Familiar Skylines

Traveling around the world, you can’t help but notice how clearly our cityscapes define the country they call home. From skyscrapers to ancient buildings, a skyline is often as recognizable as a friendly face.

Singapore

Avoiding the monolithic “Sands” development which has begun to change the fabric of Singapore’s beautiful skyline, I focused on the city I knew many years ago; a rainbow-colored downtown where old colonial buildings and hotels meet brand new glass and steel towers by the bay.

Shanghai

A city that is ever changing. No two pictures can be the same in Shanghai as the skyline evolves on a daily, if not hourly, basis. The lifeblood of an old shipping industry – the Hangpu River - is still home to hundreds of boats, but sightseeing now takes priority as tourists try to catch the latest and tallest “super-sky-scraper” as it emerges from the ground.

San Francisco

One of my favorite cityscapes in the world. Sure, the Golden Gate Bridge steals the limelight for most of San Francisco’s postcard shots, but the Bay Bridge gets my vote at night. With such a dramatic show of colors as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean, the silhouette of this distinctive skyline is one that everybody should see in their lifetime.

Rome

A city I need to revisit with better camera equipment than the last time I was there. Stand on one of the bridges to witness the age and history of this amazing place. Looking across towards St. Peters’, you can lose yourself for a moment, as the reality today is sometimes only apparent when a car passes by.

New York

From Rockefeller Center you get a superb view of both the Empire State Building as well as the Statue of Liberty in the background. This was a quick reminder to me: Sometimes the best skylines are not taken from the tallest building – if you take it from there, you don’t have that very icon in your shot!

Hong Kong

Yes, it’s always tempting to take a shot of the “Symphony of Lights” show at night, or of the packed skyscraper playground below when you’re standing at The Peak. However, a very different cityscape can sneak up on you when you find just the right mix of sun and cloud above like this shot taken from Kowloon.

Sydney

What an amazing city – and one where ferries and boats form part of daily commuter life. Of course, it’s great to shoot the Opera House and the Grand Harbour Bridge, but take a step further out of town and see the whole city at sunset as all the sailing boats return for the day. It really is a spectacular sight.