From the Archives: Guildford Lane

I had spent a long time in Melbourne's CBD for work, and a big portion of that time was at Guildford Lane. This now-picturesque and somewhat famous laneway of Melbourne wasn't always like the pictures you see in my blog post – for a long time, it was a drab red-brick lined blue stone cobbled laneway, dotted with old motorbike mechanic workshops that have long since gone bust, contained an electrical substation, and bookended by sketchy looking pubs and backpacker hostels.

Then sometime pre-Covid 2020, a greenery program started to take shape in the laneway, with lots of planter boxes, steel cabling for vine growing and shelving furniture for pots installed, along with the plants themselves. I don't recall the exact details, but I think it was a collaboration between LaTrobe University and the City of Melbourne. Over time, these plants had grown and blossomed, have been looked after by the residents of the laneway, and has drawn some attention by visitors as they marvel at the transformation. Most laneways are small, cramped and full of pasties and graffiti – by all means all acceptable to have in Melbourne – but I am a stickler for greenery, and the greening program really delivered in spades.

Some time ago, when I was participating at my local photography club, someone had donated their film-era camera gear – a Praktika Nova b from 1965, and a late-1970s Olympus OM-2n. No one at the club was interested in the gear, but I was, so I took them. The Praktika came with a bunch of lenses but mostly are telephoto (and I am not confident to shoot telephoto on film, given I can't see what I capture until after my film's developed), but the Olympus OM-2n only came with a Tamron zoom. The Tamron is okay I guess – I mean, you have to shoot with something – but the Olympus OM-2n was a joy to use. It is a very compact and smart looking camera, meters very well and is very easy to use too, given its size.

The problem I had however is that my fingers still talk Nikon. Having the shutter speed, focus and aperture all within millimeters of each other made it difficult for me to adjust my settings (and match my metering needles) while looking in the viewfinder – something that I don't struggle with in Nikon-land. Having said that though, I do love my Olympus OM-2n dearly, and for the price of zero dollars, I can't really complain! I have since purchased an Olympus G-Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 lens, but have yet to give that lens a whirl.

My most favourite photo out of this set is Light and Shadow, not actually taken on Guildford Lane proper, but its sister laneway of McLean Alley, a street that is blue-stone cobbled by every sense of the word – be careful walking here if you don't want to roll an ankle! However, the first photo of this set, a warm-up shot looking down Guildford lane at harsh noon sun, seemed to be most popular on the Instagrams. Can't argue with that, it's still a great click.

Alas I no longer work at Guildford Lane, as my workplace having packed up and moved to Cremorne. That place is its own little ecosystem that I am chomping at the bit to explore, but which is a tad more industrial than the green lush you get at beautiful Guildford Lane.