Niagara Falls Beyond the Water: Exploring the City’s Unique Signs on Film
Back in late January of this year, I took a trip to Niagara Falls—the Canadian side. It wasn’t to capture the beauty of the falls but rather to photograph some of Niagara’s iconic signage.
I live about an hour away by car from Niagara Falls, and every time I visit, I’m enthralled by everything it has to offer in terms of attractions and sights. But one thing that has always stood out to me is the unique signage scattered throughout the area. In a town like this, where businesses need to grab people’s attention, bold and eye-catching signs are a natural choice.
For this trip, I was heading to Niagara to pick up two point-and-shoot film cameras, and I thought it would be a great prompt for myself to drive around and capture these signs. So that’s exactly what I did! The forecast called for -20°C, and I wasn’t about to freeze my fingers off, so shooting from the driver’s seat window was the best way to maximize my time and capture as many images as possible. I drove around for about four hours and managed to photograph some truly beautiful signs.
My camera of choice for the day was the Fujifilm GW690 (OG version). For film stocks, I primarily shot Kodak Portra 160 NC from 2003, with additional support from Fujifilm Reala 100 from 2006 and Catlabs 100, which expires in January 2025. I also had my Olympus Mju II loaded with AGFA 200 as a backup.
Enjoy the Images (Click to view)
Going into this shoot, I didn’t have high expectations, but with the sun shining, I had a good feeling about how the images would turn out—and they did not disappoint. Niagara as a city has so much to offer visually, and I’m glad I was able to capture these signs. Looking at the collection as a whole, I feel like this could develop into a long-term project—maybe even a book or, at the very least, a zine.
I’m also thrilled with how the expired film performed, especially the Portra 160. I decided to shoot it at ISO 50, and that was absolutely the right choice. The colors, texture, sharpness, and smooth grain give it a timeless look. I still have a couple more rolls of this stock left, and I can’t wait to create more work with them.
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