Melbourne : Reflections in the rain

Saturday 11th August was one of those "Four seasons in a day" days. Huge clouds flirted with the sky and, occasionally, the earth. Starting with steady rain on the roof. Clearing by ten or eleven. Plenty of puddles remained making for some great reflections. And seeking those opportunities, Saturday's plan. It's handy to walk with a plan. To try to focus on. Rather than shoot everything.

As I walked the day turned to sunshine; and then, just when one might have thought it would be sunny till sundown, the rain returned, together with icy cold sleet that left a real chill in the air. Sony batteries are tiny. I had five but the freezing cold air chilled them to early retirement forcing me to call it quits sooner than I would have. But it's all good. I had a great walk.

All pics made with the 'special' street Sony. I compressed shots to make it easier to view. With the exception of the shot above, in the order taken. I hope you enjoy.

There's some interesting street art beneath this underpass beside the railway lines running in to Flinders Street Station. The spire on the left is St Paul's Cathedral. The next key building with the dome is The Forum theatre.

A young couple walk by. City Sightseeing Melbourne, parked opposite The Forum Theatre building on Flinders Street. Look at those cleverly decorated concrete blocks!

It's great to be taller. So the big concrete blocks are useful after all.

The men in the mirror. And yes, i'm there too.

Wet, slippery and cold. Outside the shed on the West end of Victoria Market.

And then the sun appeared and lit up the doughnut kitchen. The line was too long. So I still haven't tasted these. I noticed (from the banner) Victoria Market is open till 10pm every Wednesday through to 29 August. Visitors to Melbourne should check it out!

Food to eat. Look: Doughnuts make you smile!

Words for life, and, to quote a Switchfoot line: The Shadow proves the sunshine.

I love corner buildings. Then we have awesome dramatic sky. Silhouetted figures framed by bikes. So I had to take this picture. This is diagonally opposite the entrance to Victoria Market.

After grabbing coffee at the market I walked South on Elizabeth Street. I passed this dude talking on his phone. I turned, focussed, and waited just long enough for him to notice me. Click. Then I walked on and i reckon he talked on. Sun's still shining. But that's about to change.

Little men with feathers. Now the sky is dark it's about to rain again.

Sharing a laugh. They seem to enjoy the crazy weather feeling as much as I do.

The umbrellas come out. I love shooting trams when they're moving while the people wait.

And then the sky opened and all that's missing is the cats and dogs. Yes there's sleet (small bits of ice) mixed in.

Escaping the rain is fun!

Taking care: some puddles are much deeper than others!

Centre Place is one of Melbourne's most popular laneways. I think Melbourne's laneways set it apart from most places i've ever been. I love how everything reflects in this place. This guy was waiting for others to clear the scene so his photographer could get the pic. They had "professional" kit .. i.e. off body wireless flash. I wouldn't know if he's "anybody".

I went in to South Gate mall and grabbed a "Smokey Chicken Fajita" in a bowl at Salsas. It's become my favourite. Especially when it's cold out. Then I walked up stairs and stepped out to find a small rainbow. Late afternoon sunlight breaking from (obviously) behind me. And the rainbow set against more dark clouds in the East. Just have to love these four seasons in a day kind of Melbourne Winter Days.

Madagascar : Through the windscreen

Here are a selection of shots, mostly grab-shots through the windscreen, taken during my two weeks in Madagascar. Yes I got to sit in the front seat this time. Some taken with the special Sony; others with an amazing iPhone. Often one can't tell the difference!

The driver is at the back and he's standing on the brake. It's a crude system but it works. I reckon they've mastered the art of improvisation. At least when it comes to their vehicles!

These people seem to be pulling stuff ( I know not what ) from the water to their raft. It's a tight crop.. so I couldn't zoom in further. It's a different life!

I'd just told Kim I would no longer deliberately shoot into the sun when I had him stop the car so I could jump out and shoot this one. I was 'taken' by the extraordinary amount of smokey haze in the air. They burn stuff. And there are people everywhere. This place is not for those wishing to breath sweet mountain air!

Taken a few minutes before the previous one. You can just see the line of smoke above the ridge. I took this one to show how an ordinary suburban road cuts between a very rough embankment and a neat garden wall! 

