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 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

Holyoke in the snow

So I guess we had a little bit of snow yesterday. It looks rather striking outside now that it really does look like winter.