Melbourne Candid Series #920 Collins St

 

The luxurious part of the street 

Collins Street in Melbourne is renowned as a hub for luxury shopping, offering an upscale experience that attracts both locals and tourists. Known as the “Paris End” of the street, it’s lined with some of the world’s most prestigious fashion houses, high-end boutiques, and exclusive brands.

The street’s opulent atmosphere is accentuated by historic buildings with stunning architecture, creating a unique blend of old-world charm and modern elegance. Iconic stores such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada have established their presence here, alongside renowned Australian luxury brands like Aesop and Zimmermann.

In addition to high fashion, Collins Street also boasts exquisite jewelers, including Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari, offering an array of fine jewelry and timepieces. Whether you’re in the market for couture clothing, bespoke accessories, or exquisite gifts, Collins Street is the ultimate destination for those seeking sophistication and luxury.

Shoppers can also enjoy an array of fine dining options and cafes, making it not just a shopping destination but a lifestyle experience. From the grand department stores to the charming side streets, Collins Street represents the epitome of style, quality, and elegance in Melbourne.

Sony A7RV

FE 35mm f1.4 GM

Love the afternoon sun 

Check out Candid 680

Melbourne Candid Series #365 Lygon Street Carlton

 

Lygon Street pub corner 

Rather bustling atmosphere in this dying part of town 

Sony A7RV

FE 14mm f1.8 GM

I come across this argument in a local street photography forum "Edit or no edit" 

"If you post process, it doesn't mean that you haven't learned the equipment or your style. In fact some who post process know their equipment intimately knowing very well the bounds of the tools available to them.

Also, post processing predates digital by a long way. Are those who dodged and burned in the darkroom not real photographers, or photographers with extra skill sets?

If you take what you can get out of in camera jpeg as a strict constraint, that means that you have accepted the choices your camera's engineers made for prioritising highlights, shadows, saturation etc. Even if you're a 100% manual shooter, you have accepted that you're going to let the camera make a lot of decisions on processing for you.

If you shoot raw and post process, you are no less of a photographer because of it. If you choose an in camera preset or film sim, again you have accepted someone else's choices for final processing.

If you have files from 2008 in low light, they look noisy because digital cameras sucked at low light in 2008. If you feed those old photos into software in 2023 that can recognise sensor noise and correct it with a high degree of accuracy, it doesn't mean that you didn't know how to use a camera in 2008. You may have just accepted noise as a trade-off for a reasonable exposure.

If you have a camera released this year and push iso in a difficult situation to get the shot rather than not, knowing that software in 2023 can correct sensor noise really well, it doesn't mean that you didn't learn your equipment. It could just mean that you know enough to get the shot rather than not."

Check out Candid 216 and FACE OFF

Melbourne Candid Series #234 - Crossing the street in Flinders Street

 

Flinders Street in Melbourne

Sony A7RIV

Laowa 9mm f5.6

Check out Candid 97

Melbourne Street Candid #268 Collins Street Arcade

 

Collins Street Arcade

Panasonic G9

Leica 15mm f1.8 

Check out Candid 132

Melbourne Candid Series #1099 Latrobe St

 

A flicker, a blur in black and white,
LaTrobe Street hums with ghostly light.
Figures drift through evening’s haze,
Like dreams that walk in city’s maze.

Costumes swirl in shadowed gleam,
Half-seen faces from a fevered dream.
Masks and laughter, heels that glide,
Through the grayscale pulse of Melbourne’s side.

Sequins shimmer, then disappear,
Caught in headlight ghosts that veer.
A cape, a crown, a tangled wig —
Moments vanish, faint and big.

No color names the scene tonight,
Just monochrome and borrowed light.
A party spills from time and street,
Where strangers in disguise all meet.

The tram-line hums a distant song,
While blurred legs dance the night along.
And memory holds what lens can't keep —
A moving dream, half-lost in sleep.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 855

Melbourne Candid Series #239 Flinders Street Candid

 

Flinders Street crosswalk - Sun is glaring into people's faces

Sony A7RIV

Laowa 9mm f5.6

Check out Candid 101

Melbourne Candid Series #317 Spencer Street, Melbourne

 

Spencer Street, Melbourne

A concrete jungle in this part of CBD

Sony A7RIV

FE 24mm f1.4 

Check out Candid 194

Melbourne Candid Series #144

 

Off Spencer Street - Car dealer receptionist 

Pentax K20D 

FA 77mm f1.8 limited

See Other Spencer Street Posts

Melbourne Candid Series #1085 Swanston St

 

On Swanston Street where city sounds swell,
An Indian man, mid-step, begins to tell
A story through static, phone to ear,
His laughter soft, but bright and clear.

On the other side, a cluster stands—
School kids with backpacks, restless hands.
Their eyes are lifted, faces aglow,
At something above they yearn to know.

Perhaps it’s a tram, or a statue’s grin,
Or clouds that dream where thoughts begin.
Each child still in a world so wide,
A marvel caught on the city’s side.

And in that frame, both calm and cheer,
Life strolls by in layers clear—
A street, a glance, a drifting tone,
Where moments meet but walk alone.

