It has been a while....

That is so very true, it has been quite some time sine I have written anything for this blog. It is not that I have forgotten, been to busy, or decided not to, its just so very complicated to get blogger to function well with my MAC's. In fact, it is incredibly hard to manage a photo blog using a mac. I have used software to help write posts, but it kept failing. Each piece of software I would try, inevitably would just fail me. The other issue being that I am using blogger and not wordpress. Everyone knows that wordpress comes with ease when you sign up, but I had chose to work with blogger when I began this blog back in 2009. I was using a pc platform with windows live edit, I believe. That made posting images simple and easy. No confusion. No Fuss. Just images and posts.

Moving forward.. We are halfway through January and Holyoke is going through some major changes. For the first time in years, I mean a long time, Holyo

ke is being discussed, very frequent thanks to Alex Morse, the City Council, and the citizens that have a vested interest in creating a New Holyoke. Holyoke being a former Post Industrial City is moving forward seeing better and brighter days. As a beacon of light emanates from the Holyoke, every other city in Western Ma should be envious of the strides that Holyoke is taking. A city with much more possibilities for growth, reward, and prosperity, Holyoke outshines every other city at the moment. That is not to say that Holyoke is better than any where else, it is a statement that places value in what Holyoke has to offer. Unlike other cities, Holyoke is a diverse community with active citizens that are dedicated themselves to creating positive change and boost the city to a higher plateau. Holyoke is coming from grey-er days. Days of violence, arson, high unemployment rates, high teen pregnancy, and abandoned buildings. I have met many more optimistic people than pessimistic people, but there is still a school of thought that is lead to such beliefs, Are we going to see a better Holyoke. Well, if you can't see that the answer is yes, I would strongly recommend a second look. Perhaps a closer glance at how Holyoke is really is a diverse community comprised of people creating and generating a change. It has been happening for years now. One of the greatest things that I have heard in a while came in conversation today, "People are no longer afraid to come down here. They are no longer afraid of the down town section." And it is true. More and more people seek to view the beauty that is Holyoke. And there is a lot of beauty. Not just because I see it once and a while or because there is a few features that are pretty, but because there is so much beauty in the city, that you can see it at just about any time of the day. But of course, you have to make an effort to see it, understand it, and most importantly, appreciate it.

As a Professional Photographer I am concerned with how images represent and speak about their subject matter and content. Each composition has a story, a visual narrative that can speak and create an understanding with its viewer. I have been in the process of organizing my images as I am setting to launch a website in the next two weeks. It has been a long time coming, but the site is almost already. There of coures will be a Holyoke section listed under Social Documentary. However, I am providing a link here, Holyoke On Flickr, that has a small collection of my images. I implore you to investigate, read, study, and visualize the city in which we love so much. The city that we are a part of. The city we call home. Photography is a vehicle for communicating, sharing what we see, and creating a visual dialog. For me it is pretty simple, I am visually representing the city that I see. The city that I hope we can all see. The city we are all a part of.

Photos Copyright Jeffrey Byrnes

jeffreybphotography.com

Thank you.

Wednesday Evening Walk Through

Wednesday night was beautiful out. After doing a little bit of work in the studio, I took a stroll with my business partner through downtown capturing the setting light. We happened upon the site of the former Mastex building. During some of the demolition a portion of the building came down onto the sidewalk that was on the same side of the street as the building. As the heat broke, so did a section of the building, causing an issue that needed to be cleaned up. In a conversation with a police officer, he gave us a quick synopsis of what happened. The unit was stationed outside of the site to ensure no one would enter the site. As I stood next to the bright, almost glowing caution tape, I could hear the uneasy sounds of the building. It was a sad moan. The remaining fragments of the building stood sad, creaking, and moaning in discontent from having partially collapsed onto the sidewalk. The aroma of mill and post industrial manufacturing filled the immediate area. For me, that stench is familiar, as an explorer of a city rebuilding itself after its economical and industrial fallout, I have stood in many buildings that have similar sights, sounds, and displeasing smells. In a very short time, the landscape will, again, be permanently altered, as the new construction will soon rise in its place. 

The cool air that filled the city created some wonderful colors that helped illuminate the soft clouds. The light passing through the clouds was as much a subject matter as the elements of the city that were half lit by the setting sun. With the sun coming to a quick setting, our time seeing the city through the lens was also coming to an end. Dinner plans were in the works and we had standing reservations to get to. It was another beautiful evening in the city that turned to a great night.

