Sony a6500 with Samyang 12mm f2
30s • Multi-shot composite

Sony a6500 with Sony G 18-105mm f4
f7.1 • 15s

Shot the opening night of Vivid 2023 from the Shangri-la hotel, giving a view over the whole harbour. Didn’t have a lens skirt—and didn’t think there were reflections at the time—but had to spend ages painting the reflection out just above the opera house.

The first shot is a composite from multiple points throughout the evening. The sky and most of the buildings are from a shot just before sunset, then the lights and trails of the boats are from some shots just after sunset. The fireworks are a separate shot, taken with a different lens! I didn’t plan to include this in the composite, but realised that I could take the telephoto view of the fireworks from the 18-105mm and line it up over the wide shots from earlier in the evening.