Sony A7RV

FE 20-70mm f4 G

Check out Candid 841

Melbourne Candid Series #943 Beach Rd St Kilda

 

I thought roller blade is no longer cool

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 702

Indeed, the realm of prize-winning street photography often seems dominated by themes of poverty or the horrors of war. This trend tends to overshadow genuine street photography, which frequently goes unappreciated. It is rather disheartening. I must acknowledge the need to seek out photographers in Melbourne who have a genuine passion for this genre.

Melbourne Candid Series #360 Elizebath St, Melbourne

 

I attempted 135mm fixed focal length to do a trial candid shoot in street. Quite a different perspective. The folks in camera club often told me not to use telephoto lenses in street photography.

Sony A7RV

FE 135mm f1.8 GM

Check out Candid 213

Melbourne Candid Series #354 Fitzroy Street, Melbourne

 

Another delivery driver in the dying business

Fitzroy Street, Melbourne

Sony A7RV

FE 14mm f1.8 GM

Check out Candid 209

Melbourne Candid Series #1037 Hosier Lane

 

In Melbourne’s heart where colors blend,
Hosier Lane, where murals mend.
A canvas loud, a painted stream,
Where art and life entwine in dream.

Amidst the walls so wild, alive,
A young pair struck a pose with vibe.
She raised the phone, her head askew,
Framing the street in vibrant hue.

He tapped his ear, a wicky style,
A playful smirk, a carefree smile.
Graffiti glowed in neon spray,
Yet love outshone the art that day.

The shutter clicked, a flash so fleet,
A fleeting pose on painted street.
Yet in that frame, so bold, so free,
Their moment lived—eternally.

Sony A7RV

FE 20-70mm f4 G

Check out Candid 793 and FACE OFF

Melbourne Candid Series #1149 Swanston St

 

On Swanston Street in midday glare,
Two young men wandered without a care.
In singlets light and weathered stride,
They moved like currents, side by side.

One bore a cap, his mullet proud,
Sunglasses hooked, his stance unbowed.
He faced ahead, eyes on the flow,
A figure caught in city’s glow.

The other turned, his glance askew,
A bag in hand, tattoos in view.
A smile broke free—half sun, half jest,
As though the world had passed some test.

Diverging steps in Melbourne's heat,
Two stories danced along the street.
Each bearing tone, a silent song,
Of youth adrift, where all belongs.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 903

Melbourne Street Candid #259 Street advertising on South Bank pavement

 

Free advertising on the pavement at South Bank 

Panasonic G9

Leica 12mm f1.4 

Check out Candid 123

Melbourne Candid Series #1097 Latrobe St

 

On Latrobe Street, where night chills bite,
A chap pulls on his jumper tight.
The breeze slips through the urban sprawl,
And winter whispers over all.

Beside him, in the lamplight's gleam,
Another sits, lost in his stream—
Of stories, laughs, a slanted grin,
A glass of spirit clutched within.

The clink of ice, the breath of gin,
The warmth that stirs somewhere within.
Though cold may creep through coat and bone,
He speaks as if he's not alone.

The city hums, the footfalls fade,
As if this moment's gently made—
Two friends, a street, the hour deep,
While Melbourne rocks itself to sleep.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 853

Melbourne Candid Series #162

 

He is quite charming. There are a lot of ladies screaming in the audience. 

Some tell me street photography is easy. But taking good street photography is very hard. 

Federation Square, Melbourne

Canon 5D 

EF 135mm f2 L

This is linking to Black and White Photo Hub

Melbourne Street Candid #271 De Graves St Eatery

 

A bustling street

Panasonic G9

Leica 15mm f1.8 

Check out Candid 134

Melbourne Candid Series #1045 Hosier Lane

 

On Hosier Lane where colors gleam,
They pose beneath a spray-can dream.
Graffiti walls, bold strokes and flame,
Now backdrop to their fleeting fame.

He lifts his chin, his left knee bent,
A tilted grin, all cool intent.
The street a stage, his stance precise,
Caught mid-pose like thrown-back dice.

She holds the phone with steady grace,
An upright calm upon her face.
A frame composed, no words to say—
Their story told in light and spray.

They’re not just two among the crowd,
But stars beneath the street art cloud.
In digital ink, the moment stays,
Two hearts immortalised in haze.

Sony A7RV

FE 20-70mm f4 G

Check out Candid 801

Melbourne Candid Series #1103 Latrobe St

 

Beneath the glow of Melbourne’s night,
On La Trobe where street lamps light,
A table hums with quiet cheer—
Chinese diners gathered near.

Their laughter soft, their voices low,
As city breezes gently blow.
Pasta twirls on lifted forks,
Steam rising up in fragrant corks.

Chili kissed the olive thread,
While stories in their language spread.
In bowls, a world both new and known—
Tradition met in foreign tone.

The night rolls on, a gentle stream,
Of noodle curls and shared daydream,
Where cultures blend in warm delight,
On La Trobe Street, deep in night.

Sony A7RV

FE 50mm f1.2 GM

Check out Candid 859