Melbourne Street Photography 101: July 2023

Monday, July 31, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #403 South Bank Melbourne

They all look airborne almost

South Bank Melbourne

Sony A7RIV

FE 14mm f1.8 GM

Check out Candid 246

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #402 Elizabeth St Melbourne

Looks like shadows of figures lurking

Sony A7RIV

FE 14mm f1.8 GM

Check out Candid 245

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #401 South Bank Melbourne

Enjoying the scootering together

Sony A7RIV

FE 24mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 244

Friday, July 28, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #400 Elizabeth St Melbourne

This is called waddling gait suggestive of pelvic muscle wasting

Sony A7RIV

FE 14mm f1.8 GM

Check out Candid 243

Thursday, July 27, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #407 Swanston St Melbourne

I just love walking through the busy street of Swanston St - easy to snap photos while walking

Watching people do whatever is sometimes addictive

Sony A7RIV

FE 14mm f1.8 GM

Check out Candid 248 and FACE OFF

Melbourne Candid Series #399 De Graves St

Always busy and hustling here.

Sony A7RIV

FE 24mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 242

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #398 Flinders Lane

I like the frame on Flinders Lane Melbourne

Sony A7RIV

FE 24mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 241

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #397 Uncle Tetsu Cheese Cake

This was a popular cheesecake shop imported from Japan. The original one in Osaka was really soft and tender to taste, melting in the mouth immediately. Not sure about this one though

Swanston St, Melbourne

Sony A7RIV

FE 24mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 240

Monday, July 24, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #396 Swanston St Melbourne

I actually start wearing headphones when I take a photowalk. Quite fun to do so.

Sony A7RIV

FE 14mm f1.8 GM

Check out Candid 239

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #395 The causeway Melbourne CBD

This alley is always a wonderful spot to observe people.

Sony A7RIV

FE 24mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 238

Saturday, July 22, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #394 Collins Arcade

Collins arcade is always lovely to walk through

No faces in this frame

Sony A7RIV

FE 24mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 237

Friday, July 21, 2023

Melbourne Candid Series #393 Hopetoun Tea Rooms est. 1892 421 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Hopetoun Tea Rooms est. 1892

Outside this family eatery

When the Hopetoun Tea Rooms opens in its new home on the corner of Bourke and McKillop Streets later this year, it will continue a 128-year legacy.

After more than a century in the Block Arcade – where generations of Melburnians have queued for a pot of tea, a slice of cake and a piece of history – the institution announced in 2020 that it would be moving to a new CBD site after a change of ownership.

The local treasure will reopen this summer in the grand 163-year-old Bourke Street building that was formerly home to Kozminsky jewellery, under the stewardship of new owner Vikram Singh. But before then, Hopetoun’s sought-after cakes, pastries and house-blended teas are available at its new shop.

Hopetoun Bakeshop – located at the new site – is a “modern take on a traditional English bakery”, says Singh, with heritage-green walls, marble counters and gold trimmings, as well as shelves lined with loose-leaf teas, house-made jams and relishes, and a collection of teaware.

A display case is crammed with spongy gateaux, delicate biscuits, seasonal fruit tarts and savoury sandwiches, pies and pasties geared towards the grab-and-go crowd. But those dining in can watch the pastry chefs at work in their new kitchen, which will also function as the “engine room” for the tea rooms.

“We were in a very small space in the Block Arcade,” says Singh, who was a Hopetoun customer before saving the stalwart from closure when it went into administration in 2020.

“People knew the brand because it had been running in the same space for such a long time. But it was constrained, especially the kitchen,” says Singh. “It was set up to prepare scones and sandwiches, but people’s eating habits have changed – they want more variety, and, at the same time, really good quality … the art of pastry has evolved so much. We couldn’t have taken the brand to the next level in that place.”

When the tea rooms reopen in December, the building will house a ground-floor dining room, afternoon tea service on level one, and on the top floor, a function space for bridal parties, baby showers and so on.

“It was important we remain in a heritage building that has a bit of history,” says Singh. “Melbourne is well-known for its food expertise, so how do we differentiate ourselves? We’re offering people a piece of history.

When Singh and the team landed on the former Kozminsky building, they also found a surprise connection to Hopetoun. “Lady Hopetoun [the wife of the Governor of Victoria from 1889 to 1895, and the shop’s namesake] was a customer of Kozminsky jewellers, and we’ve got some photos where she actually modelled in a newspaper wearing Kozminsky jewellery.”

History and heritage are inextricably tied to the Hopetoun brand, and Singh has no intention of changing that. “Our customer base – some of whom have been going to Hopetoun for 60 years – have been telling us beautiful stories of how they went with their grandmother and now they’d like to take their granddaughter. We don’t want to change.”

“I come from a tea-loving nation, India,” says Singh. “So the tea part really excited me. I want to promote good-quality tea drinking, which is what’s lacking in Australia. People still see tea as the humble teabag.”

A signature of the tea rooms is its traditional afternoon tea service featuring dainty sandwiches, pastries and scones. While that’s on hold until the new space opens, the bake shop is offering a Devonshire tea, including those scones topped with house-made berry jam and Gippsland Jersey clotted cream.

The tea rooms will open in late 2023 at 421 Bourke Street, Melbourne.

Sony A7RIV + FE 14mm f1.8 GM

Check out Candid 234

and FACE OFF