January 19, 2019 • 141

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #29: Cityscapes

This City is what it is because our citizens are what they are.~Plato

New York has its One World Trade Center.  Dubai has its Burj Khalifa.  Chicago has its Willis Tower.

When tourists visit a city, they scramble to the highest vantage point to get a better view of the overall urban landscape and to better understand the “master plan” of the city’s layout and geography.  At that altitude, the city is fully revealed–its contours, its boundaries, its bridges, its landmarks, and where the current location fits into the bigger picture.

If you’re like me, you’re always trying to find the best vantage point to get the quintessential cityscape–with its wide, sweeping view of the city.  Sometimes, if I get it right, the photo captures my feelings for the place, too.

Here are some examples of cityscapes from some of my favorite cities.  Some shots are from my archives; others are new.  Can you guess where I shot them?  I’ll give you a few choices to make it easier.

a.  From a rooftop restaurant.  b.  From a bridge.  c. From a hilltop.  d.  From the top of a fortress  e. From a ferry  f. From an apartment window

The answers are provided later in the post.  You can choose the location more than once.

Rome, Italy

Italy has changed. But Rome is Rome. – Robert De Niro.

Roman Rooftops. Shot with a Fuji X-T2

Melbourne, Australia

I love coming home to Melbourne. The first thing I do is have a coffee. It’s just so much better here than anywhere else. It’s better than in Italy and I travel a lot. I crave it.~Curtis Stone

Melbourne at Sunset. Shot with a Google Pixel 3.

Chicago, Illinois USA

Let me tell your something. I’m from Chicago. I don’t break.―Barack Obama

Chicago Skyline from the Tower. Shot with a Canon 60D by Alex Moed.

Sperlonga, Italy

Actors, artists, and writers once flocked to tiny Sperlonga—a white confection overlooking the impossibly blue Tyrrhenian Sea—for a soothing taste of la dolce vita. And then time stopped…~Nell Casey, Town and Country Magazine

Coast near Sperlonga, Italy. Canon 40D with HDR filter.

Sydney, Australia

There’s an ease that I have living in Australia. The best things about Sydney are free: the sunshine’s free, and the harbour’s free, and the beach is free.~Russell Crowe

View of Sydney Harbor. Shot with a Fuji X-T2

Vancouver, B.C.

I love just how beautiful Vancouver is. I mean, everywhere you look it’s just mountains and ocean.~Emma Bell

Vancouver Cityscape at Twilight. Shot with a Fuji X-T2

What?  You can’t wait to find out where I shot these photos? OK.  Here are the answers:

Rome–the top of a fortress

Melbourne–an apartment window

Chicago–a rooftop restaurant

Sperlonga–a ferry

Sydney–a ferry

Vancouver– a bridge

Traditionally, a cityscape focuses on the physical environment.  My last shot– a wide-angle view of a shoreline–seems to be dozens of miles away from a city.  But, you may be surprised to learn that this beach is a short walk from the heart of Vancouver.  This wide-angle view captures the city in the distance, as well as the gentle curve of land and the peaceful blue sky.  It is one of my favorite walks in the city.

Shoreline, Vancouver, B.C.. Shot with a Fuji X-T 2

Cities were always like people, showing their varying personalities to the traveler. Depending on the city and on the traveler, there might begin a mutual love, or dislike, friendship, or enmity. Where one city will raise a certain individual to glory, it will destroy another who is not suited to its personality. Only through travel can we know where we belong or not, where we are loved and where we are rejected.― Roman Payne, Cities & Countries

All these cities have their own personalities, quirks, weaknesses, and strengths.  I enjoy spending time in them because of their architecture, their physical beauty, their history, their harbors, their people, and their food.  (I even tolerate their bad weather because I love them.)  Above all, I feel at home in these cities, with their vibrant energy, unique personalities, and striking architecture.

For this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #29, share a cityscape of one city or several cities with populations in the thousands or millions.  They can be near your home or thousands of miles away.   It’s totally up to you.  Most importantly, show us the big picture view.

A special thanks to all of you who participate in this week’s challenge.  The next one (#30) will be hosted by our talented friend Ann-Christine on Saturday, January 26th.   Wishing you an inspiring week in your corner of the world, in the city or the country or somewhere in between.

Before you go…

HAVE YOU SEEN THESE?

If you want more information on joining the Lens-Artists Photo Challenges, click here. Most importantly, remember to TAG your post ”Lens-Artists ” so it appears in the Reader.

Categories: Photography

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141 replies »

    • Thank you so much, Tina. 🙂 I just discovered that shot of Rome in my archives and decided to process it in sepia. Glad you like it! I love the juxtaposition of the past and present in that city. Amazing.

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  14. Beautiful, Patti! Sperlonga is my absolute favorite – but I am a country/town girl…Great shots and quotes – I truly enjoyed this one. It will be interesting to see cityscapes from all over the world, from places I will never visit. Hope to find new inspiration!
    I had to struggle some with mine, but found I had more photos than I thought…https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/2019/01/19/lens-artists-photo-challenge-29-cityscapes/

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    • Hi, A-C. Your post is beautiful, too. I’m not surprised you like the vista of the smallest city. 🙂 🙂 You are a town girl. 🙂 I think you’ve inspired me to visit Bulgaria. Plodiv looks beautiful.

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      • Of that I am sure. I follow some Australian photographers and it’s amazing. The Great Barrier Reef though, seems to be in great danger, and millions of fish just died in a river system – from climate changes. There are many biotopes of great interest.

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  21. Beautiful pictures, Patti! I like the differences in personalities of the cities you’ve captured. Cityscapes do make for interesting photography challenges, especially if you’re looking for a point of view that you’ve not already seen before – it can be pretty hard to find. 🙂

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    • Hi, Anita. I’m glad you noticed the different personalities. It is fascinating, isn’t it? And it is a challenge too! It’s so tempting to take the same shot that everyone else has taken. But then again, that’s too easy!

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  69. Patti, I enjoyed looking at the cities in your post.

    I know very well the locations of your two Vancouver shots:
    * Granville Street Bridge over Granville Island, and facing northwest into the rest of the city’s downtown peninsula;
    * Sunset Beach, facing west to Kitsilano neighbourhood and Maritime Museum (left-centre) and beyond to English Bay (Salish Sea).

    I also have had the great privilege of getting to know Sydney a little bit:
    * love Sydney Ferries and their open decks: facing southwest to Garden Island and the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre (foreground, lower-centre) and the city’s CBD in the background.

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    • Exactly! Those 2 vantage points are some of my favorite walks in Vancouver. We also took the ferry in Sydney to Cockatoo Island. We really enjoyed walking around there and the views were spectacular.

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