Eye of the Beholder

Magnolias in Toronto

2009-01-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

These two shots are similar to the previous post. They go back to a couple of years ago while I was in University of Toronto. The difference is that these shots were taken in Spring (as opposed to the previous post which was taken in Winter); as a result the trees have more flowers.

Pink history

2009-01-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

I shot this on my way to class in History Corner yesterday. For a few weeks, I passed by this tree every time I went to class, and wondered how beautiful it is. This time, I noticed that the leaves are falling off from most of the neighboring trees, and I thought to myself, "seriously, how long would it take to shoot a photo from this beautiful tree?"

I was actually a bit late for my class as well, but didn't feel bad at all about stopping to take this shot. I should thank mazmazz for reminding me of the joy in photography :) From now on, I think I want to take more photos, but with simpler cameras. As a result, long absences (such as the one from my previous post to this one!) will hopefully be less frequent :)

Shot with my iPhone, January 27, 2009.

Two-faced witches

2008-07-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Two store entrances, Prague, Czech Republic

Coffee, anyone?

2008-07-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Sad Dresden

2008-07-02T09:35:00.003-07:00

The city of Dresden, Germany was veiled by a mask of despair. Reminds me of the song "Fragile" by Sting:

If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the colour of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
How fragile we are how fragile we are

بزرگ بانوی روح من

2008-04-07T23:32:00.005-07:00

هاوایی، بیگ آیلند! شمالی ترین نقطه جزیره... این جور جاها رو فقط اون موقع هایی پیدا می کنی که همین طور می ری تا ته جاده ای و تنها هدفت رسیدن به ته اون جاده باشه... نه! شابد اونم نه! چون وقتی رسیدی اون وقت می ری تو یه جاده بی ربط دیگه و یه عالمه جاهای قشنگ تر کشف می کنی که فقط مال بچه مدرسه ای های اون محله س و مرغ و خروس ها و نخل های بلند و ... دیگه هیچی ... ! و تو به خودت قول دادی که هر وقت به ته کوچک ترین جاده خاکی رسیدی، پیاده شی و یه قدمی بزنی و یه نفس عمیق بکشی! خیلی خوبه...
ابنم دقیقا همین طوری پیداش شد ... ته یه جاده ... بعد پیاده می ری و می ری و می ری.... و می رسی به قلب یه جنگل انبوه و ابهت صخره ها و آرامش اقیانوس، که میتونی قسمتش کنی با هر کی دلت می خواد
:)

Sway

2008-03-30T17:45:00.003-07:00

Even though the two trees are connected, they sway so freely with the wind. They dance to nature's beat, hand in hand.

Like a flower bending in the breeze
Bend with me, sway with ease
When we dance you have a way with me
Stay with me, sway with me

P.S. shot at Hawaii, Big Island

Rise up!

2008-03-27T23:26:00.003-07:00

Rise up! Don't falling down again (with da accent!)
I try to fly so high, direction sky!
The dream is to fly so high, even over the rainbow :) Yes, rise up! rise up! rise up! no falling down again...
(A helping hand would be nice ...)

P.S. Location: Hawaii, Big Island, Volcano National Park, Devastation Trail (amazing name, isn't it?)

سال نو مبارک

2008-03-19T01:19:00.003-07:00

سال نو مبارک! برای همه تون سالی رو پر از خوبی و خوشی و همه چیزهای خوب دیگه آرزو می کنم.
حالا یه توضیح راجع به این عکس: این عکس دقیقاٌ در "ته" خیابون دافربن در تورنتو گرفته شده... تو یه روز قشنگ تابستونی... که همه چیزش قشنگ بود... و آسمون آبی.... پر از ابرهای خوشگل... سقف ماشین باز... صدای آهنگ بلند.... اونم نه هر آهنگی، بلکه آهنگای خداااااا!!!! و اون وقت، این گل قشنگ و منحصر به فرد! یه روز قشنگ
امیدوارم هر روزتون قشنگ باشه.... همین قدر قشنگ
:)

and then there was light...

