Rodney Campbell's Blog

On Saturday the 24th of July I joined one of the two Sydney based walks for Scott Kelby’s Third Annual Worldwide Photo Walk. Over 30,000 walkers attended more than 1000 walks on the day (with each walk limited to a maximum of 50 people).

I joined a walk organised by our walk leader Philip Johnson which started at the top of Macquarie Street in the city and worked it’s way down the street and into Sydneys Royal Botanic Gardens and then across to Circular Quay for lunch.

Just before I joined the walk start I took some shots with my Ultra Wide Angle lens at St Mary’s Cathedral (something I had planned to do last time I was here – but it had started to rain back then).

The following is a HDR image taken at the main steps of St Mary’s Cathedral and merged from three bracketed exposures at -2, 0 and +2EV.

“Steps to Heaven”

Hyde Park Baracks – “Stools”

The Hyde Park Barracks are at the southern end of Macquarie Street. The barracks are located near the north-east corner of Hyde Park, opposite Queens Square and beside the Sydney Mint. Hyde Park Barracks were designed and built by the convict architect Francis Greenway between 1818 and 1819. Today it is managed by the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales as a museum.

Walking down Macquarie Street:

Morshead Fountain inside the Royal Botanical Gardens – in memory of Lieutenant-General Sir Lesley Morshead (knighted for his defence of Tobruk in World War II) and the men who served with him, 1966:

“Birth”

I was lucky enough to have this Ibis land in one of the pieces of art/sculpture right next to me and start to drink from the bowl at the top and this allowed me to get some close up shots (with the lens I happened to have on the camera at the time) from only a metre or two away before flying off:

Some very interesting leaves (I was attracted to the textures and colours) on some plants in the gardens:

It’s Australia so we have to have eucalyptus 🙂 :

NSW Government House located in the Domain and overlooking the Royal Botanic Gardens and Sydney Opera House, is the most sophisticated example of a Gothic Revival building in New South Wales. It was built between 1837 and 1843.

I think the last time I was here was probably at the Queens Scout Award ceremony back when the governor general lived here and held the ceremony in the grounds out back.

“Old and New”

The following is a HDR image of the rear of government house merged from three bracketed exposures at -2, 0 and +2EV.

“Grand Colonial Daze”

“The Lily Pond”, in the grounds of government house: