Photo of the Day...

I came across this photo while researching the work of Lewis Hine (Men at Work) for my mid-term today for my History of Photography class that pretty much sums up my fear of heights. Just looking at this picture gives me the eebejeebes...YIKES!

Still, no matter how my fear of heights make me feel about this photograph, is equally impressive for many other reasons. This is just one of the 3400 brave workers who apparently didn't suffer from "acrophobia" that built the Empire State Building in New York in the 1930s. Even in these dangerous working conditions (to say the least) only five workers died during the construction.

I find it kind of bizarre how my fear of heights has gotten worse as I've gotten older. The weird thing is that I am not at all afraid of flying in airplanes, I am cool going on roller coasters, no matter how high, and I would be fine standing on the top of the Empire State Building for example, probably because of the high rail, but put me on any bridge (the Glen Canyon bridge over the Grand Canyon actually gave me a panic attack), on a cliff or the edge of anything without something to grab on or a feeble rail and I truly feel like my heart pulsating outside of my body. I am still trying to figure it out. Is it a defense mechanism? Did I fall and die in a previous life? LOL. Who knows...