Whittlesea Rodeo Series #1398 Whittlesea Showground

 

Dust rose high beneath pounding hooves,
While horse and rider rehearsed ancient moves.
The calf glanced back, perhaps unimpressed,
As the loop sailed wide in a test of finesse.

The rope drew circles against the sky,
A question mark asking, “Will it fly?”
The crowd leaned forward, holding its breath
A game of timing, not speed or strength.

For every wrangler knows this truth well:
The perfect cast is a story to tell.
And should the calf escape for another day,
There is always tomorrow—and another bale of hay

Sony A7RV

FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM

Check out Candid 1222

Whittlesea Rodeo Series #1397 Whittlesea Showground

 

The contest lasted but a fleeting while
A test of nerve, determination, and style.
The rider held fast through dust and din,
Until gravity quietly entered to win.

The bull, all muscle, momentum, and grace,
Dictated the terms and controlled the pace.
Nearby, the clown stepped deftly near,
Part guardian, part performer, without a trace of fear.

The crowd looked on as the drama unfurled,
One small arena containing a world
Where courage is measured in moments, not years,
And applause follows closely behind the cheers.

For in rodeo, as all soon discover,
Fortune may favour one or the other;
Yet when dust settles and stories are told,
It is the spirit of the contest that remains the gold. 

Sony A7RV

FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM

Check out Candid 1221

Whittlesea Rodeo Series #1396 Whittlesea Showground

 

The bull had plans for a spectacular flight,
The rider preferred to stay upright.
Dust filled the air, hats tilted askew,
As eight angry seconds became only two.

One clown stepped forward, another ran wide,
Each hoping to stay on the sensible side.
The crowd held its breath, then burst into cheer
For nobody paid to see caution this year.

The bull struck a pose worthy of fame,
The rider kissed earth and blamed it on aim.
And somewhere in all of the chaos and din,
Gravity smiled and chalked up another win

Sony A7RV

FE 70-200mm f2.8 

Check Candid 1220

Whittlesea Rodeo Series #1395 Whittlesea showgrounds

 

The rider spread his wings,

the bull lowered its head.
Each was committed to a plan
only one remained seated.

Dust kept the secret,
the crowd held its breath;
and for one spectacular moment,
gravity waited its turn.

Sony A7RV

FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM

Check out Candid 1219

Whittlesea Rodeo Series #1394 Whittlesea Showgrounds

 

The calf chose freedom,
the cowboy chose pursuit.
The horse did all the hard work
while the crowd offered advice.

A loop flew through the dust,
hope hanging from a rope
because every rodeo begins
with confidence and a moving target.

Sony A7RV

FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM

Check out Candid 1218

Whittlesea Rodeo Series #1393 Whittlesea Showgrounds

 

The cowboy climbed on
with dreams of glory and fame.
The bull had other ideas
and ended the debate in seconds.

A cloud of dust rose,
the crowd held its breath
and somewhere beneath the chaos,
the dirt welcomed another visitor.

Sony A7RV

FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM

Check out Candid 1217

Melbourne Candid Series #1359 Swanston St

 

Sunlight spilled across Swanston Street,
Where tattoos, tourists, and tramlines meet.
One man crossed with iced coffee care,
Like philosophy lived in humid air.

Behind him marched the midday crowd,
Silent, weary, sunburnt, proud.
The city kept humming its concrete tune 
Half jazz concerto, half hot afternoon.

Sony A7RV

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 1206

Melbourne Candid Series #1358 Swanston St

 

Headphones on, she drifted through heat,
Past tourists, tram stops, and blistered feet.
One girl marched forward, one vanished away,
While Melbourne rehearsed another loud day.

A boy licked ice cream with existential grace,
As strangers performed the ballet of place.
Nobody paused, nobody cared 
Yet somehow the whole street quietly stared.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 1205 and FACE OFF

Melbourne Candid Series #1357 Collins St

 

Beneath the plane trees, summer strode by,
One with a glare, one with a sigh.
A taxi idled, the tram bells rang,
And somewhere a cyclist forgot his chain.

The city kept posing in monochrome grace,
While pedestrians marched at their own cool pace.
Melbourne, perhaps, at its most sincere 
Too busy to care, too stylish to disappear.

Sony A7RV

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 1204

Melbourne Candid Series #1356 Elizabeth St

 

Two wander past the crossing light,
midweek faces, urban white.
He walks as though he’s lost a train,
she looks immune to heat and pain.

Beside them stand the city bins,
sorting out humanity’s sins:
“Recycling here, your rubbish there 
but heartbreak? Sorry. We don’t care.”

Sony A7RV

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 1203

Melbourne Candid Series #1355 Elizabeth St

 

Café parliament beside the street,
where gossip and hot chips quietly meet.
One scrolls the phone like breaking news,
another debates in expressive views.

The traffic glitters, the city hums,
a cyclist flashes, a tram bell drums.
And every empty woven chair nearby
looks ready to join the argument by and by.

Sony A7RV

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 1202

Melbourne Candid Series #1354 Elizabeth St

 

Sidewalk symposium at half past noon,
chips in a cup and a summer tune.
One girl debates with philosopher’s fire,
another just nods while guarding her fries entire.

The city streams past in monochrome grace,
heels clicking sermons all over the place.
Meanwhile the chairs lean back, unconcerned 
as if Melbourne itself has paused and adjourned.

Sony A7RV

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 1201

Melbourne Candid Series #1353 Bourke St Mall

 

Bourke Street flowed in monochrome streams,
Full of errands, coffees, private dreams.
One woman marched like she owned the lane,
While shoppers drifted through summer’s plain.

A man with a beard and thousand-yard stare
Walked as though taxes were everywhere.
Near the shopfront sat quiet defeat,
Ignored by the rhythm of moving feet.

And overhead Melbourne stretched its shade 
A city of people, perpetually delayed.

Sony A7RV

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 1200

Melbourne Candid Series #1352 Bourke St

 

He marched through Bourke Street cool and grim,
As if the whole tram line worked for him.
Earbuds in, moustache precise,
Serving “don’t talk to me” dressed up nice.

Skechers glowing overhead bright,
Tourists drifting left and right,
Yet none could match that sideways stare 
Half runway pose, half “meet me there.”

Melbourne’s catwalk, noon parade:
Street photography, lightly caffeinated.

Sony A7RV

FE 16mm f1.8 G

Check out Candid 1199 and FACE OFF

Melbourne Candid Series #1351 Collins St

 

Beneath the signs and city glare,
They shuffle past without a care.
A stroller squeaks, a toddler strays,
While shoppers drift in weekday haze.

“The Beehive” hums above the crowd,
Silent, blinking, strangely proud.
And every face in black and white
Looks halfway home by fading light.

A street parade of thongs and sighs 
Melbourne life in candid disguise.

Sony A7RV

FE 16mm f1.8 G

Check out Candid 1198

Melbourne Candid Series #1350 Elizabeth St

 

The crossing light flashed white and bold,
A river of humans began to roll.
One checked texts, one pushed the pram,
One small child refused the plan.

Tourists drifted, locals marched,
Summer heat already parched.
And somewhere deep in city lore,
Someone forgot what they came for.

Sony A7RV 

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 1197

Melbourne Candid Series #1349 Elizabeth St

 

She strode through Melbourne’s monochrome maze,
Tattooed with stories from louder days.
One eye on time, one hand on her drink,
Too busy to care what the strangers think.

Subway, sushi, tobacco, tram
The city keeps shouting “Here I am!”
But she walked on with elegant speed,
Powered by caffeine and zero need.

Sony A7RV

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 1196

Melbourne Candid Series #1348 Collins St

 

Two souls marched through the city glare,
One wore patience, one wore mirrored air.
He carried snacks like sacred loot,
She carried silence sharp as truth.

Denim, sunglasses, midday heat
Love survives on tired feet.
And somewhere between the parking sign
They’d already argued where to dine.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 1195

Melbourne Candid Series #1347 Bourke St Mall

 

He stands outside the velvet rope,
Backpack packed with snacks and hope.
The crowd behind performs the wait
Modern life in single file fate.

Children spin and parents sigh,
Security watches dreams walk by;
But this lone fellow, calm and still,
Looks ready for a budget thrill.

Perhaps a movie, perhaps a sale,
Perhaps just air-conditioning and retail.
Yet in his stance there softly lingers
The patience of airport gate-zingers.

Sony A7RV

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 1194

Melbourne Candid Series #1346 Collins St

 

The father snacks mid-city stride,
Crunching chips with guilty pride.
The mother steers through crowded lanes,
Conducting footpath traffic jams.

But there below, in stroller throne,
A tiny king sits all alone
Sipping water, calm and wise,
Judging all with toddler eyes.

Around him Melbourne roars and rolls,
Deadlines, shoppers, coffee goals;
Yet he, with bottle held just right,
Looks like he owns the street outright.

Sony A7RV

FE 16mm f1.8 G

Check out Candid 1193