2007-12-30T01:57:00.001-08:00

The mountains are high, all around you... walls that look like they never end...
But no, don't try to find the end of the wall, just look up, all the way up...
There it is, not only the blue sky, but also the light is peaking through, warming up the stoney walls above you, the river under you, and perhaps... You...
Smile for the light :D

2007-06-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

The statue of Homa at Persepolis.

Standing Pillar at Persepolis

2007-06-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

A standing pillar at Persepolis. Our tour guide there said that one of the full-standing pillars (not sure if this one or another one) in Persepolis was actually re-assembled back together from the remains with the aim of Shapur Shahbazi, an expert in Achaemenid Archeology.

Persepolis

2007-06-10T15:30:00.001-07:00

A portal in Takht-e-Jamshid, or Persepolis.

The Ceiling of Baba Taher's Tomb

2007-06-08T20:03:00.001-07:00

This is the ceiling of Baba Taher's Tomb in Hamedan. The atmosphere was very nice, with a dervish singing Baba Taher's poems.

Bread in Darake

2007-06-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

خیلی چسبید...هوا یک کم خنک، نان داغ و شکم خیلی گرسنه... کوچه باغ های درکه

Nasir-al-Mulk Mosque, Shiraz

2007-06-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

Nasir-al-Mulk Mosque is probably not one of the top items in the must-see list for Shiraz' attractions, but it is definitely underrated!

300. The truth?

2007-03-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

300 the movie

Puffy flowers

2006-11-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

These flowers very really cute and puffy :D ... they look like cotton... or maybe they are (?), but I doubt it.

Nice place, nice day, humber valley river, toronto.

Neverhood in Kandovan

2006-10-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

Iran, , Azarbayjan, Kandovan-near Tabriz.

It was a really interesting city. Unfortunately I couldn't find any reliable source of information about it on the web. According to the locals, it was built when the moguls attacked Iran so that the locals can hide in the mountains to be safe from the moguls.

There are still 800 people living there. There are actually only 3 places in the world that have similar structures: Kandovan, somewhere in turkey and somewhere in US, and all except for kandovan are abandoned.

Oh and by the way, the kandovan tunnel is named such because Reza Shah brought people from kandovan to build the tunnel since they were experts in caving into the mountains.

This photo reminds me of houses in The Neverhood, doesn't it?

Cliff and the Blue

2006-07-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

Pacific ocean, Point Reyes, California. When you reach the tip of Point Reyes, the pacific ocean is surrounding you in all directions. I needed this so much. I just stood there, looking at the calm currents of the water in the pacific ocean, in the blue waves moving smoothly; I listened to the sound of the waves hitting the cliffs. So beautiful...

Lights of Paris

2006-06-21T01:14:00.000-07:00

Streets of Paris and Eiffel tower as seen from the top of Arc de Triomphe.

update: I've now cropped the right side of the photo so as to make the two streets symmetric with respect to the central vertical line. Thank you for the comment. :)

Dandelion in the purple

2006-06-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Dandelion has always been with me, whenever I felt lonely. Whenever I longed for something, the dandelions have always been by my side. I hold them in my hands, and beg them to take my thoughts away from me, to someone who knows a solution for it; to make my wishes come true.

A vase full of dandelions. It sure was a very nice and creative gift. Alas, it was left where it belonged, not where it should be.

And for some reason, irrelevant or relevant, it just calls for a sohrab poem. Which one? I'm not sure... how about this one?
پشت هيچستان جايي است.
پشت هيچستان رگ‌هاي هوا، پر قاصدهايي است
كه خبر مي‌آرند، از گل واشده دورترين بوته خاك.
روي شن‌ها هم، نقش‌هاي سم اسبان سواران ظريفي است كه صبح
به سر تپه معراج شقايق رفتند.

