Martin Place, is located in the centre of Sydney’s CBD. Although crossed by two of its main thoroughfares, it’s a pedestrian only area, and a key focal point of the city. Some of Sydneys finest old buildings such as banks and main post office are there, and at its western end a War Memorial honouring those who lost their lives serving their country.
Last summer I had been doing some work in the vicinity, sometimes joining the lunchtime crowd that tends to gather in the area. While the people are mostly office workers, there are others such as trades people, shoppers, and the odd ‘hard case’. In addition there is entertainment, musicians, or at other times, people dressed in character who might be collecting on behalf of different charities. Also, there are various product displays and council approved advertising for a range of organizations and on some days, demonstrations, promotional give-aways, and certainly plenty of smiles and good humour.

At first I just took the odd one or two photos as time permitted. On occasions when in the city, I would time it right, and go out of my way to see what might be happening. Regardless of the weather, I would always investigate, camera in hand. The documentation certainly started from small beginnings, and as my interest grew, so to my dedication to the idea that it may make an interesting photo essay.

As can be seen in several of the photographs, there was definitely a positive interaction with many of the subjects. A variety of approaches were employed to gain the pictures. Sometimes a wait and see approach worked best, at other times, shooting at the last minute while maybe walking towards the subject was the only way to achieve a candid result. With a couple of the groups, I would simply ask permission to place myself in the middle of the action to get the angle I needed. Almost all were extremely accommodating. Most times I would try to acknowledge the subject, or even on occasions, politely thank them having shot the picture. I certainly met some wonderful people over the time of the project.

This selection I hope, will give you an idea of who frequents, and some of what goes on on in this particular part or ‘town’. There were a lot from which to choose …… here are just a few contrasting frames for your enjoyment.