These pictures were also taken in Hermiston, Oregon. These tractors represent the evolution of machinery to enhance agriculture. Farming has always been a major part of American culture. Being so dependent upon agricultural production led to the inevitable development of machinery to help it move along. With the help of tractors, agricultural production has gotten to a scale larger than ever imaginable before the invention of mechanical farming equipment. Development in this area led to development in many other areas of the country, making America what it is today.

These pictures were taken on an old dirt road in Hermiston, Oregon. I found it to be a very interesting place to take pictures, because it is a rural area right on the outskirts of a suburban area. The second picture shows a plastic bag caught in a tree on the side of the road. Ii thought this was interesting because it portrays the effects of littering in a rural area. For some reason the side of trash on the side of the road in a more rural rea is more striking than seeing it in the city. These pictures portray the evolution of how the earth has been managed. Tthis country started out as farm land, and obviously, a lot of it still is. However, it seems that more and more land has become urbanized, and it is spreading leaving even rural areas not untouched. 

Evolution Week 8: Music & Volunteering

Like I said this week I was focused on pictures that I took at My Voice Music. The first set of pictures I took I focused more on single objects at different types of angles. This second set I focused more on linear angles, mainly because the pictures I got just were powerful that way. The first picture I took was of a map in the room above the door. I thought it was just really cool looking. I enhanced the color and added a small vignette around it so it would be more obvious where I was trying to focus the picture. The second picture I took was of the really cool purple door of one of the rooms I was in. I was really inspired by its vibrant colors as well as the little eye slot. It reminded of me of like Lord of the Rings or something. The original picture I took you couldn’t really see the vibrancy of the door color but by upping the blue and pink coloring in the picture it really made the door pop out. I’m sup-s proud of this picture.  The last picture I took was in a radio studio where the sound proof panels were like little foam protrusions. My original picture was kind of blurry so I enhanced the definition and sharpness to bring out the picture.  The side angle I took the picture from I thought was really awesome because it made the foam look like little foam mountains, as if you were flying through those little foam mountains.

Evolution Week 8: Music & Volunteering

This week I’m switching it up a little bit. The pictures I took are from my volunteering I’ve done for my senior project. I volunteered at My Voice Music, which is a non-profit organization that gives music lessons to under privileged youth. I couldn’t put pictures of the kids on the blog because I would have to ask permission so I’m using the other sort of mood setting pictures I took for this week. I think this relates to evolution in the way that I’m doing this for my senior project, which will always be a reminder of those years as a senior. The first picture I took was of some headphones they used for recording. I heightened the sharpness, definition and contrast to make the picture look more dramatic. The changing of the color to sepia just made it look a little better. I think its because you don’t focus on all of the different colors in the picture and you focus on the content and the light and darkness of the photo. The second picture I took were of a mini studio knobs and levers. I really like this picture, firstly because of all the colors as well as the tall knobs gives the picture more visual depth. I didn’t really alter anything in iPhoto, I was really proud with this picture. The last picture I took was of a turntable. I was really inspired by the hard plastic covering. It warped the shot when you looked through it, I shot it from the angle. I did so you could see the contrast in the picture.

Evolution Week 7: Sunny Days 2

Like I said this week I decided to focus on the sunny days we have been having. On this second section I focused on the light and shadows in each of these pictures. The first picture I took the sun was shining through some branches of a tree and then on to its flowers. However when I took the picture you couldn’t really tell, but I decided to keep it because I thought the photo itself was really pretty. I enhanced the contrast, which helped a little bit. The second picture I took was a limb of a tree near my back deck that my dad had cut off and was laying on our back lawn. I thought the limb looked really cool just lying sideways and I also saw a cool shadow created by some trees that was in the background of the limb. I enhanced the contrast, which brought out the shadow a lot more. The last picture I took was of a pot on my back deck that had lavender and a cactus on it. Both plants I thought looked really cool and I also noticed that the sun’s rays broke right between the two plants. I thought this was really cool and the angle gives it an aspect as if you’re inside the pot. 

Evolution Week 7: Sunny Days 1

This week has been the sunniest we’ve had all year and I thought that I would go outside and take some pictures in the sun. I got some really pretty pictures this week. Each week I notice my improvement. This first set of pictures I took I focused on how the sun made the flowers and plants look.  The first picture I took kind of spontaneously. It was kind of awkward to take because the sun was shining right on the plant and I had to pull the branch down to take it, but I really liked how the sun brought out the colors of the plant because from far away it looks just purple. The focus is kind of off on the picture but I think by enhancing the color as well the framing makes the picture look really cool. The next picture I took was of some long grass. I think the sun always makes grass look really beautiful and magical, but before this week there hadn’t been enough sun for me to be able to do that. I enhanced the contrast and definition so you could see the shadows, which I think also really helped pull out the colors of the grass. The last picture I took was of a small pink flower. I really liked the shape of it and how it was pretty small and when you zoomed in you could see all of the features. I enhanced the color and contrast so the flower stood out a little more. 

These are pictures taken of the Airdale shipwreck at Fort Stevens on the Oregon Coast. It is basically just the skeleton of an old ship that ran aground. It portrays an interesting view of evolution because it bares the scars of years of weathering, however it still stands as a piece from the past as the world changes around it. It is interesting to take pictures of because it is very rusty and broken down. Ii got lucky the day I took pictures of it because a lot of times the tide is too high to get close to it. 

