With a population of around 50,193, Niagara Falls, New York is dominated by the iconic waterfall the city is named after and shares with Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Travelling to the city in the middle of winter, photographer Daniel King and HERO Fashion Director Gro Curtis journeyed through shin-deep snow for their story inside the new HERO 17 issue.

A city of contrasts, in the late 19th century the famous falls attracted manufacturers who were drawn by the innovative promise of hydroelectric power, however this boom swiftly turned to bust as the city and region witnessed an economic decline in the 1960s, consistent with the rest of the Rust Belt, an area once known for steel production and heavy industry.

Shooting a mixture of models and street-cast teens, King wanted to capture these opposing qualities of nature vs urban; juxtaposing the manmade suburban houses against the city’s wild and unpredictable natural phenomenon. “During the winter months there’s a population of around 50,000, the malls were empty and shops were abandoned, but the local casino was thriving,” said King.

Here, King documents the personalities that make up the city’s next generation.

See a preview of the story below.