Local photography series recognizes classic N.S. businesses

A local photographer is sharing her appreciation for Halifax’s most beloved businesses through a photo series called Time and Tide.

A local photographer is sharing her appreciation for Halifax’s most beloved businesses through a photo series called Time and Tide.

Wedding photographer Haley MacPhee has branched out with a series aiming to honour establishments that have stood by Haligonians through thick and thin.

It all started with a photo of a motel sign off Lady Hammond Road.

“Last summer I was driving home, I take the same route in the North End every day, and the glowing, bright red motel sign over the Chebucto Inn had gone dark, and I realized it had become kind of a marker for ‘almost home’ for so long,” MacPhee said.

“And I got home, and I said to my partner, ‘I have to go take a picture of that sign.'”

Each business MacPhee chooses to highlight has been a community staple for more than 20 years, earning them a place in the series.

“They’ve survived time and tide to still be here, especially throughout the pandemic,” MacPhee says. She adds that the best part of working on the series has been surprising the owners with the prints.

“I think a lot of folks, maybe it’s just repetition, you see your same space over and over again,” MacPhee said. “Or you don’t realize how beloved it is in the community until you get into the routine.”