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 in April

As the saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers," this weekend was a prime example of the consistent shift in the weather. Holyoke may not be directly in the middle of New England, but she does see dramatic shifts in the weather like every other city. Today, while I was strolling the beach in South Boston, there was sun and 70 degree temperatures. On the phone with our studio intern, who was enjoying a day in Holyoke, she reported the light drizzle that was falling. Not a surprise, not something to second guess, or even really think about. With a quick wit and an expression of how I much rather prefer the conditions I was in the conversation shifted back to the original intention for the call, but that is neither here nor there. Over the course of the weekend, Holyoke got its fair share of dramatic weather conditions, each providing a different dynamic in terms of images and conveyed beauty. Below you can get a grasp of just how diverse each day was in terms of the weather and the New Englandness that blew over Holyoke. Hopefully we will not have a rainy summer. I have not confirmed with my grand mother yet, as that old bird can tell you the weather better than, cough, cough, Laughis, err, I mean Lapis.

Meet Will Ferral, the feral cat. Don't you just want to invite him in?

This next photograph is partially iconic as it has a representative quality that goes back to an urban legend.

The "legend" states that during a repair to the dam, a second diver made the attempt to repair the hole. Successfully he did so, never to be recovered from the waters. The diver went down with no safety rope, like the first diver. The first diver's body was recovered via rope. The legend states the hole is closed because of the body of the second diver, (name alludes me and google at the moment), as he was never recovered and because the hole was fixed after he went down. What you believe, is of course, all up to you.

Saturday night there was quite a bit of fog. It rolled in and took stock over the city, leaving a tranquility about the city that other wise wouldn't have existed.

Before Saturday night.

Copy Right Jeffrey Byrnes Holyokeinphotos.com RightclickisacrimeNOTACOMPLIMENT

Vote Vega: Move Holyoke Forward

This campaign season City Councilor Aaron Vega has a well produced clip that can be seen here. Take a look, and see how passionate he is in moving the city forward.

Vega For Holyoke

The Aesthetics of A Holyoke Building

As the door creaks open, the aurora of old building greets us. Pungent at first, but as a few moments pass, the stench is replaced by the amazement of the conditions of the building. Left to sit for some 20-30 odd years, the building is a shell of memories, a time capsule to a dated past that no longer exists. The decor resembles a renovation that predates some of the industrial decline that can be seen throughout the city. Standing sad, lonesome, this building commands the attention of a developer that can provide more than just loving care. As we walked through the building, it was clear why it has sat for so long, effort of a collective set of helping hands is needed to make this building live again. With out the presence of human life, the building no longer lives, left to sit, soul-less, lifeless, suffocating. It would be a sincere shame to have this beautiful building become another vacant parcel, though, it would become a distilled space, a moment in time, a period of transition in which it would become another portrait in my series Vacancy. Below are photographs I have made from yesterdays tour. I hope, quite possibly, these photographs spark an interest in saving this building. A quick video will show some of the interior, beneath the photographs.

Video of 158 Maple St

When I am not walking around the inside of a building, documenting the conditions, I am running the day to day operations of our studio. Commonly people forget or are unaware that I run and own a studio with a business partner. It gets a little confusing when people only see one side of the work I do. The day before I went into 158 Maple St, I was working on a practice shoot, testing a space out for a much larger shoot to come. Here are a few photos from that shoot.

FIN
All photographs are copyright Jeffrey Byrnes and Lenshare Right click is not permissible.