[Almost] Mirror Project

2006-05-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

It's time for a "Mirror Project" shot ;). This was our favorite theme for quite a while ;) We had lots of fun coming up with all the weird ways we could take a photo of something that had us reflected in it!!! So much fun, and so many good photos!!! [Of course, you can't find me reflected in the lake here, but nevertheless, you must admit, it's a great shot!!! And the mirror effect is there!! So don't be so picky! ;)]

Whenever I take another "Mirror Project" photo, I'm thinking about you! You have always been opening my eyes to new worlds, new ways of seeing, new ways of thinking... Your friendship has shaped "me" so much that I can't imagine what "me" would be like if I never knew you!!! You've always been close to me, so close, at times even closer than those sitting right beside me!

Miss you a lot!! Hope you have a wonderful 21st Birthday!!

Glittering gems

2006-05-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

Beautiful dawn at the Darlington Park. Fantastic day.
Just look at the sun, the rays of the sun, and how they have divided the horizon to 6 regions, each of 60 degrees!! It's so beautiful, so sharp! So perfect! Now just look below...

... just to see the beautiful greatness of the sun reflected in thousands of little gems in the sea, with exactly the same features, scattered all across the water. It's just beautiful. I don't know, for some reason it keeps on reminding me of Farhad's song, Ayeneh....

آینه می شکنه هزار تیکه می شه
اما باز تو هر تیکه ش عکس منه!!!

Rejuvenation After The Storm

2006-05-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

My thoughts are blurry... the thoughts of future, what will happen? What will become of me? The questions of "What" and "How" and "When" and "Where" and ... They all come to my mind and stir up a storm in my brain, but then they go... they leave a wreck though, along with a promise for an almighty return.

Nevertheless, new leaves are born, and spring is always spring. The storm can disturb the stream, but it can never prevent the arrival of spring; the spring always brings along a chance for happiness; maybe not an eternal one this time, but even the instantaneous joy is rejuvenating. This feeling can be so strong as to hide the stream of uncertainties under a layer of freshness.

بنفشه ها

2006-02-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

در روزهای آخر اسفند
در نیم روز روشن
وقتی بنفشه ها را
با برگ و ریشه و پیوند و خاک
در جعبه های کوچک چوبین
جای می دهند
(x2)

جوی هزار
زمرمه درد و انتظار
در سینه می خروشد و بر گونه ها روان
(x2)

ای کاش آدمی وطنش را همچون بنفشه ها می شد با خود ببرد هر کجا که خواست
(x2)

در روشنایی باران
در آفتاب پاکان
در روزهای آخر اسفند
در نیم روز روشن
وقتی بنفشه ها را
با برگ و ریشه و پیوند و خاک
در جعبه های کوچک چوبین
جای می دهند

جوی هزار
زمرمه درد و انتظار
در سینه می خروشد و بر گونه ها روان
(x2)

ای کاش آدمی وطنش را همچون بنفشه ها می شد با خود ببرد هر کجا که خواست
(x6)

The Sea Inside

2006-02-27T05:40:00.000-08:00

Relax
You're more and more relaxed
Now, imagine a screen
A movie screen that unfolds and opens in front of you.
Project on it your favorite place.
Concentrate on your breathing
Helping your entire body to
relax, to feel at peace.
You don't need to change it.
Just let it come and go.
Come ... and go.
Now ... you are there.
Focus on the details.
The colors, the texture, the light, the temperature
Feel the temperature
Allow this scene to play in front of you.
The feeling of peace is infinite.

-From the beginning of the movie: "The Sea Inside".

2006-02-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

Afghan hat. Jome Bazaar, Tehran, Iran.

Correction: As pointed out in the comments section, this is actually a Torkaman hat, not an Afghan hat!

Hidden tree

2006-02-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

I find this shot very interesting. If you look closely, you can see a tree hidden between the pink flowers. Here's an explanation: The pink flowers are my laptop's background. I'm sitting with my laptop on my lap, and there's a large window behind me. The tree is actually the reflection of the outside scenery on my laptop screen. :D

Refection at the gulf

2006-02-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

Dubai, My reflection in the blue persian gulf.

