Over the last ten years or so, I've been exploring the texture of urban areas much more closely than I did when I was photographing more formal examples of architecture. Sometimes it seems like it's more of a challenge to secure an interesting image when the subject is not necessarily interesting in its environment. Photography is such a wonderful process though. It can give a kind of nobility to even the most humble of subjects (a614, a1117_bw).

I think that urban areas have a great deal to lend the photographer. In these spaces, you see so many different types of contrasting surfaces. From polished stone, metal and glass (a934) to stress and decay brought on by heavy use (a946) or age (a713). I also appreciate how nature is constantly in a state of trying to reclaim areas taken from it by urban development.