St. John's Harbour Narrows

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Narrows have been the gateway to St. John's for centuries, a passage so narrow that it made this harbour defensible.

I photographed this scene just inside the Narrows, where some classic homes are perched below the steep rock walls. These houses have watched generations of ships pass — fishing vessels, naval ships during wartime, container vessels and cruise ships in more recent decades. Their colourful facades seem to defy the grey rock behind them. A declaration of human persistence.

What makes this image work is the juxtaposition of the domestic and the geological. The houses are intimate, human-scaled, warm with colour. The rock behind them is indifferent, formed by forces that dwarf human concerns. Yet they coexist, have coexisted for centuries, each making the other more interesting.

Limited edition Chromaluxe metal print. Ultra gloss finish brings out the house colours against the imposing rock walls. History compressed into a narrow passage.