Every once in a while you are confronted with an image or a set of words or a tune that won’t seem to leave you alone afterward. You know the kind I’m talking about–they haunt you.

When I originally saw the images in this posting, I was fascinated by how–in one static moment–they changed my perspective. I don’t claim to be all that familiar with Detroit. I’m not talking about my perception of the city, per se. I mean they made me realize that so many things are fleeting.

Heavy, I know.

Michigan Central Station.

But these images also impressed me with their ability to make me stop and take a second look, to see something relevant in what might at a glance be considered nothing special at all.

Ballroom of the Lee Plaza Hotel.

“The Ruins of Detroit” photographed by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre will be published as a book by Steidl in 2010. For now, you can see more of their work here.

Fisher Body Plant.

I guess, too, that I’m a sucker for a good story. Each of these photos contains one.