When I first moved to Hamilton 5 years ago after living in London for 7 years, I didn't like it. London is a nice city and I enjoyed living there. I figured Hamilton was similar to London in terms of its size, cultural, entertainment and shopping options. I had a lot of preconceptions about Hamilton, as most do, having heard that it was dirty and dangerous. As I explored Hamilton, I kept finding more and more; the city is filled with history, incredible and unique neighbourhoods, hidden architectural gems and amazing communities. I discovered that Hamilton is actually quite a bit larger than I thought and offered a lot more of a big city experience than London had. If I was pleasantly surprised by the urban experience, I was even more surprised by the natural beauty of the city and its parks.
The real thrill of exploring Hamilton comes from the fact that so little is known about it. Few people even within Hamilton look beyond the industry and decay. As everyone knows, Hamilton is overshadowed by Toronto, which means there is very little media exposure and hardly any national presence compared to other Canadian cities of its size. This is what has spurred me to photograph so much of the city, to get the word out and show the things about Hamilton that most cities would be proud of but go unnoticed here.
Thanks for looking, here are links to some of my other phototours of Hamilton. The good, the bad, the fascinating:
Old school suburbia: A profile of one of Canada's first and finest suburbs
Twilight of the Industrial Age
Spring in the Valley: Dundas, ON
Another incredible Hamilton neighbourhood: Kirkendall
The Hammer Lives!
A leisurely stroll through the inner city
A Crazy Melange of Imagery from Hamilton
"possibly the largest concentration of early 20C mansions in Canada"
Five Miles of Grit: A long walk down Barton St. in Hamilton
Old Man Winter vs. Hamilton
"The largest fabric and textile district in Canada"
Conquer and rule or serve and lose, suffer or triumph, be the anvil or THE HAMMER
Threaded Mode