After “leaving” the nightlife world, I typically only shoot music events two times a year. Miami Music Week, and Art Basel. That changed in 2023, with the addition of F1 week. Now we’ve got a third week of the year where the world flocks down here to Miami to party their asses off, and its totally worth my time, passion, and effort to participate and document the madness wherever I can. These are images from the first of two nights at The Deck at Island Gardens with great music, great views, beautiful people, and unbridled revelry.

I will admit, it took me a moment to re-acclimate to shooting outdoors, at night, with nothing to bounce light off of. I don’t know if you can tell, but the images get better (technically, at least) as the photoset and evening progresses. I have always said, and stick by it, that shooting nightlife is the best education for photographers. Shooting in ever changing conditions, in the dark, with unpredictable lighting…. if you can do that with any level of competence, you’ve got a head start.

(click images to enlarge)
(all rights reserved: Stuart Tracte Photography 2023)