Photographer finds hidden beauty in seemingly ordinary park benches
Next time you're about to relax on a park bench, step back and admire it first.
Since Josh Ridge, a Melbourne-based photographer, began capturing the beauty of benches, his Instagram account -- which consists of more than 1,350 photos --has become a haven for people who appreciate the hidden beauties that lie in simplistic scenery.
Mashable spoke with Ridge via email to learn more about how his unique niche was developed.
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Surprisingly, Ridge shared that his inspiration to photograph benches "all started with a health kick." After he quit smoking three years ago, he borrowed a friend's bike and "started adventuring around the many bike paths of Melbourne."
After stumbling upon several hidden park benches, he decided to snap some photographs and his passion took off from there.
"I started by cataloguing all of the park benches that I would find, and I got some feedback from some friends who said, '...let's maybe only have one or two a day.'" So, for the last two and a half years, that's what he's been doing.
When asked how he goes about finding new park benches, Ridge said, "I'll get on my bike and head off in a direction that I haven't been before...I call it park benching, which is similar to hunting but much less dangerous."
"I ride my bike to work so I sometimes choose a different way to come home and then, lo and behold, there's a park bench I haven't seen before."
Since Ridge began this hobby, he has expanded his idea of "park benches" to include other seating alternatives like chairs, couches and even hay bales.
Aside from celebrating the wonders of traveling, Ridge's park bench series shines a spotlight on the unrealized beauty that surrounds us every day.
"I like to think that park benches are something that you take for granted — you don't need to look for park benches unless you need somewhere to sit. It’s akin to stopping a smelling the roses," Ridge said. "Also, taking photographs of park benches without people sitting on them gives people the opportunity to place themselves in that photograph."
After Ridge explores more of Melbourne, he said he would like to visit other parts of Australia, and eventually travel the world.
To stay up-to-date with his adventures be sure to follow his Instagram account.
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Topics Instagram
Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
