This urban photographer shows the hidden beauty of the grossest parts of city life

To Baltimore-based photographer Ben Marcin, cities are hyper-functional places, built to support the crowds of people that pour into them every day.

"The city is meant to be efficient," he tells Tech Insider. "The shortest path from A to B, that's what a sidewalk is. Parking garages - let's stack these cars up 10 floors. But if you focus in on these structures in a certain way, they're also unintentionally beautiful."

In his photos, Marcin shoots skyscrapers, parking garages, and even pieces of discarded gum to reveal the patterns and textures that the rest of us miss.