On a non discript Saturday with nothing particularly interesting planned i decided to reunite with and old friend, a beat up, well loved Sony A7S and a 35mm lens. Apart from an oste appoinment booked in the inner city that afternoon i had no plans. I attached the double battery exstension ascessory, slide in two fully charged battaries and attached a wrist strap and securing it to my right wrist i jumped in the car. instantly starting stapping photos.
The A7S with the double battery extention was my work horse and just like a wild bronco, molded me and taught me everything i had to know to carve out a life as a Freelance photographer.
it had been a long time since i had just picked up a camera and documented the passing of the day for no other intensive purpose other then the heck of it. and on this lazy Saturday i was inspired to make some new long term memories.
one of the fisrt photo i took that day was the out of focus image of the man, dog and defender. i didnt realise the dog was in the car untill i viewed the image back in camera. a pleasent surprise and an overall nice memory to start the day.
as i meandered the streets of fitzroy, a former stoming ground in my mid 20s, i noticed how the same process that had gentrified Prarahn on the east side of the river in the early 2000s was now reaching a crechendo, more multi rise apartment, cafes competeing with boutique nesseries and clothing stores springled in for consumer therapy. No longer was fizroy the sketchy side of the city. it too had sucome to the natural process of renual and development.
i often wonder, what are the requierment/ingredients that are precursers to the gentrification of an area, obviusly the location, but what is the turning point? when does a suberb tip over the edge and become a desirable destination and not just a streets and shops that you see from a tram or car window.
as i traveled deeper into the bowls of brunswick street, that now mirror the clean and cashed up colens of the new constitiants of postcode 3065, I couldnt help but feel selfconcious (this is nothing new, i have always had anxiety when it comes to taking photos in public. it has improved with age but for a very long time it was difficult for me to use my camera around other people and especially taking photos of people in public, i think this is why more of my work is of epmty spaces or forgoten things) I felt out of place, i couldnt tell if it was me or the area but something felt forgisn and not in an unfamiliar way but it felt, at moments that i could have been in brick Lane in London, perhaps.
On my way to a nessary that i would often frequent, mostly to walk around the spce to take in all the plants in ther designated biomes. it had moved... across the street into and old corner store, could have been a donut shop... unknown. another sign of the sutble shift that the area is going throu wholesomely. i walked towards this new stark, organised and regimented house of plants and couldnt help but be stucked in by a $225 cactus, no taller than a cat with around 5 palm sized succulents stacked. the type of cactust that grows invasivly all around victoria. I have seen cactus growing wild that was taller than a house and wider than a truck. as i moved further into the shop, i a cactus in a pot double the size of the first. $650..... yes sir, i would like to by this catctus for the pending auction this weekend, do you have anything that is well established and would look good in photos? $650 you say. ill take two for the rooftop garden.
after leaving the nersarry i walked back toward the city, i noticed a sign for an artist market on my way past so i decided to follow the road. as i walked down the intestine brick road i arrived at the fitzroy mills. A converted carpark that is host to vintage clothing, nick nacks and art. nestled inside the carpark is a portable coffee shop.
again i felt uncomfortable, the only reason i had walked in was to take photos, i had no intention of searching the racks for a new summer shirt or to buy a gift, my soul reasoning was the fact i had my camera i should take photos. i tried to be as sneeky as possible as to not get glares from anyone, and for the most part i think my stealth skill gained +1.
in the end i felt selfconsious but happy i captured the images i did.
x
VF