"Through his eyes, the street most would rank among Raleigh's ugliest takes on an insistent quality, demanding not only to be noticed, but exaulted for its too-human defects."
One Street
in Raleigh
My search for everyday beauty
on Capital Boulevard
The One Street City project started by accident. I woke up early one morning a couple of years ago and I was having a hard time getting back to sleep. So I decided to go for a walk, taking my camera with me.
Before long I found myself near a big street called Capital Boulevard. It was uncharacteristically quiet. Raleigh people know Capital as a busy street with lots of billboards, traffic, car lots, and chain restaurants. It’s not a place that’s known for its scenery. That morning though, it was peaceful. And with the sun coming up, it had a certain kind of beauty.
Seeing Capital Boulevard this way, it felt new. Like unexplored territory. For a photographer, this was fertile ground. Here was a complex landscape that changes by the minute and I was here to capture it. So I started One Street to share what I found.
My sincere hope is that my photos will inspire you to appreciate the mundane parts of life—The glow of a McDonald’s drive-thru at night, how a crack in a telephone pole can tell a story, the way six lanes of traffic can transform into a kaleidoscope of color, texture, and light. You only have to choose to see it that way.
Behind One Street City
The photographer behind One Street City is me, Ben Harris. I shoot mostly with FujiFilm X-system cameras, occasionally taking one of my film cameras with me. When I’m not working on One Street, I’m running a small full-service design shop in Raleigh called Tip Top Studio.
Want to say hi, or collaborate on a project? Send me an email. I love talking about this stuff.