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I had the great pleasure (and absolute buzz) to photograph the Positive Life NSW marching entry for the 2025 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.
While I have regularly photographed the Mardi Gras over the years, the one and only previous time I photographed the parade from “the inside” was in 2009, when Matthew Mitcham was Chief of Parade after he won gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Now, it was a great experience to again have that same point of view, sixteen years later and with the same sense of excitement and celebration.
The events started at the offices of Positive Life NSW in Surry Hills where everyone taking part congregated, received a branded t-shirt and a travel pack of sandwiches and other snacks. Once the sun set and the parade began at Hyde Park, time flew by as we were cheered along by thousands of people lining Oxford Street and Taylor Square.
Students from the @academyofmakeupaus (Sydney campus) offered their services to participants in the parade to enhance the visual presentation with fabulous face painting.Once the face painting was complete, t-shirts collected and people suitably nourished we all head towards Hyde Park and the marshalling area.Everyone collected in College Street after locating their float. There was a short wait as people congregated. Then the parade began….excitement prevailed! The Positive Life float started quite early as we were early on in the line-up.Then…..suddenly, after the waiting, we headed off to start the parade at Whitlam Square. That’s when time seemed to speed up….and in a flash we were almost at the end of the parade and it was all over.
WorldPride is a global Pride celebration that in 2023 is coming to Sydney. Previous WorldPride celebrations include the first in Rome in 2000, New York in 2019 marking 50 years of the Stonewall uprising, and Copenhagen in 2021 celebrating both WorldPride and the EuroGames.
As part of the early ticket marketing of the event, the organisers arranged a photoshoot at my Lilyfield studio. My brief was to capture a diverse selection of individuals who could communicate the joy and vibe of this unique celebration. In doing so the models including Sveta, Faustina, Jules, Maria, Paul & Johnny and Sina, help to motivate both Sydney-siders and the international public to attend one or several of the line-up of events.
From left to right: Milo, Faustina, Matty, Jules, Maria & Sam
It was a vivacious day with great energy. The studio was humming with creativity … from stylist Hannah Cooper with her racks of clothes and accessories, to the vast array of colours splayed out on the table by make up artistYvonne Trans. The team fromMC Saatchi watched the results unfold on the computer screen while coffee and sandwiches arrived at appropriate moments. It was inspiring to be part of a team completely focused on creating the best possible results.
Sydney WorldPride events will take place from February 17 until March 5, 2023. The official Opening Ceremony will take place on February 24. Other events include a First Nations Gathering Space, a game-changing Human Rights Conference, an unforgettable Pride March across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a closing ceremony and a sensational party on Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach (plus many more events still to be announced)!
