Juxtaposition and Downtown Life

My most recent photo assignment was to utilize juxtaposition in my photos, which I was looking forward to for a while. Not just because I think juxtaposition can be a powerful tool in photography, but because I decided to shoot my photos in Downtown Spokane, an area I hadn't taken photos in a long time.

A biker riding alongside the famous "Joy of Running Together" sculptures in Downtown Spokane.

My journey started just outside River Park Square and to the "Joy of Running Together" sculpture, which was already great juxtaposition potential. I usually don't like to wait around to take my photos, but this time it was worth being patient for a few minutes, as a man on a bicycle happened to pass by. Not only did this juxtapose the running sculptures not on bikes, but he was also riding in the opposite direction. Already such a great start for my photographic expedition.

 

A rogue duck nearby the Spokane River.

 

Although this is where I hit a bit of a bump in the road. I was having a hard time trying to find subjects that juxtaposed each other well, or even decent photos in general. For a solid few minutes I was stuck photographing some ducks swimming by in the river because I had no idea what else to shoot, and they ended up being not interesting or showing juxtaposition in the slightest. Although I did have some fun watching people by the river feeding and interacting the ducks, including this one that decided to go off on his own for a while.

 

 

 

 A construction crane towering over some trees.

 

I started to have a little more luck with my photos later on as I approached a construction site a little deeper into Riverfront Park. While most of it appeared fairly uninteresting to me, one of the cranes seemed to stand out in the midst of all the evergreens in front of it. It almost appeared as if the crane was trying its hardest to be one of the trees, which I thought would be perfect for a juxtaposition photo. Other than that, I was still struggling to find any snap-worthy subjects.

A Japanese lighthouse miniature standing next to the Spokane Clock Tower [left].

The same lighthouse miniature appearing embedded by some buildings [right].

Thankfully one subject stood out among everything else: a miniature replica of a Japanese lighthouse. Although I don't go to Riverfront Park that often anymore, I certainly don't remember this lighthouse being here. Adding further onto my confusion was that it seemed completely out of place compared to all the other structures and buildings nearby. Apparently it's part of the Sister Cities Connection Garden where the Japanese Pavilion stood during Expo '74. I thought it was a perfect subject to compare to completely different buildings architecture-wise: the Clock Tower and some apartment buildings (I assume).

A tree standing beside the Pavilion.

 

 This is where I started getting in the groove of getting nice juxtaposition pictures I believe. I eventually made my way to the famous Pavilion, which in itself was an interesting experience. The last time I had actually entered the Pavilion was, coincidentally, the last time I took pictures at Riverfront Park for high school nearly 3-4 years ago. At that time, the Pavilion was practically abandoned and clearly not taken care of well, with leftover amusement rides off to the side collecting rust. Visiting the Pavilion for the first time since it got renovated was refreshing to see the structure finally getting the attention it deserved. It was also refreshing to see so many people exploring the Pavilion like I was. Anyway, I noticed a large tree standing just as tall as the Pavilion, so I snapped a picture of the two showing a dichotomy of nature and man-made structures.

 

A pair of bikers riding past a guitarist singing on a bench.

 

After walking around some more, I could hear the pleasant sound of a singer and his guitar, and I eventually found the source. Soon I also noticed that those that walked by him must've either been to busy or simply didn't acknowledge him. I decided I wanted to capture this in a photo, so I simply waited for a group of people to walk by (although they ended up riding bikes as well). Shortly after, I felt sympathy for the musician, so I ended up giving the man some money, who seemed very appreciative.

 

 

A man giving his dog a treat while out for a walk.

Immediately afterwards, I also encountered a simple man taking his dog out for a nice late afternoon walk. At this point I didn't really care about my assignment and simply wanted to capture all the interesting characters I met on my journey (although you could say there's a juxtaposition between man and animal).

A line of white cars waiting in traffic, with one black car at the end of the line.

 

I nearly ended the day off feeling fairly satisfied with my photos and my experience, but out of nowhere something jumped out at me on my way to the parking lot: a line of cars waiting on a red light, all white except for a black one at the end. It seemed like the world was testing my photographic instinct, saying, "Now's your chance. Snap your photo." And I felt so grateful that I did, as the red light turned green and some of the cars drove off. If I had taken the photo a few seconds later, the shot would've been totally ruined.

 

After a photo like that, I'd have to say this was probably the most enriching experience I've ever had taking photographs, and one of my greatest experiences since the pandemic (though that doesn't really say much). Being someone who would rather stay in the comfort of their own home than interact with others, it felt great seeing so many different kinds of people from different walks of life. I even happened to meet up with a friend I hadn't seen for a while who just so happened to be walking around town just as I was. This will hopefully be a moment in my life I will never forget.