When Kei Akoi Gets Lost in Downtown Provo (Perception #1)

Sometimes when we pass things, even things that we pass every day, we don’t appreciate how interesting and beautiful they are. That’s how I felt about downtown Provo today. I discovered that getting lost and going to new places can lead you to some cool things.

An Albert Einstein pixel-like mural on a building in the first photo. I'm used to seeing the suburbs of Provo: beautiful university, identical houses, identical yards. Downtown Provo doesn't really fit, but because it doesn't fit, it gives it its own character. I took yet another wrong turn and ended up in what looked like a manufacturing junkyard. I thought it was funny that I could get lost in a place that looked so dangerous but I loved watching the sky and light shine through the metal. I didn't know you could just leave things like this out in downtown Provo. There were probably signs saying that I wasn't supposed to be there (though I didn't see any). At least I hope so. Definitely wasn't a place safe for kids or me.

My last two photos are on Center Street. The first is a beautiful mural of what looks like 1800’s Utah and I tried to capture a bit of the street to contrast the past and the present. The last photo is of my fiancé walking past the Nu Skin building. I liked how the clouds reflect off the building and how his outfit somewhat balances out the American flag at the top of the photo. One of the things I love about photography is that it allows you to be a little more aware of what's around you. I didn't know downtown Provo was so different and interesting because sometimes I get caught up in tunnel vision and forget to look outward and really see what's around me.