QE-2 at West Circular Quay, sydney

I'd always wanted to take this picture - one of the Quay with people in it and the Big Boat - and now I have.

 

I like the tourists giving her the digital salute.

 

The problem with the logistics of the shot is that the sun doesn't go down until the crowds going to concerts at the Opera House have dissipated. You can look through the shipping news, versus the Sydney Harbour sunset tables, versus daylight saving, versus Opera House concert Times and they never coincide... not on even one day of the year. Quite frustrating.

 

Luckily, the QE2 is enough of a drawcard to populate the scene and the image and the cloudy sky helped add a bit of interest across he top of the picture.

 

And then there are the other two ikons of the Bridge and the Opera House.

 

I shot this with White Balance on "TUNGSTEN" to give the sky a rich blue color, while presenting the mainly incandescent restaurant lights with a just a slightly warm balance.

 

I would normally use a higher f/stop, but the breeze was blowing hard and I had to sacrifice DOF for shutter speed.

What an image! Excellent!

For some time I'm weighing the pros and cons of leaving Germany and finding a good job and a place for me and my family somewhere Down Under. Well this picture might be able to tip the scales

There's always room for you on the sofa until you organize your own digs, Bernhard... if you don't mind sleeping with a couple of smelly canines, a cat, assorted fleas and thoroughly chewed doggy toys, that is.

 

The kids and the wife can have the spare room (no ensuite, sadly).

 

Meanwhile, downstairs, if things get too itchy for you, we can stay up drinking beer and talking photography till the wee small hours.

 

Oh boy, that'd be great, eh?

 

And yes, on your first night, we can have a wonderful meal at the Oyster Bar too (that's the restaurant, right on the water, at the far left of the shot).

 

The best time to do this is on your first evening in town. You arrive, dishevelled after a long flight, early in the morning. A lazy lunch listening to the cicadas and observing the lorikeets in the back yard. Then a trip to Manly to catch the ferry into town (it comes in right past this point). A long leisurely meal on a warm summer's night watching the harbour's traffic chug back and forth in front of you, and then maybe an opera or a concert afterwards.

 

By the time you hit the sofa, you'll be so tired and happy that the fleas won't worry you.

 

Works every time. We did it ourselves, the night I took this pic.

Very nice, Tony. . .and, may I say, wonderful to see you posting.

 

I love the message as well as the aesthetic, and the choice of tungsten setting was a fine one.

 

Curious - how many frames was this?

 

That bridge always reminds me of the Hellgate, here in New York.

Although I'm not familiar with your professional qualifications, I would suggest that you also consider Tasmania.

As a former northern-european myself, I think you'll find that our climate down here is more attractive than what's on offer up there in Sydney....

Apart from that, I'm just dark on Tony for not posting an image of the Spirit Of Tasmania III, at Circular Quay...

this pic and your warm replies, boys my eyes are starting to fill with tears. No kidding here, I'm dead serious.

 

Peter you did immigrate as well? I thought so but wasn't sure.

 

Anyway, there are a couple of good professional, private and family reasons my wife and me are thinking about this.

 

I'm an MD but work as a molecular cell biologist since 1999, my prime expertise would be molecular live cell imaging (sitting long night in front of a microscope). Scientific imaging went digital a long time ago by the way, but I just bought a fresh bottle of Rodinal.

 

My wife is an ENT specialist, board certified with special expertise in allergy and rhinology (=nose stuff). If I has my way she would put the bread on our table and I would work part time and take care of the kids. We got two boys and my older one will start school in fall.

 

Professional perspectives (for both of us), access to good schools, work family balance and the general state of the German society as a whole are all factors in our ongoing decision process. And last not least the people.

 

Peter, I don't know what's your experience, but after we came back from San Diego, the difference in mentality was all too obvious and that's something that makes me feel homesick or faraway-sick so to speak when I think of Australia (including Tasmania) or New Zealand (but not the US, there are plenty of good reasons not to go there), while I tend to feel just sick when I think about Germany.

 

Anyway.

Boys, if we can manage to take heart (read: persuade my wife) and give Down Under a try we might soon meet. I'd love to take a good test sleep on Tony's sofa, we just have to see if your pets get along with my kids who prefer sleeping in their parents' bed.

Berhard, although this link is perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek (directed at Tony's town, in general), that newspaper article is based on fact.

You'll find the actual numbers in the following document. Compare the "scores" of the electorate of Bass - my town - (page 57), to some of the Sydney-based electorates (page 54).

True, you will not make "big money" down here in Tasmania. However, I can vouch for one of the best lifestyles in the entire country. Like everywhere else, we also have the "good" and "bad" side of town. On the whole, though, Tasmania scores very well indeed.

BTW, Tony definitely lives in a "good" part of Sydney and I would treat his offer very seriously...

BTW II, Deakin University is based in Melbourne. Although I have no doubt about the veracity of their findings, there exists a definite 'rivalry' between the two cities. The Sydney Morning Herald headline ought to have features prominently in The Age too (Melbourne based newspaper). Word for word, by the looks of it. Mind you, they're both part of the Fairfax media empire...

The Australian is an alternative.

Bernhard, I'll let the fleas know.

 

Don't take any notice of Daalder the propagandist. He's always flogging Tasmania to unsuspecting foreigners. He was one once. And that's not the only thing they "flog" down in Tassie. Peter forgot to mention the rampant in-breeding down Tasmania way. Then again, I hear one of the major symptoms of Tasmanian "cousin love" is sinus deformity, so your wife might fit right in there.

