HAPPY 40TH, MARDI GRAS!
Sydney Mardi Gras Photos
In 2018, Australia celebrated the 40th anniversary of a riot. What began as a protest in 1978 in support of gay and lesbian rights, turned into a street fight with police. It changed Australia, led to law reform, and created a Parade, Party and Festival celebrating all things LGBTIQ. And it became a treasured cultural institution, loved by most Australians regardless of their sexuality or gender identity.
This year’s celebration was always going to be a special one – not least because marriage equality was achieved late last year, and because gay icon and pop goddess, Cher was in town to perform live at the after party.
She also brought the Parade to a standstill when she appeared en route to chat with fans, SBS host Joel Creasey and even the PM, Malcolm Turnbull.
Photographing the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of the most exciting and challenging assignments on the DNA calendar.
With nearly 200 Parade entries in 2018, and hundreds of costumed revellers on the route, the Parade has a million variable components. It’s constantly moving forward, meaning photographers can’t ask the Parade to stop while they get their shot. Everything has to be captured on the hop, and if a photograher misses the shot, they have to run ahead of the Parade and hope they get a second chance.
The lighting conditions are constantly changing: there are fireworks, glitter cannons, smoke machines, and some floats have spotlights, strobes and disco balls to contend with. Plus, there are other photographers, TV crews and support vehicles to watch out for.
The Party has its own unique challenges. Inside the dance venues, the lighting conditions change dramatically from nightclub-dark to laser-lit bright in seconds and, because of the humidity being generated by the sweating bodies on the dancefloor, camera lenses can fog up in seconds.
Remembering to respect people’s privacy and personal space is also a consideration. Two hot guys in a passionate embrace may make a great photograph but, as photographers and editors, we need to decide whether publishing the shot is appropriate. A “party pash” that happens in the heat of the moment may not be something the party goers involved want splashed all over the internet.
The Party is long, too. It starts directly after the Parade at 11pm and doesn’t finish until well after sun up. We choose not to photograph people in their “tired and emotional” states.
Over 14,000 people attended the Mardi Gras Party. Cher was not the only big-name performer on the bill with Starley and Seann Miley Moore also hitting the stages. International DJ sets were provided by The Black Madonna, Hannah Holland, Kiddy Smile and Shaun J Wright, with local DJs including Alex Taylor, Annabelle Gaspar, Ben Drayton, Beth Yen, DJ Dan Slater and DJ Dan Murphy.
The midnight show featured 40 of Australia’s legendary drag queens and trans showgirls, Bob Downe and 25 community dancers. There were performances across the night from The Huxleys, The Evolutionary Dinner Party, Feralicious, Sheba Williams and Frankie Says.
In these special bonus pages for our Digital readers, I want to acknowledge the terrific work of photographers Cain Cooper (Party) and Jeffrey Feng (Parade), who captured the spirit of Mardi Gras with their technical brilliance, and Dan Gosse for the live performance shots of Cher, who brought her own special magic to an already fabulous event.