Photo of the Day (4/23/08)

What makes a scene look distinctive of a place? Clothes people are wearing? The way paint is peeling on a door? This shot by Marni Rachel captures a detail of a young woman’s world in France. It could be a young woman’s world anywhere, except that building does not look like one in the U.S. The building materials and style are different.

The contrast of the youth and freshness of the young woman and the worn quality of the building visually pulled me to this shot. One of the pleasures of travel is watching ordinary people doing things that look the same, but there is something about the details that say you’re not in a place that is familiar. The subtle tones and textures are quite lovely.

To share the shots you’ve captured as you travel, send them our way at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool.