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city, laneways, Melbourne, old buildings, old signs, photography, Photos, postaday, signs
Melbourne is known for its laneways and arcades. There are some beautiful ones around the city. Some almost as old as the city itself.
A few years ago when I was doing a photography course at TAFE, in 2003, one of the students I was studying with took me to a laneway in the city. It was quite amazing. It was almost like time hadn’t caught up and gave a great insight into what the laneways probably looked like once.
This image always attracted me. I love the old next to the new. The tall building is part of the shot tower complex I showed you last week in the post Revisiting Melbourne. In one of the images of the shot tower you can see that high rise building through the windows.
I love the blue stone buildings. There is some new mixed in with the old, but I think you can see what it would have looked like once, especially with horses going down it.
This sign is up on the side of the building. Old signs like this are so good. You don’t see them like this anymore. Signwriters do all their signs on colourbond and then they screwed them up there. You don’t see them up ladders painting the signs onto the side of buildings anymore.
This is the door to something. According to the sign on the side, it is the door to the Mercantile Press, though I doubt they are still there, or even still exist. I think the door is amazing. It is nice to see doors that are so weathered and rough.
All these images were taken with Ilford HP4, ISO 125, so a fine grain film and a good one to use. As it was film I have no recollection what aperture I was using, or what shutter speed to use.
I would love to go back and take photos here again, but I haven’t been able to find the lane way again. I can roughly work out where it was, but haven’t really gone looking again. It could take me days to find it, well not really, but hours at least. Shame really.
Stunning…. old doors have always fascinated me…. I dream of having a big old renovated front door!!! Someday…
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Leanne… Would be lost without your daily post & experiments!!! Have nominated you with the Sunshine Award!!! Check it out!!!
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http://xandreverkes.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/catching-up-on-a-few-awards/
Great big old doors are so cool. I would love one too, have to have a house with big entrance.
Thanks for the award, I feel quite chuffed, thanks again.
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Black and white can be so intriguing.
It can be. Thanks Bonnie
Love these…the town where my daughter lives has old buildings like that. The fronts have been updated with siding or paint, but if you sneak around the back, you get a glimpse of an ealier day…
About how old are these buildings?
I have no idea how old they are, but since Melbourne was only settled around 1835, they can’t be older than than that. I would think around 100 to 120 years old. Which I know for most countries isn’t old at all, but it is for here.
That’s old for a large part of the US, too. The east coast goes back to the 1600, but the middle of the country starts around 1825 -1850. The place I grew up wasn’t even a state until 1905!
I love visiting Melbourne through your camera lens.
I’m with you on the old signs…there are still some like that in downtown Memphis….I need to get down there…..so much I want to shoot there. I love the door…it’s really sharp.
I like watching how they fade and then the paint start peeling off, they are brilliant. You don’t see them too much anymore, but many of the ones here are protected so they can’t be destroyed.
I’m really loving seeing your old photos as well as the new. We’ve been friends for so long but these are all new to me. Great to see your history as a photographer being fleshed out.
It must be weird to you. I did photography for many years before I met you, but I never considered myself one when we were at uni. Glad you like them, I think I’m a much better photographer than printmaker.