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Monday 20 May 2013

Sydney, Part 2 - People Watching







All images were taken by me and are un-edited.
When I went to Sydney earlier in the month (you can see part 1 here) my absolute favourite thing about my visit was the people and their street style. People of so many various interests, cultures, origins, ethnicities, languages and accents with such different and unique style.

I love people watching and Sydney was the perfect place for it. People were fearless in what they wore, I could've donned a top hat, zebra print shirt and a rainbow bubble skirt belted with a curtain tie and I would have fit right in. Although this ensemble would be with the addition of warm tights, fluffy socks and a big jacket -which would all be as equally outrageous - as it was freezing. I wish I could have gotten some shots of the people that wore get-ups like this, but unfortunately the people I managed to snap were wearing rather casual clothes. Most of the people were pretty much on a mission, so if I wanted to take a photo of them, I'd have to act fast. By the time I'd debated  in my head whether or not to chase after them or had taken my  camera from its' case, they were out of sight.

Although one very stylish person I managed to photograph was my mum's fabulous friend Robyn Catchlove (yes, that's her real name) who was mentioned in my previous post as our guide around Newtown and can be seen in the last image. She's posing for me inside a bar, positioned in front of a big glass window chosen especially so we could watch the people pass by. Although the image is in black and white, she's very vibrantly dressed: in an oversized electric blue jumper, a rainbow scarf and necklace, black leggings with red snakeskin shoes and her usual red lipstick and orange hair. But her personality is even more fun and exciting than her wonderful outfits.

As my mum, Robyn and I watched the people walk past the window we were sitting at, we spotted a rather brilliant looking man in a big leopard print coat. He was just the first of the people I am wishing I photographed. The clothes were as vibrant and as unique as the people that wore them, who were seen in flashes of colour wherever I went and were almost always smiling.
During my visit I saw a girl with galaxy tights, blue hair and a tardis dress and a man with so much curly black hair it hung over him like an umbrella. My mum and I spotted a guy who looked just like Viktor Krum from Harry Potter and the goblet of fire when we were enjoying Sushi Train one night, and another time we watched a woman in a full length cloak and elf ears as she crossed the street. One day we saw a lovely old man pushing a trolley and selling flowers (who I kind of wanted to be) and a girl wearing a summery fifties dress on a vintage bike, complete with a sixties picnic basket on the one day it was sunny.

Despite my wishing that I could have taken photos of all the lovely people I saw, I'm still happy with the images above. The first one is my favourite, I took my camera out after my mum and I came across an area where almost everyone was smoking. The photos I took weren't that great until this lady sat down and lit her cigarette. I was clicking away and managed to capture the smoke quite nicely I think, she gave me a smile and my mum and I continued walking. The second was taken not long after that and the others were snapped on different days.
I could go on forever about all the beautiful and interesting people I spotted and the clothes they wore. How liberating it was to wear whatever I wanted, putting on my stripy tights or my faux fur jacket and zipping up my seventies boots so haphazardly. Living where I do, pretty much anything other than sneakers, a plain shirt and jeans would be considered overdressed, so it was nice not to care about what I was wearing. After my experience in Sydney I will endeavour to be a little more fearless in what I wear.                      

14 comments:

Elisabeth said...

Oh I absolutely know, what you mean in the first sentences ... It is the same with me :) If you go into the centre of my city Vienna it also so that know one really cares about what you wear .. you will always fit in :) Mixed people everywhere! :)

And I would also like to be named Catchlove, how lovely is that! But she has really orange hair? I would have never thought this! :D

Greetings from far away ;)
Elisabeth

mispapelicos said...

I love the black and white pics very much Willow.
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A said...

An excellent hobby :) I love me some people watching haha

Mileide Almeida said...

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Flora Cruft said...

Great street life shots, Willow, reminded me of the black and white classics of Parisian life by Doisneau!

MILEX said...

Unknown said...

These are amazing! You got great photography skills. Keep it up! <3

Sabrina said...

I quite enjoy your creeper pictures. They definitely have a genuine candid feeling to them.

Sincerely,
Sabrina

Vix said...

What wonderfully atmospheric photos. I love your commentary, too. Robyn sounds like everyone's dream companion. x

Unknown said...

The photos are absolutely stunning! People watching is one of my favourite past-times, it's just so fascinating!. I would love to go to Sydney, it sounds amazing!
x

Rosalind said...

I think that the photo of the man in the camera shop is my utter favorite - what an incredible and inspiring setting! But with all the photos I like the sense of intrigue, of wanting to know a little more about each individual. Robyn Catchlove - amazing name, beautiful and stylish woman and, from your description, clearly a wonderful person too.
So pleased to have had these little glimpses in this and your last post of your experience of Sydney.

OrigamiGirl said...

That camera shop! Wow. It's a fantastic photo and looks about as magical as I normally find photos of bookshops. And Sydney sounds a lot of fun. I smiled at the TARDIS/galaxy tights girl. Could be me! Except I am in Britain, but that's actually the look I wore to go food shopping on the weekend... :)

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