Washington Bridge, New York 1939

Herman Dibbits made this photograph of the Washington Bridge in New York, and it’s a real testament to how a fresh perspective can transform a familiar subject. The bridge is a kind of cathedral of engineering! Dibbits places us right beneath this colossal structure, looking up. The composition is all about lines converging, pulling your eye into the distance. The bridge itself becomes this incredible geometric form, almost abstract. It’s as if the photographer is trying to capture not just the bridge, but the experience of standing beneath it, the awe and maybe even a little bit of vertigo. I'm reminded of the stark beauty in some of Charles Sheeler's industrial photography – that same fascination with the shapes and textures of modern construction, but with a uniquely human perspective. There’s something deeply poetic in that.