Railroad to Nowhere

 

      This is a photo I took in New York City at the High Line Park, which is 2 miles of abandoned, elevated railroad in the middle of the city. I have to say that my best photos are from New York, and this one is one of my favorites. The park was the highlight of my trip and all the unique things I found there were very inspiring. I think that this photo really captures the essence of the park, how something once abandoned and ugly can be turned into something beautiful and lively by just letting nature grow. This photo was a bit tricky to take because of the setting sun, so the ISO was at about 800 or 1600, giving the photo a good amount of light but a little too much noise. Also I found that the colors didn't quite pop like I wanted them too, thankfully there is such a thing as photoshop and saturation adjustments.

       When I entered this piece into my school's art show, I knew it would be a hit, but I never knew that a professional painter would want to turn it into a piece so she could sell it at her art gallery. This painter is someone I've known for a while, Sue Averell, because she is one of the many artists at the art show that my grandparents started, The Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale. Even though it's just a seasonal event, it leaves an impression that lasts for the whole year, and Sue, who is famous for her use of colors, is one of my favorite artists, and my first friend at the show.

Albus Dumbledore the Wizard

And here is the latest edition to my animal farm, Albus Dumbledore. Much to my dismay naming him after a wizard from Harry Potter didn't give him magical powers but we keep him anyways because he's so cute. On the day that I took this photo, I came home to him sleeping on the top of our couch, looking as Cavalier-ish as always. Originally I took this photo without flash, but I love the way it makes a gradient of light on the wall, and since Albus was still half asleep I didn't have to worry about the reflection of light in his eyes.

The Fonz

This is The Fonz, or Fonzy for short. He's my lovely guinea pig and while giving him a bath and a hair cut, he looked way too cute to pass up the photo op. I swear I left him for a minute to grab hair and nail scissors and I come back to him posing for me. Right after taking this photo with my phone I ran and grabbed my camera but those photos weren't the same. By that time he put his feet back down in the sink, and I wasn't able to capture the same curiosity he expresses in this photo.