Having just returned from a cruise where I had but 15 minutes a day to connect to the internet, I’ve been pretty scarce here at Journeys with Johnbo, but I have a bunch of new photos to process in the next few months. Today, however, I am sitting at the airport in Tampa Florida as I write this first draft for my response to Patti’s challenge.

This week, Patti challenged us to show the power of Juxtaposition. She quoted Laurane Durand’s photographic definition, “By carefully placing two different objects or concepts together in a photograph…one is able to create an interesting sense of contrast which, in turn, can elicit a reaction, provoke meaningful thought, lead to a story, or just raise a smile. Such juxtapositions will have different effects on different viewers, depending on how they are presented, and on the viewers’ own experience and background.”

My contribution leans fully into that spirit of contrast. On a trip to Canton, MS, as we left our hotel one morning, we noticed a flock of vultures eagerly awaiting the opening of the local Taco Bell. I hadn’t realized the affinity that vultures have for Mexican food. They must be a unique species, the Taco Vulture. In my mind, the wild and the everyday collided in a single frame—solemn scavengers perched atop a fast‑food chain, nature’s cleanup crew surveying a place known for late‑night cravings. It’s the kind of unexpected pairing that raised a smile and reminded me how delightfully strange the world can look when two unrelated worlds share the same moment.

That’s all for me this week. It won’t be long and we’ll be boarding our flight and it will be WiFi off again. Thanks to Patti for this week’s challenge, and Ritva for last week’s challenge to look for unusual crops. Next week, it’s my turn to host, and at noon on Saturday, Eastern Time, you will find my challenge right here at Journeys with Johnbo. To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, check here.

John Steiner