A guide to taking the best photographs in stupendous Sydney

Sydney is one of the top tourist destinations in Australia and attracts visitors from across the globe. The opera house and harbour bridge are world famous landmarks and gambling-mad visitors love the two high class casinos. One thing is for sure, this is the city of a thousand photo opportunities!

Here, we will share some tips on how to get the best pictures that will provide a permanent reminder of your time in stupendous Sydney.

Sydney Opera House

A night at the opera might not float everyone’s boat, but our one piece of advice is this: Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it. You might just find a latent passion for this timeless artform. Whether you decide to go in and see a show or not, you will certainly want to get some good pictures of the world’s most famous opera house for posterity.

The people at Sydney Expert provide some great ideas on how to catch the opera house from a couple of more unusual angles. To get the classic shot of the opera house seemingly nestled up alongside Sydney Harbour Bridge, you will need to head across to the Royal Botanical Gardens and take aim from Mrs Macquarie’s Point.

The Opera House is just as photogenic from the inside. There are one-hour guided tours throughout the day, and photography is permitted. Keep in mind that the tour does not enter areas where performances or rehearsals are taking place. If you want to see as much as possible, book your ticket for the first tour of the day at 9AM, when there is little else going on.

If you buy tickets to a show, photography is only allowed before, after and during the interval. Keep your camera switched off during the performance – you don’t want to be that person. In general, leave the extra lenses and special equipment at the hotel or you will arouse suspicion and might be asked to leave your camera in the cloakroom.

Sydney Harbour Bridge – a world famous icon

Back out into the fresh air again, and having given the Opera House due attention earlier, it’s now time to take on Sydney’s other major architectural icon. The good news is there will be nobody to tell you “no photography” at Sydney Harbour Bridge, whether you want to snap it from above, below left or right.

Once again, we have some ace tips from Stefano Ferro, which are very handy if you want to capture the bridge in a way that is a bit different to the usual moody sunset shots. We particularly liked the idea of taking a picture from the opposite perspective and capturing the bridge at sunrise from The Observatory.

It demands an early start, but that won’t deter you if you have your heart set on the perfect picture – and Sydney at the break of day is just another part of the experience, so you will be glad you made the effort!