Over the next few days I will share some images and experiences from a recent trip to Winnipeg. It is one of the most photogenic cities I have visited. This first photo essay (linked below) features the downtown area.
The city centres on one of Canada’s most famous intersections, Portage and Main. It also has a reputation as Canada’s windiest intersection, and both times I visited it lived up to that.
But besides negative associations, the downtown revolves around the remarkable Exchange District. This National Historic Site of Canada provided the centre of Western Canada’s grain industry from the 1880s onward. Its warehouses, early skyscrapers and other buildings remain well-preserved. In recent decades the district has transformed into an area of upscale boutiques and eateries, which cohabit with a considerable homeless population.
In these 11 images note the juxtapositions of architectural and artistic styles. Trees also play an understated role in the landscape; watch for them. The final image was taken in the King’s Head Pub. View the photo essay: Nature of Winnipeg: downtown.
There’s something really compelling about photos 5 and 8. In #5, I believe it’s the teal against the neutral off-white stone of the building, and the way the reflections defy easy guesses as to where they originate. As for #8, it’s the contrast between the roughed brick and stone on the left, and the sculpted rows on the right. And if you had photographed the walls straight up/down, it would merely be “interesting,” but I think the angle makes it much more arresting. Good work!