Culture Clashes and Other Unexpected Urban Contrasts

The unexpected juxtaposition is one of the most satisfying experiences of photography.

And in Boston there's a huge mix of cultures and styles on parade. You just don't have the same opportunity for happy photographic accidents in the suburbs or the country.

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When we spend so much of our lives in self-selected media bubbles, it's refreshing to get outside and realize there's an endless supply of different people we could never have made up in our wildest imaginings.

The city may be the ultimate "built environment," but in concentrating so many different people and things into such a small area, it becomes one of the most natural places you can find, full of contrast and compromise.

Take, for example, this truck:

It certainly seems out of place in Downtown Crossing, next to that shiny black Limousine. (Or is it a hearse?) If I were sharing a mental representation of the city, or constructing it as a setting for a novel or a movie, I'd never have thought to put that damn thing in the middle of Boston.

But seen from the side, strangely, it seems to blend right in. I wonder if anyone's crashed into it, taking this for an empty parking space?

With contrast comes coincidence. I love this affectionate couple embracing as they look thoughtfully into the distance, while a woman passes them holding a bag labeled "PASSION," laughing at the absurdity of it all.

Blues and reds, smiles and frowns, crutches and tattoos - taken in isolation, these elements wouldn't be that compelling. But squish 'em all together and it starts to feel like a story's unfolding.

And since we're celebrating unexpected contrasts, why not throw in a bit of time travel?

And whatever's going on here... SWEET!

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