Vivid 2017

I was lucky enough to be gifted a night photography workshop run by Sydney Photographic Workshops by my wife as a Christmas present, so used this opportunity to explore Vivid with other like-minded individuals.This festival of light in Sydney, Australia has become an anticipated event on the cultural calendar. It allows locals and tourists alike to wander the streets of this beautiful city and admire the multiple light shows and sculptures littered throughout.It's also generally pretty hectic, although this year was less busy than years gone by as the precincts were more spread out - instead of all being clustered around Circular Quay and the Opera House.Even so, as the sun goes down and the lights come up, it's a veritable heaving mass of humanity on any given evening. This provides a perfect opportunity to utilise a slower shutter speed and watch as the flow of people create swirls and eddies in a longer exposure.People watching is always a fascinating past-time for a photographer; watching how individuals interact and explore their space in the world speaks volumes. This is especially true of Vivid. Every where you turn, people are rooted to the spot, admiring a particular light show or interactive sculpture. If they're not staring, jaws agape and eyes alight in wonder, their phones or cameras will be in hand capturing the fleeting moment for prosperity - either as a selfie or not (though I guarantee it's most-definitely a selfie more often than not).                     One of the key attractions this year are these mechanical swings that you can sit on and rock softly back and forth, but every 20 minutes they put on a show of their own, and for a photographer it is something not to be missed.But it wouldn't be Vivd without a shot of the Opera House in all her glory:It was a really nice night spent wandering around a Sydney icon with like-minded people, but it also wasn't enough time to fully explore all that Vivid 2017 has to offer. I guess that means I'll have to go back another night...