Howey Place

Once you have visited the more popular laneways, Howey Place is one of the next destinations worthy of a wander. It is mostly covered, providing a great option for wet days. It is relatively narrow and tends to funnel subjects – so just find a good spot and start camping. Frame your shot then wait for the right subject to drift into the frame.

The covered roof over the first part evens out the light without killing any creative light “hot spots”.

The laneway is populated with retail shops, drawing foot traffic. It tends to get some great light spots at different times of the day. The roof can tend to give quite well defined light edges. Keep an eye on the ground to see where the light is falling.

One of the connecting laneways is worth a look as well – Presgrave Place. It usually has a Vesper parked off to one side, everytime I walk through. It is also a great spot to catch hospitality workers on their break.

There is no cover, so the light tends to be more contrasty.

The Howey Place snakes around into a virtually abandoned section which has tough light conditions, but offers something a bit more atmospheric. I have not been able to get anything here that I am super happy with – I don’t carry a tripod / monopod as a rule.

If you continue down this part of the lane, it exits at the well known Manchester Unity Building, one of Melbourne’s favourite buildings. It is an beautiful example of Art Deco style – I am no expert on styles, but the exterior feels a bit gothic to me – like a building from Gotham City? You can find out more about the building at its website here. Below is a location rough of the foyer.

You can find Howey Place on Google Maps here.