sec, f/22, ISO100

At this time of the year, when viewing the sunset from the lookout near the carpark, the sun sets right behind the highest peak of Sugarloaf Rock.

I'll be posting some more photos from the Easter weekend, once I get some time to finish processing them.

There was a guy shooting next to me, using a 5D Mark II and 24-105 lens, who was using blue-tac to attach filter holder with Lee filters onto the front of his lens. I'm not sure why he was using blue-tac - I prefer to use a lens adapter, as it's a bit more secure....as he found out when the filter holder fell off the lens when he was moving his tripod...
Does anyone know who the blue-tac user might have been?

Here's a shot from early this morning, looking east over the Swan River from Kings Park.

While a sunrise can be interesting, I prefer the colours in the sky in the 45 minutes prior to the actual sunrise. While they may look a little dull to the naked eye, a long exposure can provide some great results.

This photo was taken about 30 minutes before the sun started to peek over the horizon.

pre-dawn Perth sky

Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @15mm, 1/2 sec, f/8, ISO100

Last night, I met up with some friends at Cottesloe Beach, with the aim of getting some sunset photos. Despite the rather blustery sea breeze, it was a great evening, and the cloudless sky provided some interesting colours just after the sunset.

Here's a shot of the some people fishing on groyne, silhouetted against the sunset colours in the sky. This 1-second exposure was taken about 40 minutes after sunset.

sunset silhouettes at Cottesloe

Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 24-70mm f/2.8L @70mm, 1 sec, f/3.5, ISO100

Sunset is always a wonderful time for photos, due to the colours, lighting and shadows. Here's a photo taken at Bathers Beach in Fremantle, where I managed to capture a seagull silhouette against the sunset sky.

lone seagull in front of the sunset sky

Bathers Beach, Fremantle, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 10-22mm @22mm, 1/400 sec, f/10, ISO200

I recently spent a couple of days in Cataby for work, and drove up to Cervantes one evening to watch the sunset from the beach. A low belt of clouds above the horizon provided some interesting colour, and I used some dune grass to provide a silhouette in front of the setting sun.

sunset through the dune grass

Cervantes, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 24-70mm f/2.8L @50mm, 1/250 sec, f/13, ISO400

While out shooting in Fremantle on Saturday evening, one of my kids pointed out the reflected sunset sky in a window. We all took some photos of this window, and this was the best of the photos I took. I love the contrast between the bright colours of the reflected sunset, and the dark colours of the corrugated iron of the building.

reflected sunset sky

Bathers Beach, Fremantle, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 17-85mm IS @85mm, 1/15 sec, f/5.6, ISO200

This is a view of the sunset yesterday, taken from the patio of a friend's house up on Mount Nasura, and looking north-west (Perth city is just out of view on the right hand-side).

Orange Sunset

Mount Nasura, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 100mm f/2.8 macro @100mm, 1/1600 sec, f/4, ISO200

The sun sets over Lake Leschenaultia, on Australia Day, 2008.

sunset over the lake

Lake Leschenaultia, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 10-22mm @10mm, 1/500 sec, f/4.5, ISO200