Holyoke Canal Walk "Fair"

To be fair (no pun intended) is to say that the turn out on the Canal Walk Fair, was, well just that, "fair." You can say it very simply as, poor advertising and marketing of the event. It was great day for such an event. It was sunny, it was beautiful, it was slight unseasonably warm, yet a great day to have been able to make it out. Last year our studio was located right there on the Canal Walk and we knew about this even well in advance. Our studio is a block away now and news never made it down there. I found out late on Friday that the event was taking place. I had not seen a word of it advertised on the web. Facebook of course failed to notify me of such event. But, I must say, it was a good turn out in terms of vendors. I expect the Holyoke Sun will have a nice article about it. I snapped a few photos while I navigated around and spoke with familiar faces.

Alex Morse came out in support. He was quickly engaged into a conversation about his ideas and views.

Alex was handing out buttons that say: "I Love Holyoke" I first saw this button on his shirt when Alex was at the Crush Block Party. I was pretty happy when he handed me one.

 

Among the vendors were a number of artists. Each artist had their works available for purchase. One portrait artist was also set up to draw a rendition of you for a fair price. Everywhere you turned there was a little bit of creativity being marketed and sold. One such vendor, Elton Braithwaite was sculpting and carving into wood. Standing in the sun, Elton carved away with his tools as people stopped and admired his skill and craft as he turned, tapped, hammered, and brushed away the wood chips leaving behind an image imbedded into the wood.

Pausing for a moment, Elton looks at his piece with admiration.

 

I get all the frames for my studio and our clients done from a local framer in town. Debbie, the owner of The Muse Custom Framing and Gallery was a vendor for the Canal Fair. If you are not familiar with The Muse, I urge you to take a visit. She does more than just frame your works, photos, art, she has an entire line of custom matts, gifts, and Holyoke memorabilia. She is located at 220 S Water St, just under the 391 Underpass, off of Main St.

I firmly believe that something beautiful can be amplified by where you place it. This car stuck out and was the subject of a few quick conversations. I took liberty in making my way over and making a few portraits of this fine automobile. Including one little panorama.

 

All in all, it was great day in Holyoke. To end a beautiful day, I joined friends for a little football and food.

Holyoke Townie Stickers

Have you ever seen those clever little stickers that say Townie Holyoke, MA, and thought, "I want one of those?" Well you can get one by clicking this image on the right hand side of the site.

Wednesday Sunset

Wednesday evening after finishing up our last senior portrait session in the studio I left with my business partner to go run an errand. The setting sun perfectly and poeticaly lit the evening up. The moving dust and dirt from the construction on the high performance computer center created a beautiful display as it passed through the light. It caught my attention as we were passing. The haze from the heat on Wednesday left us with an incredible sunset, one of few we have left as summer is folding up.

Here are a few photos.

Holyoke Dam: Night After Irene

I made some photos just after the rain let up on Sunday. I also made a few the following evening at the Robert E. Barrett Fishway in Holyoke. I produce a video, which you can also see on Lenshare, from both sides of the dam. To view both the photos and the videos, visit: http://www.lenshare.com/2011/08/hurricane-irene_31.html

 

Here are a few I made on Monday night. The cloud you see just above the river was forming due to the temperature and the moisture. It was rather interesting to watch the cloud form and move higher up.

 

Road Work

Whether your passing through quickly, have a destination down the street, or you need to make your way through the city for some other form of business, Holyoke has its share of constriction and repairs being made. Most of the road work is not very troublesome, but necessary. At the corner of Race and Dwight, ( the intersection where my business resides ) was being worked on yesterday. The section of Dwight to Main was closed due to the construction. The repair was mandatory and very much needed, as when it rains, the streets and drains back up. In the winter this creates lots of ice. When it rains, this create puddles of marginal size, making parking a wet journey. Here is a quick image made as a response to the construction as I was passing through Holyoke yesterday, going from one shoot to another.

Nice Day

It is a beautiful, warm, summer day. Get up. Go for a walk. Take a gender at the beauty of the summer before it is gone.

That Dam Cafe

After a great shoot in the studio, my business partner and I headed out to check on a location for a wedding this coming weekend. Hungry and already on Northampton St, (rt 5) for the non-townies, we decided sandwiches from The Dam Cafe was in order. I have made numerous references to the Dam through this site, have put up a few photos here or there, some every where. But, lunch was great! I have a few more photos to include from today. Nothing special, just a few shots in passing really.

 

Stepping out side of the city for a little while on business, I know, I know, "why leave Holyoke?" Well, some times we have to, we took a drive to Montgomery to view a location we have never had a wedding at yet. A quaint little church nestled half way between 01040 and the Birkshires, it will be alive Saturday afternoon with the soft spoken buzz of new love, "I DO!'s, and tears of love and joy. We look forward to every wedding, but when we get to meet the couple for the first time, (out of state residents who booked with us), it will be a truly special day to capture their love and their moments.