The Chaos and Charm of Boxing Day: Capturing Adelaide’s Rundle Mall in Layers

Boxing Day in Adelaide’s Rundle Mall is more than just a shopping frenzy—it’s a vibrant tapestry of energy, movement, and fleeting moments. With post-Christmas bargain hunters weaving through the maze of stores, street performers holding their audiences captive, and festive decorations still adorning the streets, the mall transforms into a bustling stage of humanity. Armed with my Lensbaby Burnside 35mm f/2.8 and a passion for multiple exposure photography, I set out to distill the essence of this day into impressionistic street photography.

Layering the Hustle and Bustle

Multiple exposure photography allows me to tell a layered story, blending textures and motion into a single frame. In Rundle Mall, I found a canvas rich with life. Shoppers laden with bags, the glimmer of store lights, and reflections from shop windows all became elements in my compositions. Each frame was built from overlapping exposures: one moment capturing the sweeping motion of a passing crowd, the next framing a static element like the striking silver spheres of "The Mall’s Balls."

The swirling background effect of the Lensbaby Burnside added an ethereal quality to these layered images. The lens's natural vignetting further enhanced the focus on the central elements, creating photos that feel alive with the chaotic yet charming spirit of the day.

Capturing Atmosphere: A Dance of Light and Texture

Boxing Day is a sensory overload, and the Burnside 35mm’s swirling bokeh helped me capture that energy. Lights from shop windows and decorations blurred into circular patterns, mimicking the frenzied atmosphere of the mall. The vignetting effect naturally directed the viewer’s attention, isolating moments amidst the chaos—like a child marveling at a display or the steady stream of feet moving through the mall.

Shoppers walking directly into my composed frame often added an unexpected layer of drama to the narrative. Their presence created spontaneous focal points, transforming carefully balanced compositions into dynamic, evolving stories. These unplanned moments became integral to the final image, adding both tension and authenticity.

Impressionistic Urban Chaos

Using multiple exposures, I could turn the hustle and bustle into something poetic. People became trails of motion, their forms dissolving into layers that captured not just their presence but their energy. Reflections of shop signs and window displays overlapped with blurred silhouettes, creating compositions that felt like urban impressionism—familiar, yet abstract.

The swirling bokeh and the natural softness of the Burnside lens enhanced the dreamlike quality of these images. The resulting series evokes the spirit of Rundle Mall on Boxing Day: dynamic, colorful, and utterly alive.

Why Boxing Day Works

Boxing Day is more than just an opportunity for great street photography—it’s a day when cities like Adelaide reveal their unique rhythm. The contrast between the festive cheer of Christmas and the practical hustle of bargain hunting creates an atmosphere that is both exciting and chaotic. It’s this dichotomy that made Rundle Mall such an inspiring place to shoot.

With the Lensbaby Burnside and multiple exposures, I could push beyond traditional street photography, creating images that felt more like visual poems. These photos are not just records of a place or time but reflections of its energy, emotion, and texture.

Reflections and Next Steps

As I reviewed the series, I realised how much this technique—combining the impressionistic potential of multiple exposures with the creative optics of the Burnside lens—enhanced my ability to capture the essence of a moment. Rundle Mall’s Boxing Day chaos provided the perfect backdrop, but I’m already dreaming of where else this approach might take me. Markets, festivals, or even quieter streets—anywhere with a story to tell through light and motion.

For now, these images stand as my ode to Boxing Day in Adelaide: a swirling, vignetted celebration of life in motion.