These pictures were taken at the Oregon coast on a sunny day. The first one is of a boy standing by the ocean. This picture portrays a contrast between the small young boy, and the mystery of the immensely huge ocean. The picture is taken from a distance which makes the comparison even more drastic. The second picture of the dog has a very strong sense of light and shadow with the shaded underside of the dog, and the sun shining directly on her. The last picture is of the ocean close to sunset. All of these pictures portray the beauty of the ocean, and how it is beautiful to everyone, even children and animals. They also all portray a different kind of lighting, though all beautiful in their own way. The first one a more even, dark lighting, the second light and shadow, and the third where the light source is filtering in from the corner of the picture. 

This series of photographs expresses the evolution of buildings and structures. I chose some pretty iconic buildings and structures because... well, they are iconic for a reason! They make for beautiful photos! The first image is of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The next image is of the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur India. The second to last image is of the view of Los Angeles, California from the Griffith Park Observatory. The final image is of Times Square in New York City. Even though each structure was built in a completely different time, with different materials, and totally different ways, they are each spectacular in their own ways.

Taj Mahal - Agra, India

 Palace of the Winds - Jaipur, India

 View of LA from Griffith Park Observatory

Times Square - New York City, New York

This is a series of images I took at the Amber Fort in Jaipur, India that expresses social evolution. The first photo was taken behind a marble mesh window overlooking the old market area in fort. the wives of the King, who were not allowed to mingle with civilians, used to look out at them through these windows, unseen by the people in the market. The next photo is of a room within the fort where one of the King's wives would have lived. The King had over ten wives and as to not make them jealous, he gave each of them identical rooms. The last image is of the garden where the royal family used to walk around. It had beautifully pruned hedges and a fountain with running water. The civilians didn't have clean water let alone running water, so to think that the King would have a fountain just to look at is amazing. This series just shows how far India and the world has come in respect to equality.

This series of photos expresses the evolution of technology in the world. The first image is of the largest  sun dial in the world in Jaipur, India that is accurate to two seconds. It was huge! It's kind of funny just to think that people used to rely on something like this to tell time. The second image is of a device that tracks and measures out the planetary movements (also in Jaipur, India). The last image is of a mural on the ceiling of the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles, California. There is a hole in the ceiling that has a giant golden ball on a metal cord attached to it. It signifies the movement and orbit of the earth. I also just like the mural on the ceiling which depicts gods and goddesses. I think it is interesting how before such advancement in technology, humans used to rely more on their belief in gods. The more we have learned about our universe, the less we rely on them.

Largest Sun Dial in the World - Jaipur, India

Device Measuring Planetary Movements - Jaipur, India

Ceiling of Griffith Park Observatory - Los Angeles, California

This series of photos expresses the evolution plant life. Even though these three photos were taken within a few blocks of each other (in Venice Beach, California), they are all so different and unique. The first picture is of a succulent I saw in a flower pot outside of a restaurant. I really like the shadow that is casted on its leaves. The next photo was taken outside of an apartment complex. I really like the vibrant, almost neon, red against the stark white building. The last picture is of a patch of grass right next to the beach. I like this picture because it really captured the movement of grass on that windy day. I think this series of photos really expresses evolution because it shows how plants have adapted to their surroundings. This adaption has forced these plants to take shapes and colors that are beautiful and unique to that area.

Evolution Week 6: Changing Outside 2

Again I focused on the changes outside from my perspective inside. As I went on taking pictures I decided to get views of outside from unique and different angles, places and perspectives. The first picture of my second series of pictures I took of outside through the designed glasswork on my front door. I blurred the edges so the lookers of the pictures can be drawn to look through the diamond in the center to see outside. The second picture I took actually from the reflection of my TV to the window behind it. I thought this was really cool because it gave the picture a darker look and that portal effect I was talking about. I tried to up the contrast so you can that light reflection on the wall next to the window. The last picture I originally started trying to just simply take picture through the window and I was trying to get a glare so it made outside seem kind of distorted but it kept focusing on the screen outside the window so I ended up just focusing on the screen. The picture I ended up getting I actually really liked. Because you first look at the picture and realize its kind of blurry and then you notice the screen’s lining.

Evolution Week 6: Changing Outside 1

The day I took these pictures I was at home sick so I thought it would be cool to do my perspective of the weather from inside looking outside. I tried to get the most interesting angles so the pictures wouldn’t just look like I was taking pictures of windows to the outside.  My first set of pictures I focused mostly on the aspect of looking out the window .The first picture I took was my experiment for the whole series so it’s pretty self-explanatory. When I edited it I turned up the contrast really high to make the window almost seem like a portal to the outside. I took the picture experimentally from the chair next to me. The second picture I took was of my piano room. I really liked the layout of the room and the multiple windows again I wanted to make it look like outside was a very desirable place even though the room is pretty ornate and looks desirable itself I did this by turning of the contrast and the definition.  The last picture I took was looking through the blinds of my downstairs bathroom. I thought it was a really cool perspective  and even though I was clearly looking out the window I decided to focus in on the blinds so you still get the feel that I’m inside. 

Bloom

I took these with my model Missy as part of her senior photo shoot. We experimented with different backgrounds and scenery behind her. Flowers were in bloom in my mom's garden, so we used those to create a summery atmosphere. The evolution comes from the plants and the earth and Missy's expressions.

Meep

With contrast and brightness, these pictures are brightened with more lively energy. Also Negar, my subject, has the best facial expressions and they fit her outgoing and charming personality. The evolution comes from her expressions getting more and more goofy and playful. These were not planned shots, she just wanted to make fishy-faces for me. I like the last picture the best because its so sweet, it looks like a model shot for a makeup advertisement.

Lights on

Continuing with my series, I took more pictures with this night-life aspect. Still, I maintained the flow and direction of the light and energy around my subjects. Always, the effect was different and that is what made it so much fun and so interesting. By adding contrast and brightness, I was able to achieve a pop art aspect to my photography while still maintaining that edgy vibe.