Story Roger Bong 

Photos Kelli Curtis

An endless stream of automobiles zooms past sterile, stucco-built strip malls characterized by the absence of pedestrians and the surrounding pools of parking stalls. Along a roadway littered with plastic soda bottles, candy bar wrappers, and yellowed newspapers, giant signs rise up to advertise the businesses below. But delightful eccentricities can be discovered within this sprawling urbanism, all of which create a refreshing break from a chaotic-yet-mundane landscape.

Symmetry: Humans often have a tendency toward creating parallelism in design, whether in architecture or simply the planting of shrubs. Look for symmetrical relationships between natural and man-made environments.

Corrosion: Over time, many metals acquire a rustic look, simply from exposure to the elements. Paint — peeling or sprayed — plus a few nuts and bolts often creates unlikely portraits.

Color: Explosions of color come from neon signs, stop lights, rooftops of fast food chains, garishly painted buildings, and signs that tower high above, competing for drivers' attention. But peer closer and you may find rainbow-colored objects hidden at a micro-scale.