I recently wrote an article sharing my favourite Sydney photography locations to visit for sunrise, sunset, and nighttime. However, I realised upon completing that blog post that only a few of these locations would allow you to photograph the Sydney Opera House.

This revelation came as a bit of a surprise!

I love photographing the Sydney Opera House as it is such an amazing structure to photograph. Some of my favourite photos that I have taken to date are of the Sydney Opera House. So I decided to correct this by creating the following list of some of the best places to photograph the Sydney Opera House.

I am excited to share each of these locations with you. 😊

Where to take photos of the Sydney Opera House

Like the article on my favourite Sydney photography locations, I have divided these places into two main groups. Those Sydney Opera House photography locations that are best visited at sunrise, and those are best visited at sunset.

Plus, a location, if you can call it that, which is a bit of a bonus and a place that can probably only be photographed, somewhat, easily during the day…

Therefore, my list of the best places to photograph the Sydney Opera House is as follows:

There certainly seem to be more Sydney Opera House sunrise photography locations than those that can be visited in the evening. And this list of best places to photograph the Sydney Opera House does support this hypothesis.

Please note: Each sunrise photography location for the Sydney Opera House would also make for great places to visit when capturing the light displays projected onto the sails at different times of the year.

Events like Vivid utilise this side of the Sydney Opera House, which I believe would be the right side. I am assuming that this is because it is easier to project the lights across from the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal than somewhere else, if there is anywhere else, on the other side.

Sunrise Sydney Opera House Photography Locations

The Sydney Opera House itself

A close up photo of the Sydney Opera House

I love this photo as it makes the Sydney Opera House look like some space-age building. Which, in fairness, back in 1973, it probably also gave that impression to people seeing it for the first time. Photographing the Sydney Opera House this close gives you some unique and fun results. I highly recommend it! (HDR Image, Nikon D300S, 10mm | Sunrise | February 2013)

  • My rating: 8/10
  • Best time to visit: Sunrise
  • Google Map: Link

One of the best ways to photograph the Sydney Opera House is by standing next to it! 😄

This is a fun way of photographing the Sydney Opera House, as you can capture the sails on their own or cluster them together in an interesting and creative way. One of my favourite photos that I have taken of the Opera House, pictured above, was taken in this fashion.

Capturing photos this close to the Sydney Opera House is not something you see done often. But if you haven’t tried it, I would recommend giving it a go.

The Sydney Opera Bar

A photo of the Sydney Opera House from near the Opera Bar

I love the composition you can capture from down near the Opera Bar. I like the curvature of where the outer wall meets the water; it helps lead a viewer’s eyes to the Sydney Opera House. I also like this angle as it is slightly different from the side-on-shots of the Sydney Opera House that we see so much. (HDR Image, Nikon D300S, 24mm | Sunrise | October 2013)

  • My rating: 7/10
  • Best time to visit: Sunrise
  • Google Map: Link

If you want to get up close to the Sydney Opera House, but not that close that you are standing next to it, try the area where the Sydney Opera Bar is located.

This area has a nice curvature that adds loads of visual interest to the scene as a viewer’s eyes are led along the path and up to the iconic white tiles of the Opera House.

It also might be worth visiting this spot after some rain. The whole area is nicely paved, tiled and concreted. While I haven’t got any photos to prove this, I think that you could have some fun playing with the reflections in puddles.

You could visit the Sydney Opera Bar for sunset and night-time photoshoots, as well as sunrise. However, this area is teeming with activity in the late afternoon and into the night. Many people visit this bar to enjoy the food and drinks on offer, for good reason. It is a great atmosphere!

However, I recommend grabbing your camera and coming here for sunrise instead. Way less cloning needs to be done in Photoshop that way. 😉

Sydney Harbour Bridge

A photo of the Sydney Opera House taken from the Harbour Bridge

I got so lucky the morning that my good friend, Ben Fewtrell, and I decided to visit the Sydney Habour Bridge to take photos. Nothing special happened until about 15 minutes before sunrise when the sky turned an incredible blood red. It was unbelievable! And then, 10 minutes after the sun had risen, the sky was back to an unspectacular dull grey colour, and anyone waking up at that time would have been none the wiser that they had just missed one of the most impressive sunrises I have seen to date. (HDR Image, Nikon D750, 66mm | Sunrise | January 2015)

  • My rating: 7/10
  • Best time to visit: Sunrise
  • Google Map: Link

Like standing next to one of the sails of the Sydney Opera House, you also might not think of going up onto the Sydney Habour Bridge to take photos. However, the Sydney Harbour Bridge can make for a terrific place to take photos from!

There are two tricks, though, if you decide to give this ago.

They are:

  1. You will need to take photos through the enclosed fence that runs along the entire width of the walkway across the Habour Bridge. Thankfully, there is a narrow gap between the metal railings that you can position your camera within, which is roughly around eye level. This creates some restrictions, but the trade-off for the view you get is incredible and well worth it.
  2. Large vehicles, like trucks, will cause the bridge to vibrate at times. When this happens, it might cause some camera shake, especially if using a tripod. Thinking back on this experience, I don’t remember it being a massive issue… If you did happen to take a photo and feel the bridge move in this way, I would simply take another shot. You have got to love digital photography for that reason!

Hickson Road Reserve

Hickson Road Reserve is one of the best places to photograph the Sydney Opera House

I have had more success walking away with a nice photo of the Sydney Opera House when visiting Hickson Road Reserve than any other place in Sydney. It is one of the best sunrise photography locations in Sydney! (HDR Image, Nikon D300S, 20mm | Sunrise | November 2012)

  • My rating: 9/10
  • Best time to visit: Sunrise
  • Google Map: Link

I would guess that either Hickson Road Reserve or the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal is the most popular place in Sydney to photograph the Opera House during sunrise.

