Melbourne at Night (in the rain)
There’s something fascinating about watching a dog eat a rabbit. Having caught the thing, wandered round with for a while finding a nice spot then beginning to devour it. The bunny’s head went first. Little by little it’s fur was sent scattering about as the insides came out for consumption.
Turned out to be a fun weekend. Far too much was drunk on Saturday night. Friday night’s football was dissected in minute detail and injury woes discussed. Next weekend should be very interesting.
Also sorted out the origins of the humble Pavlova. It comes from New Zealand but was named in Australia.
One other good thing came out of the weekend. I now have a better room at the hostel. Instead of sharing with a French guy who left his used tissues and underwear all over the floor I now have an English girl for a room mate.
One thing I’ve been meaning to do for a long time now is to take a walk round Melbourne at night.
Until I got to Byron Bay I hadn’t actually fully discovered the potential of my camera. I knew it had the capability to let me alter it’s settings, changing the aperture and shutter speed but like the fool that I am sometimes I hadn’t actually read up on how it all worked. Then, as time passed, I sort of forgot it was all there.
It did mean I lost the chance to photograph Sydney at night. Sydney’s a glorious city to the eye. Melbournians may hate it but then that’s their prerogative. Personally, I loved it. It has a pair of world famous constructions, the Opera House and the harbour bridge. Melbourne doesn’t have such monuments. It does have the classic ‘city skyline’. That tall set of buildings which show up for miles (or kilometres) around as you approach. The Rialto building, Melbourne Central, et al.
Then there’s the city at night where numerous buildings are lit up. They show themselves in a whole new perspective, as is often the case with good architecture.
So last night, in between rain showers, I started taking a few random tram trips around the city. It’s times like these that a tripod would come in very handy. It’s not a luxury I can afford (more weight, more packing) but with something to lean on a steady hand is easy to come by for those 1-2 second shutter speeds.
The biggest problem with night time photographs is finding the right spot, being able to hold the camera steady and timing. A spot of patience doesn’t go amiss either, taking the same photo numerous times, adjusting settings and then hoping that at least one photo will look good.
The rain did put me off a little. It rained at Crown but held off around Federation Square. I’ll go out again a couple more times though before the week is out.
