You have seen the flowers by day, but visiting Floriade at night, is a completely different experience. Kicking off at 6.30pm on Wednesday 23 September, for a short five night season, Nightfest is an experience to add to your diary.

Your senses notice different things – the smells of the flowers, the silhouette of the trees, even the colour of the flowers appear deeper.

There are roaming performers, and musical acts, or you can visit The Comedy Cave to hear comedians like Joel Creasey, Hannah Gadsby, Celia Pacquola and Luke Heggie – adding to the evening entertainment.

Reflections sculpture on Nerang Pool.

Lighting specialists Mandylights have returned this year to transform the gardens into a magical visual wonderland. Richard from Mandylights told us that each year they come up with ‘completely new ideas and they plan to move the experiences each year’.

His favourites spots this year include the 1,500 hanging lanterns in the main area, the reflection of light archway and the reflections sculpture on Nerang Pool, which randomly plays one of 12 different light shows.

Oh, and the triffids from last year. Richard told us we may find one or two of them hidden in the gardens.

Snapping the reflection of light archway.

Night Photography Tips

The whole event is spectacular – you will want to capture the moment

Photographer, Jonathan McFeat shared some tips for taking photos at night:

‘turn off that awful flash’

• Stability is key. Even if using a smartphone, consider getting an inexpensive tripod, to ensure sharp, vibrant night photos. And turn off that awful flash!
• Always think about the direction of light; Is there a way you can use the available light to make your subject more flattering or interesting?

And our tips for taking photos on your phone:

• Find an area that is well lit. This will help expose the photo correctly.
• If you can use an app to control the ISO, increase it just enough to provide detail, but not too much as it will make the picture grainy.
• No tripod? Use stable surfaces such as park bench, steps or building.  Place your phone on the flat side and take a picture with a long shutter. (This doesn’t always work if the building is facing the wrong way – they are hard to move!).
• Some smartphones allow you to adjust the lighting by touching the screen and changing the light ratio.

Oh, and don’t forget to share and tag your photos. Use #nightfest, #floriade, #VisitCanberra and #SoFrankSocial.

Photography: So Frank

What you need to know:

– Nightfest is on 23 – 27 September 2015

– open 6.30pm to 10.30pm

– admission prices – Adults $27, Concession & Child $12, Family (2A + 2C) $60. Children under 4 are free.  

– see the Nightfest website for ticket details.