Still reflection behind dynamic snowfall

2005-11-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

Gimme comments about this one! :D

Winter is here!

2005-11-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Winter From Behind the window:

and here is the other side of the window:

Depth and breadth

2005-11-08T22:56:00.000-08:00

Shot behind Gerstein Library at one of the last days of fall. Golden leaves are beautiful, but what makes this shot interesting is the pattern on the tree trunk, and its intrinsic strength. It's just standing up with such sense of pride and confidence, don't you think?

Also, you see all the branches on the top, each swaying to one side. See how broad-minded it is? It's not just a tall tree standing there like a stick! It's tall and broad. It's imprtant not to be narrow-minded, you gotta know the world around you, and the tree is definitely getting a good taste of it by peeking around all the different angles around it.

Last days of the golden fall

2005-11-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

I took this photo at friday noon, while I was already late for my fields & waves class. I had a class at 1, and had to ask a few questions from the TA beforehand in my lunch time; but I thought to myself: "hey come on! The TA is not gonna disappear! but if you don't take the photos now, then maybe the leaves will fall and you will lose the moment!". So I went to the back of Gerstein library, looking towards Queens park, the same spot I have always wanted to photograph millions of times and never'd done. I started taking photos, but it was very windy so a lot of them didn't turn out to be well focused. This one is pretty focused though, hoof! But it was such a great feeling. I lied down on the ground, looking at the trees that hindered my view of the blue sky, but not fully, coz you could still see the shiny blue spots between the golden leaves. It was soooo beautiful. Of course I was late for class a few minutes, but it was well worth it! :D

Alas, I think today was the last day of the golden fall. Yesterday (saturday) it was so nice. I was very busy, had to drive from uptown to downtown to uptown thousand times during the day, but what soothed me all along was the beautiful scenery around me. As I was driving down Mount Pleasant, all the trees were covered with golden or crimson leaves. Like that was not beautiful enough, there was a capeted layer of the same glorious color, composed of crushing leaves, right underneath each tree. It was truly breath-taking. Wherever I went, the beauty surrounded me. It was all over the city.

But today, it all ended. The speed of the wind was about 50-60 km/h! In a glance, all of the trees were ripped naked, and the texture beneath them lost its pattern. Of course, beauty never dies. It just changes its form and re-emerges in a different style.

But I can't help favoring the Fall over all the other seasons! It's the most beautiful one! Don't you agree?!! At least here it's the most beautiful one! :P

Scary moon!!

2005-10-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

Shot right beside the newly constructed CCBR building.

The moon is one of the only sources of light around in the darkness of the night.

Seeing is NOT believing

2005-10-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

The sky was stunning, I couldn't capture it. All the different colors in the sky turned out very differently after taking the shot. This isn't bad, but the sky itself... man it was amazing!

Sometimes you want to capture the moment, not just the scenery ... My aunt once told me something that I have always remembered. Although she may not recall that day, what she told me had a great effect on me. Let me rephrase her here:

Be in this moment, right now, try to remember everything, the scent of the wind, the freshness of the air, the beautiful sky, the color of the leaves, the love around you... try to remember this moment, now close your eyes and engrave it in your mind, forever. Then, when we're not together, or when you're not feeling good, when you need an escape, just close your eyes again, and remember this moment, remember the feeling, the taste, the smell, everything that comes with it. Remember it all, and relax ... Remember these moments to calm you down when you need them.

In fact, this is one of the reasons I love photography so much. I try to capture the scene, and while recording it on the camera, I try to encode all the other information that comes with that moment (and cannot be recorded on a compact flash card!) on my mind instead! So when I look at the picture later (which I do very frequently!) I get a hint of what that moment was like, and then reconstruct the setting in my mind.

The picture does not recreate the setting, it's just like a cue card: it is an index referencing to the place in your mind where you have stored the actual information.

White & Pink

2005-10-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge.

