Autum Views

When the light passes through the thick, heavy, sometimes ominous and threatening clouds, Holyoke becomes some what enchanted with a beauty and charisma that commands attention. I made these three images today just after we finished a senior portrait shoot at the studio. These are the views we are presented with on a daily basis. The Northeast corner of the US typically has such great quality of light in this magnitude during the month of October. Today we enter November as this evening comes to a close. It will be come much colder and more grey will be seen in our day. Views like this are going to hibernate until next year. It was a nice day, a nice Halloween, and a surprise of wet, snow-like precipitation. Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween.

High Performance Computing Center: Sign Here

It seems as if the good people on the internet have a petition going around for the High Performance Computing Center that is slotting to help grow Holyoke. The petition can be seen here: HPCC Petition

This is just one of the interesting projects that is taking place in Holyoke right now. There are quite a few other ones that are spread through the town. From the Victory Theater rehab, to the Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy Council and all the great work Nuestras Raices is doing, Holyoke is more a live now than it has been in years.

A Holyoke Wedding

The first weekend of October was celebrated by two weddings, in which I and my business partner Tim Lastowski had the honor to photograph. Friday night it rained and that put a damper on the photography. But we made due.

Saturday the weather was amazing, as well as the intensity of ceremony and wedding in its entirety. Two Holyoke Fire Fighters were wed at the church on the corner of Cabot and Chestnut st. Following the ceremony, as the bride and groom made their way to the front of the church, Holyoke Fire Fighters pulled the sounds of the truck and applauded in celebration for two of their own becoming husband and wife. Emotions were high as the Department welcomed them in a display of camaraderie, support, joy, and a show of brotherhood and family.

It was a beautiful ceremony and a glorious day for a wedding. We are very pleased to have been able to share in the joyful celebration. Congratulations to both couples!

Friday Night Lights: Knights Take Victory of Northampton

I did not go to Holyoke High School, but that doesn't stop me from feeling a sense of pride when they slaughter their opposing team. In a great home game, Holyoke took the win 34-20 over Northampton. Here are some photos from the sidelines.

Nuestras Raices Fall Harvest and more

Last weekend I was in attendance for two fall harvest events in Holyoke. The First Lutheran Church on Northampton St and then the very very largely attended Nuestras Raices Harvest Fest. My experience with the First Lutheran church was very different from the cultural and ethnical celebrations at the farm. This made for a contrasting display of images in a celebratory fashion. When I was present at First Lutheran, the tone that was set was centered around family and the invitation and welcoming of people outside the community of the church. It was a great environment that was fun for kids and their parents. Below are a few sample images I made for the church.

The contrasting theme that was set at the Nuestras Raices farm exhibited a very culturally diverse look at a strong community based network. It was a very impressive turnout, 1490 people had passed through as I was leaving, just before 4pm. I was there for a multitude of reasons. The most major being is my integration into the HFFPC community. In addition to this community integration, I was there to document the fall celebration and visually interpret the sense of community.