Sydney: 3 AM

[Octane]

5D Mark II, 17-40mm f/4L.

Click here (http://users.tpg.com.au/octane2/sydney3am.html) for higher resolution.

60s f/11.0 at 17.0mm iso100
240s f/11.0 at 17.0mm iso100

Regards,
Humayun

[renormalised]

Excellent shots, Humayun. Shows just how bad the light pollution is that it colours the shots that brownish orange!!!!.

[h0ughy]

pretty erie - light polluted cityscape, nice though!

[renormalised]

I was just thinking....if it'd been raining at the time and you had some lightning about, you could almost achieve a "Blade Runner" like effect!!.

[RB]

Hi H,

Nice and sharp but I must admit, they don't appeal to me, just too orange for my liking.
They do show how bad the light pollution is though, any long exposure around the city will.

:)

[iceman]

Interesting effect, lovely compositions. not too sure on the colours..

[Quark]

Very nice Humayan,

I would think it to be quite a rare event to see the waters of Sydney Harbor so still.

When looking at your image of the bridge I couldn't help but spare a thought for the IIS members that run the observing sessions at Sydney Observatory, it must be very frustrating trying to show international visitors the showpiece object of the southern sky through this.

But back to the images, the bridge image in particular looks quite surreal. Both images are quite striking in so much as here, at the centre of a city of about 4 million souls you have captured images with absolutely no movement at all, no sign of life.

I really like the subtle texture that the clouds in your first image supply, I think it lends character, sets the mood, I like how the path leads you into the image.

It is a shame that the reflection of the bridge lighting overwhelms and sort of flattens out the sky above. I think in the first image the subtle structure of the clouds really complements the flatness and stillness of the water in the foreground. The pathway draws you into the main detail supplied by the city structures. Whereas with the bridge the sky background and foreground, which make up most of the image, are very similar.

Now I am definitely not qualified to comment on your work, in so much as you are a true artisan and I a rank amateur, but for what it is worth these are my thoughts.

Regards
Trevor

[Tilt]

OMG, that camera body and that lens are so good together.

Nice work.

Michael

[robin]

Quite nice images...Id like to see them with a white balance to try & correct that orange

[Octane]

Thanks guys for your comments.

Just a point I'd like to make with regards to the colouring in these images. My intent wasn't to present the subjects in the natural lighting that you'd typically find them in. I've done it before and so has everyone else. Thought I'd try something else. It was more an attempt at some kind of artistic rendition; to try and potentially convey a sense of isolation, eeriness and desolation.

Two different white balances were used; one in the camera, and the other in post, to exacerbate the light pollution. The water in the bridge image was also processed to almost mirror the sky.

Regards,
Humayun

[Kevnool]

Yet again H this is amazing.
Giving it 3am in the morning ,it seems that bright that half of the lights dont need to be there.
I said it before your the man.
Cheers Kev.