I'd like to interject a "great shot" comment, Tony! The stitching, upon viewing larger, is nearly seamless - however,it DOES show that the tourist on the left is merely taking a cell shot OF the Queen rather than aiming one AT the Queen!

Tony, I get to play tourist in June and try a gorgeous shot like this..it's been 52 years since I was there.:)

Bernhard - try New Zealand.:)

Peter dear Tassieman, thought you'd enjoy this ;)

A Hobart academic, Margaret Lindley, said New Zealanders were the butt of trans-Tasman jokes partly because Australians still resented the fact that New Zealand turned down the chance to become an Australian state in January 1901.

"You could have joined us, and you didn't," said Dr Lindley, who lectures in culture and history at the University of Tasmania. Historians have argued over whether there was too little popular support in New Zealand for a trans-Tasman federation -- with New Zealand as the seventh state -- or whether the ambitious NZ Premier at the time, Richard "King Dick" Seddon, preferred a New Zealand empire in the Pacific, including Samoa and the Cook Islands.

"We invited you to join our Federation: you rejected our invitation, and that hurt our feelings.

"Under our rugged convict exteriors, we're sensitive: we don't like rejection, unless we're doing it.

"So, why we should give a rat's arse about a little bunch of sheep shaggers, I don't know. And don't tell me that only applies to men: Kiwi women would shag sheep if they could -- we've watched you play netball."

New Zealand could never redeem itself by being on the receiving end of thrashings, because Australia was supposed to thrash its neighbour, said Dr Lindley, whose talk was titled: Picking on New Zealand and Other Australian Pastimes.

Sheep shagers? That reminds me of Montana, where men are men and sheep are afraid.

 

Like all good Americans I hate to go where I am not invited so I hate to intrude on this enlightening conversation but I did want to let you know how much I enjoy this photograph.

 

I have just enough experience with panoramic photos to be able to say that they are not so easy to do. Well, at least not as easy as you make it seem.

Peta, people shouldn't pay any attention to what Margaret Lindley has to say. She is not a Tasmanian, but a shit stirrer from Western Australia. People from that part of the country, resent the fact that New Zealand is actually closer to us, than they are.

Honestly, we are such a caring community down here - we even have specialised accommodation for our trans tasman cousins.

BTW, I don't subscribe to any kind of propaganda. Anyone who uses the term propaganda, ought to realise that it is actually a real (adult male) goose...

Montana? I've just read a story about two cowboys in Wyoming, herding 2500 sheep. It was entitled Brokeback Mountain, or something like that.

Ah...even some of the 'locals' enjoy journeying to the Woolly Butt Motel! ;)

http://www.laughnet.net/archive/toons/goat.gif

...while whistling Gershwin's unforgettable classic, "Embraceable Ewe".

This could be the best thread on PN, ever. What with the mix of Tony, Peter, Lee, and Peta, it had to be both genius and madness.

 

It seems to me, Lee, that the two cell-shooters appear to be shooting each other.

 

Sell this as a two-page spread to a magazine, Tony. Someone will buy it.

 

I'd like to start the bidding for Peta. . . .

 

--Lannie

"This could be the best thread on PN, ever."

Sorry, no cigar, Lannie...

There can be no doubt that this thread still remains to be (one of) the best on PN, ever.

I guess it all depends on what you're looking for (entertainment value versus information value). In general, Tony Dummett's portfolio contains some of the best threads on this site, with a great mixture of both values. As long as you don't mind doing a lot of on-screen reading. Personally, I still prefer reading printed matter.

Mr. Peter! You de A-Man! Were you in Sydney and DIDN'T look us up? Shame on you!

 

And the OTHER Peter: you're right about Clifford. That was the best ever.

Almost. Hi Tony, lost your email address. I have been reconnecting with my roots in the UK a lot this past year, and want to contact you. How do we do that here? Here is one, which is heavily subject to spam filters, sjdodgsn@ix.netcom.com.

Are you in Sydney at this moment? I know you zip around a lot, good for you! When are you and yours coming to Philadelphia?

The harbor: The blues I can see are stunning, gosh. Looks like the chimney is on fire. Looks like the boat has slipped off the bridge, fluid.

Well, you have been doing this for 30 years and you were a genius to start off with. Amazing how many people see your pictures and think they can get the same results on weekends. Gosh, you are brilliant! I looked through your other pictures too, so many stories.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Susanna Dodgson

What's happened to Bernhard? Did we give him a scare?

shhhh!...

... He's having a word with his wife.

Old Len whistling Gershwin's unforgettable classic, "Embraceable Ewe"...with his titillating and voluptuous ewe in arms, stopped and picked up Cliff Ford, world travelled canine foolishly hitchhiking the back roads of map o'Tassie ...little did Cliff know what was in store for him!

http://petaphotography.homestead.com/files/3some.jpg

Hi Tony, asume you shoot RAW, if so, we can losless change to TUNGSTEN later in the digital darkroom - or did I miss something in terms of 'losless', or is Nikon different than Canon here? I ask, as I did not think to change to a certain Balance while shooting RAW and do it still in the darkroom, which is one of the great things of RAW. But as YOU do it life - there must be something - let me know. Thanks Axel

No, Axel there's nothing to it. I'm so used to shooting JPEG that when I show RAW on this shot (you guessed right) I preset the WB to tungsten out of habit.

 

About half way through the shot I remembered that with RAW it didn't matter, except that in the viewfinder you can get a better idea of the color of the shot.

 

The first time I shot this scene (somewhere else here on PN) I used JPEG files as I only had a 256mb chip. Since then I got myself a 1 gig chip (about 126 RAWs per chip) and it does make a lot of difference to the way I shoot.

 

Just can't get used to unlimited memory.