One of my favorite photo adventures ever was exploring Australia. If you can wrap your head around traveling 24 hours in a plane to get your destination this is a place well worth exploring. My adventure took me to Sydney, which for first time visitors like myself is a great starting point. When I first arrived I was struck by how much Sydney resembled other places I had visited in the United States. Make no mistakes about it, the land of Down Under is not America. From the ferries, to the beaches, to the open air markets, Australia is an amazing place for any photographer just to wander around with no particular destination. If you are truly an adventurer I would recommend charter a helicopter for the full 360 Degree experience of the city. I found the people of Australia warm and friendly, and very willing to engage people like myself with a big camera. (Perhaps they just confused me with a famous freelance fashion photographer :)) I was there during the Australian winter, so it was generally mild and comfortable. Think of San Francisco in the Fall.

Classic View of Sydney

Classic View of Sydney

One of the best photography locations is the world famous Taronga Zoo. I highly recommend getting the private zoo keeper tour that allows you full access to the Australian wild life exhibits. If you didn’t already know, Australia is filled with with the most unusual species of animals in the world, and the Taronga Zoo has them all. Being a huge koala fan this place was especially cool. My private zoo keeper allowed me full access to the koalas. So close that I could touch. (Unfortunately Australia law prohibits koala petting.). My photo shoot of the koalas was a true beauty shoot. The koala allowed me to put my camera right in front of them. (Which is more than I can say for some of my children photography sessions.)

Koala at Lunch

Koala at Lunch

The other amazing part of my Australian photo adventure was my arial tour of the beaches. Bondi Beach by air is beyond description. Zooming by the surf and sand at 150mp.

 

 

 

Bondi Beach by Air

Bondi Beach by Air