 

Holyoke City Hall Tower

It was very late in the afternoon on a warm Monday when I headed over to city hall. I parked my car next to the parking garage and threw some change in the meter. I slid the side door open to my van to access my camera and my equipment. I turned and made my way to the door crossing the street and the parking deck. After a conversation, an elevator ride and a few flights of stairs, I stood at the base of the tower. The wooden stairs, worn with foot steps, stood as a testament to the highest man-made point in the city. The worn wooden stairs are not a heavily trafficked path, but rather a path made by foot steps of people that came before us. History has climbed the stairs one creak, board, and step at a time. Names and dates carved into the wooden railings, beams, and occasionally a step marked the sign of who has been there and when. Inscribed in the wood not as a form of antique graffiti, but as a means to show for one having been there, almost like a clue or a trace back to their existence. I began documenting what I was able to witness in the area where the bell lays. One of the fascinating and exciting finds was the discovery that the bell was made just for Holyoke City Hall. Stamped with the date 1876, I stood facing a piece of monumental history. The shutter echoed around the room as I fired away. Shooting downward views from the mesh covered openings. Periodically I would make a snapshot with my cell phone, as a means to upload quickly or send to someone to verify where I was at the time. Less than a handful of people knew I was exploring the upper most portion of the city. Only during the time I was up there did one image get sent out to someone.

Taking the time to walk up every step and admire the beauty and craftsmanship of this monument was breathtaking. The amount of time, effort, and work needed to produce this building was both impressive and inspiring. I said aloud to the friend that escorted me in, "Imaging standing on the outside of this and being the one building it?" It was a scary thought to contemplate, but nevertheless, a thought that some people didn't even consider when standing on the outside of this massive building. Not to be compared to other buildings in terms of height, but still a tall structure nevertheless. It can be seen from a far and admired for its grand appearance in the way it peaks above the rest of the city. I spent nearly an hour and a half exploring the spaces I was maneuvering through. By the end the heat had soaked my shirt with sweat and I had filled an entire memory card up. I stood in such fascinating locations as directly behind the clock faces. I was watching time, from where I was standing go in the opposite direction. One of the clock faces is not working. Disconnected for a reason unknown to me. I made a photograph of time frozen. Pressing the shutter and freezing the stopped clock face through my lens was a metaphor that left me with a more surreal feeling than the first few steps I took up the tower. It wasnt long before I stood at the upper most, very highest peak of the building. I was able to look out over almost the entire city. I saw views that took my breath away. I stood for a moment. Just stood there to reflect on where I was and the steps I just climbed. It was a secluded spot that yield such breath taking views. It was a great place to stand and think for a few minutes. Everyone always has someone on their mind, that one person they would like to share something like that with. I made that my final thought while grabbing my camera to make some images of where I stood. In the course of an hour and a half, I had made it to the top of the City Hall Tower with my camera. I left behind my foot prints and took back with me sights that not many people get to see. Below is the link in which you can view the gallery of images from my time in the tower.

Holyoke City Hall Tower Photos

Saturday Afternoon: Post-Industrial Photos

Today, more so this afternoon, I was very uninterested in making any photographs. Not because I just didnt want to, but because it was a great day outside. The sun was out. Not a cloud in the sky. Very bight and sunny. Bright and sunny being conditions I wasn’t overly thrilled about. On my way into the studio I took a slight detour. I found myself in a photographic bliss and quickly changed my mind about wanting to shoot. I spent the next hour and a half meandering around the mills and found some great examples of Abandonment: The Human Disappearance. I use this term because over a 3 week period I did a photographic study of a house about to be torn down. You can view both essays by following the two links provided: Abandonment: The Disappearance-Part I and The Disappearance-Part II

Towards the end of my wanderings I found an area that seemed to be a little closed in. I saw an open door to one of the buildings. The image possibilities just bombarding my eyes. As I was about to make my way over another image commanded my attention. Suddenly a voice cracks out through the massive trailers and vehicles surrounding me. Abruptly I turned to be confronted by the property owner. After quickly announcing my purpose and being restricted as to what I could photograph, we started to engage in a very in-depth conversation about Holyoke and adjacent properties. To my surprise, this individual knew a substantial amount of information. He knew all the contemporary issues facing Holyoke, as well, he was very resourceful in terms of historic knowledge.

Below are some images from today:

COPYRIGHT JEFFREY BYRNES AND LENSHARE.COM