A pastoral scene. In the distance kids play soccer.

A tighter crop of the shot above. What can I say. It's a different life. And they're carefree in the moment.

Roadside commerce. It's incredible to think those two tiny children (and thousands of others) play and somehow survive on the narrow edge so near the wheels of so many vehicles.

On his way to Hogwarts with a delivery.

Some roads are easier than others. This is not in a suburb. It's a main / national road threading its path through narrow 'gaps' in various villages. It took us 3.5hours to cover about 60km from Lake Mantasoa to Antananarivo!

Bamboo scaffolding systems were everywhere to see. And I don't remember seeing a single unnecessary bright yellow safety vest. Anywhere. Thanks goodness the yellow (high-vis) fever hasn't spread everywhere.

A road-side sofa store?

Going bananas

Two "Vazaha" buying bread rolls from tiny stall on roadside. Amazingly we were charged the normal price, not the inflated price sometimes charged to 'vazaha' (light-skinned tourists). Thanks, Andy, for sneaking this super shot!

Not an oxcart, but a zebu cart. See the humps. Zebu are thought to have originated in Asia (possibly India). But Madagascan Zebu are special: "Genetic analysis of African cattle has found higher concentrations of zebu genes all along the east coast of Africa, with especially pure cattle on the island of Madagascar, either implying that the method of dispersal was cattle transported by ship or alternatively, the zebu may have reached East Africa via the coastal route (Pakistan, Iran, Southern Arabian coast) much earlier and crossed over to Madagascar." (wikipedia)

An everyday scene. Every few hundred metres. People, bicycles, cars, wagons, anything / everything must share the same roads.

French cars of various ages. And a bicycle and one or two japanese vehicles.

Independence day lanterns for sale. Sue bought a bunch and we all had plenty of fun later that evening. Must still blog that.

Look at those beds!

Sunset from the road side. Near Antananarivo. Yes I broke my rule and shot into the sun here again. If you made it this far thanks heaps for having a look. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a comment or a like!

Bike ride, Melbourne

One of these days I'll hook a camera on the bicycle and try to youtube the ride to the city. It's pretty, interesting, scenic. Half the fun in going into the city with a camera is getting there on a bicycle. The ride takes me roughly 1.5hours vs half an hour in the car. Felt like a good opportunity to unwind and burn some chocolate energy. Especially on a perfectly still blue-sky 22 degree day in Autumn.

I try to get something different each time I take the camera out. I still see perfect moments and forget (or am not ready) to click the shutter. If you neglect this 'art' you definitely slow down. Even if you're not artistic and I don't think I really am but I try. And it's good to walk and breath the air either way.

I usually take two cameras. One, an inconspicuous compact fixed 35mm focal length which usually takes most of the shots. The other a compact with a zoom lens just in case. Only used the zoom lens to compress the buttons on the concrete block (see lower down). Anyhow, here are some of my favs from today. Enjoy!

Such a good looking Tram, they should expect to have their pictures taken!

Spectacular new artwork on the old Nylex Silos.

This guy has incredibly strong fingers, hand, arm. He could do one-handed push up to his finger tips and then rotate his body. The word "Incredible" comes to mind.

They seem to like it (the pic they took)

Melbourne is now littered with huge concrete blocks intended to deter crazy people in vehicles running down pedestrians. Most blocks have been decorated by the creatively inspired. Some more inspired than others. This must be one of the more intricate ones, adorned with colourful buttons!

Everyone in Melbourne should have an umbrella cause you never know when... 

The Princes Bridge Hotel. Generally less photographed than it should be. Because we all focus on Flinders Street Station (just opposite - and in the background here). I still haven't a perfect shot at this place. Will keep trying.

So now I can repair my bike if it breaks down. In theory. Suspect all I'd be able to do is pump a tyre. But it's better than nothing and it's free!

Iphone pano from underneath the highway. No edits. Not perfect. But you get the idea. They are huge!

Supafish. Floating restaurant and recent addition to Southbank. It appears to be very popular, both with diners and photographers taken by the clever fish-like-skeletal structure. As you can see the leaves have begun to fall. It's Autumn!