The following images of taken by Chicago based photographer Xavier Nuez are exactly the kind of photographs I would love myself to be able to capture (still can’t decide which one I want to use as my desktop background!) and on his website he describes his inspiration for taking these:

“Long after dark, I venture into bleak urban settings, seeking out their elusive splendor. With the city humming in the background, I find inspiration, peace and refuge where none should exist… With a family history of homelessness, I developed a need to create monuments out of these shunned spaces. Although positive, life-affirming perceptions are not usually associated with acute urban blight, I feel compelled to dignify what has been rejected.”