Melbourne Candid Series #40

 

Have a bite in Subway

It went out of business after pandemic

Canon 5D 

EF 50mm f1.2 L

50mm photos

Melbourne Candid Series #20

 

Captain Hook 

Canon 7D

EF 50mm f1.2 L

50mm shots

Melbourne Candid Series #491St Kilda Rd

 

The casual atmosphere is refreshing 

I have been wondering whether I should restrict the posts to Melbourne only. However, I need to stick to the gun I guess. Posting city street shots away from Melbourne would only ruin the algorithm. 

An idea to post dedicate to 50mm focal length has been on my mind for a while. Maybe that would be a new challenge for me using 50mm only for street shots. 

Sony A7RV

FE 24mm f1.4 GM

Check out Candid 358

Melbourne Candid Series #1128 Hosier Lane

 

In Hosier Lane where colours clash,
Where echoes bloom from spray can’s flash,
A man stood still with cap pulled low,
A camera poised, his eyes aglow.

The walls around were wild and loud,
A canvas shouting to the crowd—
Yet he, alone, in quiet stance,
Beheld it all as if in trance.

Each line, each stroke, each painted name,
To him was more than fleeting flame.
He sought the story, raw and true,
In every burst of red or blue.

No words he spoke, no sound he made,
Just shadows moved where light would fade.
The lens, an eye, both still and wise,
Caught truth in chaos, form in cries.

And though the world just walked on by,
He watched the wall like one who’d try
To read the soul of street and stone—
A man, a cap, a craft, alone.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 883

Melbourne Candid Series #502 South Bank

 

He looks like Colonel Sanders

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 369

and FACE OFF

Melbourne Candid Series #1060 Swanston St

 

Morning spills on Swanston Street,
Shadows stretch where footsteps meet.
Golden light, a soft ballet,
Across the tiles in quiet display.

Pedestrians pass in restless streams,
Drawn by duties, hopes, and dreams.
An elder moves with practiced grace,
Time etched deep upon his face.

To the right, his steady pace—
A calm within the urban race.
Opposite, young and still, a man,
Hair in a bun, lost in his plan.

They share a stage of tiled stone,
Together, yet each walks alone.
Two eras pause, the morning hums—
And city life in silence drums.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 816

Melbourne Candid Series #27

 

Got noticed 

Oops

Federation Square

Canon 5D EF 50mm f1.2 L

Federation Square Candids

Melbourne Candid Series #320 Ticket Kiosk in Southern Cross Station

 

I know it is a bit plain. Just not travelling to CBD to snap photos these days. 

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 196

Melbourne Candid Series #1173 Bourke St Mall

 

Off Bourke Street Mall,
she sits upon a steel bench,
an elderly Asian woman,
hands clasped firm upon her bag
as though it were a small anchor.

Her gaze drifts outward,
past the restless river of shoes,
the tide of passing strangers
that rises, breaks, and folds again.

Behind her, the bench gleams cold;
before her, the city surges on.
She waits in her stillness,
a quiet figure rooted,
while the world keeps hurrying by.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 928

Melbourne Candid Series #826 Collins St

 

Uber eat?

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 577

Melbourne Candid Series #1237 Albert Lake

 

By Albert Park Lake in Melbourne’s chill,
a young chap stood, poised and still
man bun tight, a Viking’s air,
the morning light caught in his hair.

In his hands, a slender staff—
at either end, twin circles laughed,
spinning, flashing, slicing air,
a dance of metal, bold and rare.

He moved with rhythm, fierce and free,
each turn a whispered melody,
the lake reflected sky and flame,
and he—untamed—without a name.

Joggers slowed, the breeze grew keen,
the water shimmered, silver-green;
the blades kept turning, wild delight
a Norse ghost playing in the light.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 993

Melbourne Candid Series 978 Swanston St

 

He was once a familiar figure, but since the onset of COVID, he has not been seen. Not homeless, he was renowned among Melbourne's city photographers—a retired academic possessing several properties. Yet, he chose to live without a roof, embracing the outdoors as his dwelling.

His absence now evokes contemplation about the profound impacts of the pandemic on individual lives. Electing to forgo traditional comforts despite ample means suggests a quest for freedom or a deeper connection with the world unconfined by walls.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 737

Melbourne Candid Series #59

 

Morning run at South Bank, Melbourne

Canon 5D 

EF 50mm f1.2 L

You can find my other photos at 

Candid Gallery

Melbourne Candid Series #167

 

He supposed to be Gringe ... Fun to see how he poses for me

Birrarung Marr

Pentax K20D

Leica 50mm f2 Summicron

Check out Candid 31 and Face OFF

Melbourne Candid Series #970 Collins Arcade, Collins St

 

A matronly lady, adorned with a whimsical crown-like hairpiece, sits patiently, lending her ear to two others at the far end of the table

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 729

Melbourne Candid Series #1135 Swanston St (before winter this year)

 

Upon Swanston Street, where footsteps meet,
A lone man walks in midday heat.
With earphones snug and singlet white,
He strides ahead, lost from all sight.

The city's hum fades to a tone,
For in his world, he walks alone.
Eyes widely shut, no glance is thrown—
This is his hour, he is the zone.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 889 and FACE OFF

Melbourne Candid Series #712 Hosier Lane, Melbourne

 

Always finding people do all sorts of things in here

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 462

Melbourne Candid Series #330 Costume

 

She wears iron bra in St Kilda Parade

Canon 7D

EF 50mm f1.2

Check out Candid 180

Melbourne Candid Series #1126 Hosier Lane

 

In Hosier Lane where shadows dwell,
And cobbled streets their secrets tell,
A man and woman paused their stride
To gaze into the sky wide-eyed.

Graffiti flared on every wall,
Yet they saw past the painted sprawl—
Not colours bold or rebel scrawl,
But something vast beyond it all.

Their heads were tilted, side by side,
Their breath a mist the cold supplied.
In black and white the moment stayed,
Two figures caught in light and shade.

What did they seek above the stone?
A passing bird, a world unknown?
The clouds perhaps, or trailing plane,
Or simply wonder, pure, unfeigned.

No words were said, no need to speak,
The silent sky was wide and bleak.
But in that hush, as time slipped by,
They touched the edge of winter’s sky.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 881

Melbourne Candid Series #1241 Lakeside Drive Albert Park

 

In Albert Park Lake where the soft winds play,
three rowers drift at the break of day;
their canoes glide under willow lace,
where branches brush each tranquil face.

The central island, hushed and green,
cradles the stillness, pure, serene;
reflections shimmer, trees lean low,
their mirrored limbs in ripples glow.

Each paddle stroke, a gentle tune,
the water hums beneath the noon;
three hearts in rhythm, smooth and wide,
slip through the dream the willows hide.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 997