CAFE CLOSED

I’m a great lover of the mundane, (or ordinary), moments I see in Melbourne’s CBD.  Somehow, capturing a small space, or person/people going about their everyday lives, in a photo, seems so much more than the sum of the whole street scene before my naked eye.  The following 2 photos are of the same little café, but I couldn’t decide which image I liked best. Both look a little soft in focus as I had the shutter speed far too slow for a hand-held shot in the dimly lit arcade.  I can’t normally hold the camera still below a shutter speed of about 1/40.  The images below were at 1/8.

I love the stillness of the empty café with no human life visible.  I love the soft light as Darkness falls.  I love the suggestion that the day has ended and everyone has gone home to rest and recover from their activity.

In their own little space.

Slowing down.

Feeding their Body.

Calming their Mind.

Replenishing their Soul.

I cannot imagine the internal workings of people who live at a frenetic pace 24/7.  If I didn’t have time to Think – sit in Silent Contemplation, or listen to the Wind outside my window, I wouldn’t feel fulfilled or content.

Not many people seem to be comfortable with their own company these days.  They are always ‘plugged in’ to a piece of modern technology that ‘talks’ and ‘entertains’ them.  Well, in the inner city, anyway.