The Colours of Melbourne Photo

Photographer’s Note

As a visitor to Melbourne one is struck by how vibrant and alive this city is. This is encouraged by recent architecture, such as the new Federation Square, but I think this quality has always been there.

This shot looking north into town from the south bank of the Yarra River shows the colours of Melbourne, not at night when you would expect this colour, but in the middle of the day. It is seen with older buildings such as Flinders Station (built 1910) and St. Paul’s Cathedral (built 1891 and spires added 1926). It is also seen with newer construction such as the tower of Citigate, the office tower to the left of it and other newer construction around it. The green brush and blue skies of Melbourne just add to this scene.

Post processing for this shot included cropping, adjustments to shadows and highlights, adjustments to levels, a very slight increase to the master saturation, and to the contrast. Finally, it was sharpened for this post.

jazu, Bjostad, rjb874, ktanska, mvdisco, MLINES, robertosalguero, Perro, cherryripe, vinicio, pierrefonds has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jassy (1065) 2006-12-11 21:53

Hi John,
What a vibrant, colorful photo. I particularly like how you have framed the buildings with the green trees at the bottom, it gives a cool contrast to the shock of color. The image is sharp and the placement of the colorful buildings in front of the grey modern ones adds an interesting POV. Well done.
Regards, Jackie

jazu (386) 2006-12-11 22:02

Hi John.
Lovely picture. Great colours. I lke the "contrast" of old and new architecture.
Well gone.

Bjostad (304) 2006-12-11 22:21

John,
As the first comments have said, great colors as well as great contrast of old and new architecture, and all in one photo. The beuty of architectural styles are in the eyes of the beholder, but I'll bet the two old buildings in your photo will stand the test of time better than the others.
Dave

rjb874 (595) 2006-12-11 22:49

The clock is the centerpiece and the glass tower behind adds a nice contrast between modernity and tradition.

You have managed to extract some bright coloration from what would of otherwise been bland office buildings.

jjcordier (24674) 2006-12-12 2:00

Très intéressant POV avec ces différents styles architecturaux dont les couleurs se marient très bien. Belle qualité d'image.
Amicalement
JJ

GLEM (2998) 2006-12-12 3:16

bonjour John,
très bonne image, ce qui est frappant est la luminosité et la netteté de l'image. Le point de vue est très bien choisi, avec ces architectures différentes, quel mélange !

well done
tfs

Propofol (1786) 2006-12-13 2:09

Great shot, John. As a Melbourne resident I appreciate the trouble you've gone to in composing this shot in such a way to give us a broad spectrum of architectural styles, all on a bed of green leaves. Very nicely done!

UnTrained (0) 2006-12-13 2:33

Hi John,
I like the intensive color impression which is framed by the green in the bottom. The sky you also mentioned in your note is - I would say - not really there. But this is no negative impact on your photo.
Regards, Ulf

ktanska (16581) 2006-12-13 6:43

Hi John,
Tele brings different style of modern and more classical buildings efficiently together. Really colourful architecture. Huge ads are a surprising detail.
Kari

mvdisco (11523) 2006-12-13 23:49

Bonsoir John,
Bien vu cette photo avec de belles architecture de ces édifices très colorés,(couleurs,netteté,cadrage)donnent un belle composition de ton image..Mes salutations Michel

PJE (19445) 2006-12-14 0:42

John I think one reason why trekkers like to comment on this photo is because of the wonderful shapes and colors of these buildings just above the trees. You certainly had a good eye on this one to capture such beauty in Melbourne!

MLINES (10884) 2006-12-20 23:15

Hi John, Well arranged to get a variety of buildings as well as trees into this frame. Looks sharp and clear. Good enough for Vic Govt brochures! Well presented. Murray.

robertosalguero (110) 2006-12-22 0:19

A beautiful contrast of colors and styles. Your picture definitely show us this place in an excellent manner. Good colors and definition and the perspective of going above the trees to show just a bit of green on the bottom is very good. Good work John :-)

Roberto

ben4321 (9805) 2006-12-23 6:15

Hi John,
I like this densely packed urban scene, and the buildings are nicely compressed by your use of the tele end of your zoom.
It may not have been possible, but it would have been good if you could have shifted your shooting position slightly so that the frame was totally filled with the buildings, eliminating that patch of sky.
Good work even so, I like it.

Cheers,
Ben

placombe (7187) 2006-12-27 19:04

Hi John
It is always interesting to see old building among modern one just like these. To me, the orange bell tower is unique not only by the color but also by the shape and having balconys and clocks on every side. TFS
Happy New Year
Pierre Lacombe
Canada

helena_seattle (336) 2007-02-13 10:50

Hi John
I'm impressed of seeing how the antique and colourful architecture blends so wonderfully together with the more modern buildings, great point of view and i would definetely like to visit Australia some day soon! =) Great Job!

capthaddock (28640) 2007-02-16 10:52

Hi John - wonderful array of different architectural syles, patterns and colours, I've seen and taken many photos of MEL, but this is a unique angle, especially the horizontal layer of trees below, where most would try to include the Yarra instead.

Koopman (915) 2007-03-04 5:29

Hi John,
Old and new architecture in one shot. More than words ever can say.
Regards Henk

Perro (262) 2007-06-04 16:42

Hello John,
What a nice and colorful picture!
I like the duality between the old and the new style.
Excellent sharpness permit to see details on each architecture.
Nice clarity, wonderful colors.
Great shot John, bravo!
Thank you for sharing.
My best regards,
Janette

cherryripe (18973) 2007-06-04 16:50

Hi John
Having grown up in Melbourne but now living out of the country, I appreciate how the city has transformed and has caught up with Sydney in it's attractiveness. I like how you've captured the 3 important aspects of the city: the historical building of Flinders Stree Station and St Pauls, the modern architecture and all the greenery in the foreground. I like the details of the swimmers' head too.
Great details and colours.
Regards
Nikki

vinicio (22412) 2007-06-08 7:07

Amazing place John, this image full of different architectures is really great, and also very well done, compliments, I found interesting this fusion of styles, under some aspet it create wonderful results.
Ciao
Vinicio

gunbud (27891) 2007-06-09 22:19

Hi John,
Very striking colors and excellent razor sharp details to this wonderful urban image. I like the tight cropping that allows the golden church to dominate this image.
Regards, Tom

banyanman (7716) 2007-08-30 6:59

Hi John. I like how the inclusion of bits and pieces of all these different buildings creates the impression that the 'old' is being swallowed up by the 'new'. The 'bed of green' as Simon called it, is a nice contrast to the harshness of the buildings. Yes, you are right, Melbourne is a very vibrant city (it was the first part of Australia that I ever lived in, so I have fond memories of it). I can't say that Federation Square has impressed me, but maybe it will grow on me one day - everyone else seems to rave about it! Cheers . . . David

pierrefonds (26309) 2007-12-12 4:06

Hi john,

A good POV of the colorful buildings of Melbourne, the photo has a good composition, DOF and beautiful colors. Thanks for sharing.

Pierre