Spark! and the City: Photographing Light Night Leeds
I’ve always loved anything that sparkles, so one of the highlights of my year is when Light Night Leeds rolls around each October. The city transforms into a glowing playground of colour, creativity, and sound — and this year was no exception. With my camera bag slung over my shoulder, Marc and I headed into the city centre, ready to explore and soak up the magic.
Spark! The Show That Steals the Night
Our first stop was the one I’d been most looking forward to — Spark!
If you’ve never seen them before, Spark are an incredible group of drummers who combine rhythm, theatre, and light into a mesmerising 20-minute performance. Each performer have drums with glowing lights, and as they move and play, the whole scene pulses with energy. The show took place inside Leeds Trinity shopping centre, and honestly, we could have stayed there all night watching them.
hotographing them, though, was another challenge altogether!
Low-light photography is definitely one of my weak spots. I wanted to capture the movement of the drummers sharply, which meant using a faster shutter speed — but the darker it got, the trickier that became. Even after adjusting my ISO, my DSLR just wasn’t handling the lighting well. Reluctantly, I switched over to my phone, though that brought its own frustrations (so many lens flares!).
Still, with a little patience and some creative editing in Photoshop, I managed to salvage a few shots I was genuinely proud of. Because the images were a bit grainy, I decided to embrace that and convert them to black and white — and I actually love how they turned out! There’s something about grainy monochrome photos that reminds me of old film photography — imperfect, but beautifully nostalgic.
A Parade of Woodland Magic
After Spark’s performance, we wandered through the city and stumbled upon another enchanting display — a parade of illuminated woodland creatures led by a drummer in the most incredible costume. The mix of music, movement, and glowing lights felt almost otherworldly, like something straight out of a fairytale.
Millennium Square Lights
From there, we made our way to Millennium Square, where the buildings were lit up in stunning colour. My favourite by far was the City Museum — its classical architecture bathed in vivid light against the deep night sky. I especially love how the sky turned out in this photo.
One of my favourite shots of the night actually had nothing to do with Light Night itself! While we were in Millennium Square, I couldn’t resist photographing The Electric Press building. The way the light fell across its windows and brickwork was just stunning — especially once I converted the image to black and white. It gave the photo such a timeless, cinematic feel that I instantly fell in love with it.
A Finale of Inflatable Creatures
We ended our night at one of the most eye-catching installations — a collection of giant illuminated inflatable animals. They were absolutely beautiful, glowing softly against the darkness. It was tricky getting clear shots (so many people were eager for selfies with them!), but I managed to capture a few that really show off their charm.
There was still so much more we didn’t get to see, but I was more than happy with everything we experienced. Even though I wasn’t entirely thrilled with my photos this time, I’m glad I pushed myself and tried — every attempt is a learning step! I’m already looking forward to practising more night photography and seeing how much I can improve next time.
Until then, I’ll treasure the memories — and the sparkle — from this magical night.
Clare x
