Degraves Street Laneway

Degraves Street is a narrow pedestrian laneway in Melbourne's CBD running between Flinders Street and Flinders Lane, close to Flinders Street Station, lined end to end with awning-covered cafes whose tables and umbrellas spill into the laneway itself. It is one of the city's signature examples of Melbourne's cafe-culture laneways, and the tight, walled-in space combined with a canopy of umbrellas and awnings keeps the lane shaded through most of the day, which shelters photography even in light rain and gives soft, even light without harsh shadows. A standard zoom lens with a wide aperture suits the low light levels in the lane and allows a shallow depth of field to isolate cafe signage, umbrellas or people from the busy background. Mid-morning on a weekday is the best balance of atmosphere and access: cafe umbrellas are out, some foot traffic and cafe patrons are present to give the lane life, but it falls short of the elbow-to-elbow crowding of the weekday lunch rush or weekend brunch hours. The lane is a public pedestrian thoroughfare with free, unrestricted access at any hour, and tripods can technically be used but are impractical given the narrow width and constant foot traffic; a handheld approach with a wide-aperture lens is the more workable choice for most of the day. There is no entry fee and no permit required for personal photography.