I took this photo with my new Canon SD870 IS camera, which is a great little camera. I’m looking for a specific where and bonus points for a guess of who that is. Where Art Thou? Put your guesses in the comments.

I had a chance to walk down Lygon Street over the weekend. Friends and family of the two killed (Raed “Ali” Marouche & Mohammed Moussa) have erected a memorial on the lamp post. Just meters down the road near the phone box, as seen in the far distance of the photo is the memorial for Damian Cooper. In an even stranger twist, it appears that the driver’s brother died in similar circumstances seven years ago, further up Lygon Street.

Links:

Melbourne Metblogs: Change out of a Tragedy and Hoons

Herald Sun: Two sons died on same street

Not only did bleugh correctly guess the object,  but also gave an exact location and time. Great job! This photo by Adam Dimech was taken in December as bleugh pointed out, by the blue hanging Christmas lights on the top left. It’s amazing that something as simple as a bench can look like a piece of art .

Links:

Flickr: Radiant

Where Art Thou Week 12

Congratulations to marmalade who correctly guessed The Public Purse. The Public Purse is another piece of quirky Melbourne art. It is located on the corner of Elizabeth and Bourke Street outside of the old GPO. The work, made from calca red granite and stainless steel was created in 1994 by Simon Perry, a lecturer at RMIT. It’s an interesting piece as it functions as a seat as well.

Photo by meicw

Links:

Public Artworks, Part of the City of Melbourne Collection (PDF)

Sunday was a busy day for me. I was clearly short of time, and late for pretty much everything I had to go for. I was buying some boxes, when a bloke approached me, asking me to take me to drive him to the bus loop at Monash. It was a sweltering hot day, and he was complaining that the buses weren’t showing up, and he himself was late to a birthday party for his niece in Noble Park.

Completely believable. Public transport, especially on a Sunday, sucks.

I wasn’t going towards Monash, but I figured I’d give him a lift. So what, it’d take away 10-15 minutes of my life. Big deal.

I was a bit cautious, asking him what he had in his bag, that he held in his hand. He assured me it was a card. Fair enough. As soon as I arrive at the bus loop, he gets out, thanks me, and literally runs to a bus that I presume takes him to his destination.

Back home late at night, and decide to unwind a little and read The Age. Then I see this: Three stabbings in night of violence. Then I think to myself, that it could have also been me. Hitch-hikers can kill, right?

In my defence, I felt like doing a good deed. It was a bloody hot day, and even I wouldn’t want to be out walking in the heat. But how can people attempt to be nice, in an age, where there’s so much violence?

What would you do?

Ideas came to my head… take a digital photo, from my mobile phone camera, and send it straight through to Flickr. Ask for ID, and photograph it?

Oh well, maybe I’m thinking too much. Just be happy all is well, and two people helped each other (I, by providing a lift, he by not doing anything nasty to me). Alas, I don’t even know his name ;)

So I was out and about yesterday and decided to head south of the Yarra for a change in scenery. While crossing the Princes Bridge snapping beautiful Sping shots, I was herded away by a couple of policemen. I wonder why they chased photographers away. Until I got home and read this yesterday.

Startled, I looked through my camera to check if I had, unintentionally, taken pictures of the cops and the dead body. That will explain why those cops chased me away. Lo and behold, I did. In the center of the picture, no less.

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Has anyone seen this bloke walking around Acland Street, St Kilda with his PET alpaca? It’s bizarre I tell ya. He takes donations that you drop into the alpaca’s purse - conveniently attached in front of its neck - for every picture that you take with it. I wonder what he does with the money? Free the Alpaca Movement? Alpaca Milk Is Good For You campaign?

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Last Friday, I was at the opening of UNSENSORED 07. It was a crowded event, with gallery-goers spilling to the back of the gallery, as well as onto High St. UNSENSORED is touted as the first annual exhibition, of a group on Flickr, called the Melbourne Silver Mine.

What made it so special (besides my friends amazing photography on the walls)? The fact that its all film-based. Some made even with toy cameras like the Holga or Diana. Quality, is amazing. Shows you that fancy digital cameras alone, do not make a good photo.

I find it an interesting mashup, of Flickr, and RedBubble. Yes, RedBubble, a company based right in the heart of Melbourne, makes some amazing prints (and from what I gather, frames). All the artwork were printed by them. Presentation is very professional. Take a look at the SilverMiner’s RedBubble page, if you fancy buying some artwork.

More importantly though, head to the exhibition, and be breath-taken by the 24 photos. I understand that at any given time, one of the photographers in the exhibition will be on duty, and will give valuable information about the photos, and be there for a regular chat. Details:

When? 26 October - 10 November 2007 (Tuesday - Friday, 12-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm)
Where? Kerala Gallery, 263, High St., Northcote
How do I get there? Driving is a possibility, there’s plenty of parking. Alternatively, take Tram Number 86, and get off at Stop 32 (stops pretty much right in front of Kerala)

Technorati Tags: unsensored, unsensored07, flickr, redbubble, galley, photographers, melbourne silver mine, msm, kerala gallery, northcote

Putting “beer” in the name of a venue is always going to attract punters. A couple of weeks ago while walking around Fed Square, I saw a sign for Beer DeLuxe and thought why not try it. The venue is split into a beer garden, hamburger grill, espresso cafe, and an inside dining area. I chose the beer garden / hamburger grill and got myself the DeLuxe Burger ($15) and a Sam Adams beer. A friend ordered up the cheeseburger.

The Verdict?
Pretty crap. For $15, you would expect some kind of decent burger. Hell, for $15 you can get a Bogan burger from the Napier or a Wagyu beef burger from Rockpool. The burgers were about the same standard you would get from a fish and chip shop. The food didn’t come with a plate and was served in a takeaway box.

Burgers aside, the beer garden is quite nice as it is at the very inside of the square away from the crowds and there are not many places serving Sam Adams, so that’s definitely points in my book. Although I haven’t tried any of the food inside, if you can’t make a burger then there is little chance the food inside will be any better. Go for the beers and avoid the burgers.

Beer DeLuxe
Federation Square
link

Picture by Michael Blamey (who has a different Melbourne photo on his site every day)

Technorati Tags: Melbourne, Australia, Federation Square, Beer DeLuxe

I took this picture from my backyard in Sunshine.