- 10 photography tips and best locations to capture Vivid Sydney
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The annual Vivid Festival is back for 2024 – bigger and better than ever before! Vivid Sydney has become one of Australia’s best winter attractions. Transforming the Harbour City into an illuminating fusion of creativity, innovation, and technology, Vivid Sydney is a guaranteed paradise for photographers of all abilities.
Elisa Eves, Sydney photographer, content creator, and avid Vivid explorer, along with Canon Ambassador and creator Wil Calabio, have pulled together these photography tips to help you hit the ground running once you arrive at the festival.
It’s important to keep your camera still when taking low-light photos, and since most of the action of Vivid Sydney happens after sunset, this is your first consideration. Using a sturdy tripod with a two-second timer or cable release when using shutter speeds slower than 1/60th of a second will help with this. Alternatively, try gently pressing the touch screen shutter to stop any extra camera shake. Either of these options will help you achieve those nice, clean, sharp shots.
You need total control over your camera settings to capture the large dynamic range of Vivid Sydney’s light and music shows. If you’re still finding the confidence to get off auto, below are a few camera settings to get started with when photographing the event.
Narrow down your aperture to ensure you have a suitable depth of field to ensure detail is captured throughout the entire frame. Your aperture can be used creatively: a narrow depth of field - somewhere between f/11 and f/22 - will accentuate detail throughout your entire frame and help create a starburst effect.
Keep your ISO nice and low. This will minimise the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to light and allows you to shoot with longer shutter speeds without risk of over-exposing your images. Using a lower ISO value also means that your images will be clean and clear of noise.
Your camera will likely have the option to shoot images in RAW or jpeg. RAW files will preserve much more of the detail of the images you shoot as it is a much bigger file, which means you have the flexibility to print your image and edit it the way you like. Keep in mind that, as these are much larger files than your standard jpeg image, you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of room on your SD card.
Use bracketing to manage the high contrast often found in nighttime photography. Bracketing involves taking multiple shots at different exposure levels to ensure you capture both the highlights and shadows. By exposing for highlights, you ensure that the lights of the festival don't overwhelm the details in your images.
Explore various angles to capture the essence of Sydney during the festival. This could mean shooting from both high vantage points and street level to get diverse perspectives of the light installations and the cityscape. Using a variety of focal lengths can also be beneficial and a zoom lens such as the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM can help with this.
Incorporating people or familiar objects can provide a sense of scale and add a human element to your shots, making the lighting displays more relatable and impactful. One way to exaggerate scale is by using a longer focal length to compress the layers. A telephoto lens such as the Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM is ideal for this.
Nighttime offers a unique opportunity to play with reflections in water, glass, or any reflective surfaces. These can create symmetrical compositions that double the visual impact of the light displays. “Lighting of the Sails” is ideal for this as you can use the water for a reflection. Or with exhibits that use mirrors, you can cleverly shift perspectives.
Shoot early in the evening when the lights first turn on to get some blue hour colour in the sky as a backdrop to the lights and remember that Vivid Sydney is set to be an explosive event. Whilst the fireworks will look beautiful in your photographs, they will also cause a lot of smoke. Taking your shots early on ensures you get nice crisp black skies, and you'll get in before the crowds too!
Get creative with different camera techniques
In-camera multiple exposure modes is a great feature to experiment with to combine layers of light. Try zooming in or out with your lens at a slow shutter speed to create interesting light trails.
Alternatively, if you'd like to get creative with blurred photos of the lights and people, try slowing down your shutter speed to 10 seconds or more but make sure you’ve got your tripod ready to go so you don’t get any shake ruining your photos.
Practice Patience and Perseverance
Night photography at Vivid Sydney requires patience to capture the perfect moment. Waiting for the right lighting, movement, or interaction can significantly enhance your photos.
Some of the largest and most famous Sydney landmarks will be ablaze with colour. Wil Calabio has provided a guide of what to see and expect from the key Vivid locations along with some useful tips for each installation.
1. ‘Global Rainbow’ (Shoot from Kirribilli)
Photograph the 'Global Rainbow' from Kirribilli. Explore different angles and use a variety of focal lengths to fully capture the expanse of the installation against the city skyline. Consider the use of reflections off the harbor to enhance the visual impact.
2. ‘Lighting of the Sails’ (Shoot from Harbour Bridge)
Capture the 'Lighting of the Sails' from the Harbour Bridge, utilising the water's reflective surface to add a dramatic effect to the illuminated Opera House sails. Make use of bracketing to expose for highlights and prevent the lights from overpowering the scene.
3. ‘Sea, Sand, and Stars’ (MCA)
Position yourself directly in front of the 'Sea, Sand, and Stars' installation. Use foreground elements to lead the viewer's eye into the scene, adding depth and context. Incorporate a human subject to highlight the scale and make the lighting displays more relatable.
4. ‘Dark Spectrum’ (Wynard Tunnel)
For 'Dark Spectrum, place yourself and a subject directly in front to provide scale and context against the immersive light patterns. This positioning allows for the use of longer focal lengths to compress the scene, enhancing the feeling of being enveloped by the installation. Capture candid moments of your subject interacting with the light. adding a dynamic and authentic layer to your photographs.
5. ‘Love is in the Air’ – (Shoot from Cahill Expressway)
The “Love is in the Air” drone show will take place above Circular Quay on the following dates:
• Saturday, June 8
• Sunday, June 9
• Saturday, June 15
Capture 'Love is in the Air' from the most advantageous viewpoint to utilize timelapse or slow-shutter techniques, emphasizing the flow of light and colour. Cahill Express Way offers an excellent vantage point.
Be sure to tag #CanonANZ and @canonanz in your Vivid Sydney photos on socials:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canonanz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canonanz/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@canonanz
Images taken by Elisa Eves & Wil Calabio.
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