While I personally like the Overseas Passenger Terminal, I have taken way better photos of the Sydney Opera House from Hickson Road Reserve. 🤷

There is no real reason for this other than the weather being more favourable on my visits here. That said, there is a myriad of compositions that you can capture of the Sydney Opera House from Hickson Road Reserve. All you need to do is hunt around and use your creativity.

Or, you can read my full photography location review of Hickson Road Reserve via the button below. 😉

The Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal, which I mentioned earlier, gives you a similar view but at a slightly more elevated angle. Also worth checking out.

Hickson Road Reserve, Location Review

Sunset Sydney Opera House Photography Locations

Mrs Macquaries Chair

A photo of the Sydney Opera House from Mrs Macquarie's Chair

Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is an incredible place to snap some great sunset pictures of the Sydney Opera House as well as the Sydney Habour Bridge together. You have several different options when taking landscape photos from this spot, making it one of those locations you should visit a few times. Certainly, a must-visit for those photographers that struggle to get up for sunrise. You know who you are! (HDR Image, Nikon D300s, 52mm | Sunset | November 2013)

  • My rating: 9/10
  • Best time to visit: Sunset
  • Google Map: Link

Mrs Macquaries Chair is probably the best sunset photography location to capture the Sydney Opera House.

The distance between this point and the Opera House, while across a section of the harbour, isn’t significant. This provides you with some options when it comes to camera lenses and choosing a focal length. You can opt for a wide focal length and capture the Sydney Opera House and surrounding area, or what I find interesting is to zoom into a section of the Opera House that you find visually appealing. This type of composition usually also includes the Sydney Habour Bridge.

Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, Location Review

Cremorne Point

A photo of the Sydney Opera House taken from Cremorne Point

This is an incredible photo taken by the very talented landscape photographer Alex Taylor. Cremorne Point has quite a popular outdoor swimming pool, and Alex has captured this scene perfectly, showing the Sydney skyline behind it. Not to mention that he took this photo while also witnessing an incredible sunset! (Photograph by: Alex Taylor)

  • My rating: 7/10
  • Best time to visit: Sunset
  • Google Map: Link

If you want a more front-on photo of the Sydney Opera House, I recommend heading over to Cremorne Point.

Unlike Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, you are some distance from the Opera House. So a good telephoto or zoom lens will be needed if you want to single out and photograph the Sydney Opera House.

I love this photo taken from Cremorne Point by my good friend, Alex Taylor. It is a stunning photo and excellently captures the uniqueness of this location, with the outdoor pool in the foreground and the Sydney Opera House in the distance.

It’s such a great photo, and I was stoked he let me use it for this article!

Thanks, Alex! 🙌

Bonus Sydney Opera House Photography Location!

Helicopter flight over Sydney

A photo of the Sydney Opera House taken from a helicopter

I understand this might not be available to everyone and isn’t the easiest thing to organise. I probably would not have gotten the chance if it wasn’t for my parents’ very generous birthday gift. But if you are looking for a very cool way to see the Sydney Opera House, not to mention the rest of Sydney, why not look into a helicopter flight? It will give you some unique photo opportunities but, more importantly, a fun experience. (Single Exposure, Nikon D750, 24mm | Daytime | October 2014)

  • My rating: 7/10
  • Best time to visit: Daytime

If you want to see the Sydney Opera House from an entirely unique perspective, why not consider a helicopter ride?!

I was surprised by my parents one year, who booked me a helicopter ride over Sydney Harbour to celebrate a milestone birthday. I was thrilled by this surprise, although I worried about motion sickness. I can get it quite bad.

Thankfully, I was fine, and the whole experience was incredible!

I wasn’t told beforehand what the surprise would be; I was just told to bring my camera. I did manage to get a couple of nice photos during the flight of the Sydney Opera House and the city skyline.

You only get a few moments to quickly try and capture your photo of the Sydney Opera House as the helicopter flies past. So spend a little bit of time before you get there, getting your camera settings ready.

Traditional landscape photography settings will not suit this type of occasion. You will need to ensure that you speed up your shutter speed so that you come away with sharp images.

The images you capture could take your Sydney Opera House photos to great new heights! 😆

Enjoy photographing the Sydney Opera House

I hope this article has inspired you to grab your camera and head to one of the Sydney Opera House photography locations mentioned in this list.

The Sydney Opera House is a magnificent building that makes for a stunning photography subject and location. I don’t think it matters if you are photographing the Opera House for the first time or the 50th. You always get excited when you spy this building through your camera’s viewfinder.

Finally, it is also worth mentioning that these locations are just some of the many places where you can capture great photos of the Sydney Opera House. There are many others, and if you have a favourite spot that isn’t on this list, I would love to hear about it. Even more so if it is a good sunset photography location so that we can even things up. 😊

Simply jump over to the Grab Your Camera Facebook page to share your favourite places to photograph the Sydney Opera House.

It is always exciting finding and sharing new photography locations!

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Speaking of discovering new photography locations, if you do like hearing about new Australian landscape photography locations, I encourage you to sign up for my email newsletter.

Each month, I will share the latest photography locations I have visited as well as location reviews and lists, like this one, that I have created.

I promise to pack each email full with lots of helpful photography information so that it will be one you will be excited to see in your inbox.

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I hope that you have found this article useful.

Happy snapping!
Rob Potter