خلا

2005-10-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

آسمان آبی یکدست بود؛ بدون لکه ای ابر، بدون تلنگری ناهنجار یا موجی نا موزون، رفته تا آخرین مرز تخیل، تا ابتدای چیزها، آن سوی اشکال متداول و مقیاس های جاری.

Metal Holes

2005-09-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

Metal holes. I like this shot because it can be interpreted in different ways. Let me tell you two ways I see it:

1) The metal represents strength and the red background through the holes represents life, excitement, enthusiasm. This photo is strong, but also very energetic. I like it.

2) The second way I tend to think of this photo is very different. I see the metal holes as small windows connecting the prison to the outside world. However, the prison inside is soo empty, and the world outside is too crowded. There is a conflict.

There are probably many more ways of thinking about it.

Fresh Leaves!

2005-09-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

Fresh, fresh leaves. Very rejuvenating.

Misty Lake

2005-09-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

Misty lake looks luring and mysterious. I personally like this shot very much. Shot at Alaska, Summer of 2004.

Water current

2005-09-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

I don't think description is necessary. Reminds me of the power of water again, similar to many of my other photos. The power of water to do so many things, and yet be flexible. Maybe the flexibility is what is driving its strength indeed.

Bamboo, blue stone, and more!

2005-09-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

My bamboo, blue good-luck stone and more, all hung from my bed. I should have a pretty good luck ;)

Colors

2005-09-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

Haven't been around here recently, reason being I don't find pleasure in my old photos! I want to take new interesting, exciting photos! I have a few new ones, but they're all very low-quality and not worth posting.

This one dates back to about 4 months ago. Pretty interesting color combination, gypsy-ish!! I love my colorful purse, skirt and sandals! Exotic! Thanks to Marzieh, who suggested putting all these items together from 3000km away!

Chateau

2005-09-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

Chateau Fairmont lighted up at night, Quebec City.

Looks strong, and all alone by itself, on top of a hill.

A new day has come

2005-09-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

Again, a shot of the sun coming out from behind the clouds at Chute Le Montmorency, Quebec City.

Indeed, a new day has come.

Revolution

2005-09-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

Looking down Chute Le Montmorency, Quebec City, Quebec.

See the placid composure of the right hand side of the water, and the turmoil of the left hand side?

Sometimes things can just chang upside down. The ultimate perfection of your life, or your image of it, is never eternal. It can fade away at a glance. What is eternal though, is the hunt for finding a perfect life even if your previous perfect life is altered. I think we can always find one, if there are some basics provided. I am not sure though, we'll see!

Moody

2005-08-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

The dawn at Quebec City. It's like the sky above the clouds is totally separate from below the clouds. Sort of like it's a different thing, completely unrelated. The part above the clouds is homogeneous: calm and static. The part below the clouds is very dynamic, it has the mellow yellow, the passionate red, and all the colors in between. Every single point in it expresses its own self individually and is very unique. It is not predictable, it may have its own moments of dejection or happiness, but it has a spirit in it.
I can't believe the part below the clouds is actually related to that of above the clouds, and at times can look just like the part above the clouds! Do you think it's possible?

2005-08-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

A lonely tree by the pacific ocean, Atlantis, Bahamas.
Standing all alone, but strong. You cannot neglect the emotions surrounding it, but the tree can live with it. Don't be mistaken, I'm not saying "put up with it". Indeed, what makes this shot beautiful is the sad, colorful and emotional dawn in the background that you can never ignore!

2005-08-17T00:39:00.000-07:00

So many different paths can be taken. Which one should I take? They all look nice. The problem is this: let's say I chooce one main branch, and of course it has its own small branches that I can choose from later; but if later, instead of choosing the small branches here, I want to choose one of the small branches that derives from the other main branch, what can I do? Is it possible to jump from one main branch to the other later? Which one of the main branches is the one that I want, the one that will make me satisfied with my life?

Shaky Blue

2005-08-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

Blue tiles, shaking under the water in a pond.