The Kookaburra Queen, a photo from Queensland, East

Photographer's Note

Brisbane River

The Kookaburra Queens are two paddle steamers brought to Brisbane in 1988 for the World Expo. This shot was taken 180 degrees to the left of my previous post with the docking area and Kangaroo Point Cliffs. I was in two minds about including the blue glow near the top left, produced by one of the skyscrapers, but I liked the reflection on the water it produced and the resultant colour addition. In the background is the ever impressive Story Bridge and some of the residential towers in the northern corner of the city. I took these shots while waiting to board the boat for a 3 hour river cruise, a great way to see the city lights if you are ever in town. Almost no post processing, just the frame, thirteen second exposure, F/5, focal length 6mm.

robertosalguero, JPlumb, deblink, rcrick, MLINES, erdna, jmcl has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

robertosalguero (292) 2007-07-21 23:11

I like the sharpness of this picture. The bridge seem connected to the boat and the light reflections on the water. Your night pictures are very nice and this one is no exception. The colours and your point of view to capture this scene are very good. Like it! Thanks Matt :-)

Roberto

jjcordier (79299) 2007-07-21 23:37

Une image nocturne de belle qualitй, de trиs jolies couleurs et un trиs beau bвteau.
Amicalement
JJ

fayeulle (27827) 2007-07-22 1:01

Hi Mattew
Nice night shot of this old boat. Nice Canon style star shaped lights. Good DOF with the sharp bridge on the BG.
Cheers
JP

joeydrops (2659) 2007-07-22 4:22

Hi Matt,
Awesome shot! The exposure is superb. I really like the POV. The Kookaburra Queen is positioned just at the right angle! I also like the lights on the buildings in the background, the Story Bridge lights and the lights inside the Kookaburra Queen. They almost look like twinkling stars***
The reflections are gorgeous and I like the smooth effect of the water. The dark sky in the background complements the colours and reflections well. Excellent clarity and details. Well captured!
Claudia

Cormac (26565) 2007-07-22 8:34

Wonderful night shot Matthew! The lighting is great and your exposure is dead on. The blue light on the edge of the frame bothers me a little, and I think it would be better if it was cropped out or cloned out. For some reason things on the edge of the frame, half in and half out, tend to bother people and clutter the image. Otherwise, it's a great shot!

JPlumb (3159) 2007-07-22 16:41

Hi Matt, very enjoyable shot of the harbour. You've tied the boat in very well with the bridge. Your lighting is excellent producing a very good sharp shot with excellent colour. I'd have to agree with Alvin on the blue light, it's a bit of a distraction, but you can easily deal with that on your personal copy. Very well done.

Thanks, John

deblink (2548) 2007-07-22 17:22

Hi Matthew,
This is a stunning image of this wonderful looking boat and its surroundings. The reflections on the water that appears like silk are wonderful. An all round excellent night time image. Well done.
Cheers,
Debbie

melmcree (18) 2007-07-22 17:33

Another great night shot. Your light and color scheme is very unique. Not sure if its the light there or your photography but it just looks great. Pastel-like. Very pretty.

rcrick (346) 2007-07-24 21:14

Hi Matthew, Wonderful night shot, really nice colours and just a hint of movement in the water, good DOF, I might have been tempted to lose the wheelie bins they tend to distract for the subject but a lovely shot all the same nice work :) Cheers Rick

MLINES (12516) 2007-07-25 19:51

Hi Matt. Another very good night photograph on the Brisbane River. I like the perspective you chose. Good colours. TFS. Murray.

erdna (5713) 2007-07-26 8:38

I just browsed through your gallery and found your photos interesting and having good well studied point of view. This photo has a wll managed lighting and good sharpness. Very well done.

Thank you for your coments on my photo, "Temple of Horus". I appreciate it.

Andre'

jmcl (14535) 2007-07-27 14:19

Hi Matthew,

This is really well done compositionally and with the control of light.
The exposure on the water is surreal. It interacts in a really unusual way with the antique feeling of the boat .. to be honest each time I go up and look at it I have a completely different reaction to that positively or negatively ... In any event it is strikingly done with great impact.

take care,

John

daddo (28748) 2007-07-27 16:36

Hi Matthew. Nice combination of sharpness of image on one hand and the muted, gentle colours on the other. The pink building in the distance, the salmon reflection in the water and many other additions to the colour palette make this a rich composition. Nicely composed too. Regards. Klaudio.

batalay (41261) 2007-08-03 18:45

Hello Matthew,

What a magnificent night shot of the Brisbane River with the stern-wheeler. I am impressed that you were able to produce and submit this image without postprocessing.

Warm regards,
Bulent