A quick portrait of Narre Warren.
While Melbourne’s lockdown has had it’s challenges, it’s also provided plenty of opportunities. Like many people, I filled my days walking the streets of my local area. With my dog by my side I strolled down every nook I could find, uncovering new streets I’d not explored, stunning gardens that our neighbours obviously spend hours upon hours maintaining & people eager to chat. Man, I’ve had some conversations.
Anyway, normally I wouldn’t carry a camera with me on my walks. My main camera is big and heavy but I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a loan of a couple of compact cameras. A good friend has let me borrow her FujiFilm X100s & Leica Australia have been nice enough to lend me a Leica Q2 Monochrom. Both are incredibly beautiful cameras and far smaller than my Nikon D4s. Ok, this isn’t a camera review, this is about the people.
Like a Country Town
For a while now I’ve yearned for that old country town community. Where everyone knows your name, in a Cheers bar kinda way. Before the pandemic, my family looked at moving out to a small country town but with house prices going wild right now, we’ve put the brakes on that idea. The daily walks and subsequent friendly chats with people has shown me that the strong community vibe is already here. Yes, even in the suburban streets of Narre Warren.
Absolutely, the bulk of people I socially distanced ‘bump’ into on my neighbourhood strolls are more than friendly & approachable. The introvert in me is amazed that I’m even able to do this but when a small hello sparks some of the most in-depth conversations I’ve ever had, I start to question how I’ve been an introvert for so long.
We’ve discussed dog training, pandemics, lawn mowing, business and cancer. We’ve spoken about life, enjoying every day, spreading kindness and helping each other out. Some conversations have been long while others were short. There have been many dogs for my Puddles (Puddles is my all black German Shepherd) to meet and help break the ice.
So, the portraits below are just some of the friendly faces of Narre Warren. It’s been a great small project to help keep my sanity over the many days of lockdown. Now as it draws to a close, I look forward to shooting more proper portraits. Perhaps in a new studio. We’ll see.
Feel free to use these images for your socials. All I ask is that you credit @gorakphoto on Instagram &/or link to this website anywhere else.
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A common theme was that most people don’t have portraits of themselves. I tell you, it’s so good to have a bunch of old photos I can flick through of friends & family. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for those who love you. They want to see your face.
