Thematic Photographic 25 - Broken

Dead end cart
London, ON, November 2008 [Click to embiggen]

About this photo: This entry introduces the new Thematic Photographic theme for the coming week. For the next seven days, we're exploring "broken" scenes. Please read on for more background on this evolving photographic project.

Way back when I was a wee teenager, I started taking pictures because I wanted to capture the beauty around me. I assumed that beautiful scenes were always perfect, dare I say flawless.

I was wrong. Beauty takes many forms, not all of them perfectly formed. That's because people, essentially, suck. They treat their environment with disrespect, they break stuff and they generally leave things worse off than when they arrived. I'm not sure why this is so - this isn't what I learned as a child, for one - but it saddens me when I come face-to-face with the aftermath.

But sad doesn't mean blind. And as much as many of us would rather turn away from scenes like this, I find them curiously lovely. I wonder how this place ended up like this, whether it was ever the kind of neighborhood that didn't give me the shivers, whether the people who live here feel as I do. Or whether they feel anything at all.

As I slowly walk through this dead silent corner of town on a bone chilling Sunday afternoon, I realize I can't answer any of these questions. But it doesn't mean I can't try to tell the story anyway.

Your turn: We're exploring "broken" as part of this week's Thematic Photographic, and I hope you'll take the opportunity to share your own visions of broken. Here's how TP works:

• Every Wednesday evening, at precisely 7 o'clock Eastern, I post a new Thematic Photographic entry.
  
• Each entry has a unique theme. This week's is...broken.
  
• You post a similarly themed image over on your blog.
  
• You paste a link to your entry in a comment here.
  
• If you've already posted something that fits (on a blog, Facebook, MySpace, wherever) simply post the link to the existing entry.
  
• You may post as many photos or links as you wish. For the next week, I'll be supporting this theme with a related picture/posting each day. I encourage you to do the same. This is all about sharing, so feel free to share to your heart's content!
  
• Please share this link with friends, too, and encourage them to join in. The more, the merrier.
• And please accept my thanks for your enthusiasm. Your participation has made TP a true highlight for me each and every week.