Niagara in Focus

Community Photo Project

Submit your photo to be a part of a travelling exhibit and digital archive exploring what Niagara means to the people who call our region home.

What does “home” mean to you here in Niagara? We want to see it through your eyes!

Submit one photograph (past or present) that captures your relationship to Niagara and contribute to a living portrait of our region over time — a mosaic of memories, landscapes, and stories that represent how we have collectively experienced and imagined Niagara, yesterday through to today.

Complete the form below to submit.

Annie Powers poses in front of her family homestead with her camera in hand. Annie was the photographer of her family, and her photo albums teach us lots about how The Brown Homestead thought of as “home”. STCM 2015.22.229.

About the Project

Niagara in Focus is a photo exploration of what it means to live in Niagara. We want to see Niagara through the lens of your camera, inviting Niagara residents to share one photograph that captures the places, people, and moments that make Niagara feel like home—past or present. From charming main streets and peaceful trails to family gatherings or beloved local landmarks, your image will help create a collective portrait of our region.

This community place-making project will collect your submissions until February 16, 2026, with the first phase of the travelling exhibit unveiled at the Niagara Geopark Culture Crawl on March 8, 2026 at the Meridian Community Centre in Pelham, ON.

Submission FAQ

  • One photograph that captures your connection to Niagara best.

    We invite you to flip through old family albums and personal connections, or scroll through your phone or computer files to select the one photo that tells your Niagara story best.

  • Please complete the form below. Only photos submitted with fully completed forms will be accepted.

    We are strictly collecting digital scans and images only. If you require help to digitize your image, please contact us.

  • The first phase of this project is collecting photos until February 16, 2026.

A young husband and wife build their family home together from the ground up in north-end St. Catharines, c. 1950s. Darren Platakis, The Brown Homestead Niagara in Focus Collection.

Submit Your Photo to the Niagara in Focus Community Photo Project

Images must include the following in order to be considered eligible for submission. Please include as much accurate detail as possible to help us curate the most meaningful story of Niagara as “home” through your contribution. Please submit only one (1) image per person, or organization, for consideration.

  • The image must represent a place or event located in Niagara.

  • The image must be a copy of the original, and authorized for reproduction.

  • The image must be accompanied by a completed form with a detailed description of the subject and significance. Submissions with missing information will not be included in the project.

Each image will be collected and catalogued by The Brown Homestead using the information included in the accompanying submission form. Image submissions and associated information may be displayed publicly as part of the Niagara in Focus traveling exhibition as well as online as part of The Brown Homestead’s digital collections and may be included in future exhibits, programming, or research publications.

Please note that The Brown Homestead is limited to the number of images that can be included for display in the Travelling Exhibit associated with the Niagara in Focus project. For this reason, The Brown Homestead cannot guarantee that all submitted images will be selected for display. 

Submission deadline (to be eligible for inclusion in the traveling exhibit): February 16, 2026.

Accessibility:

The Brown Homestead strives to make the submission process for Niagara in Focus as accessible as possible. Please contact us if you require assistance scanning or submitting your image and also completing the form. We can work one-on-one with Niagara residents to complete the submission process. Please contact us if you require assistance in completing this form and we will be pleased to help you.

Office hours: Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(905) 328-1646
jlinze@thebrownhomestead.ca

If you believe that any images submitted to the Niagara in Focus collection infringes upon your intellectual property rights or is causing you any concern, please contact us. Upon receipt of a valid notice, we will take appropriate action, which may include removing the content.

Jessica Linzel
Director of Research & Collections
(905) 328-1646
jlinzel@thebrownhomestead.ca