Sunrise

I took this photo at about 5:45 am, as I was struck by the beauty of the process of the sunrise. I was immediately reminded of the possibilities with the cyc with both the upper and lower fixtures to recreate such an effect. The color mixing occurs lower on the canvas, creating a beautiful mix of a deep blue and bright yellow. Seeing this hint of bright light was an exciting way to begin the day and another moment where light was very emotionally impactful as well as telling of information.

Notre Dame Cathedral Festival of Lights

Notre Dame Cathedral Festival of Lights

This is a photo I took in Reims this past summer. I visited for a just a couple days and stumbled upon the Festival of Lights at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Reims, which has been a long standing festival where they play instrumental music and project different light shows on to the Cathedral. There are some actual videos and then a mixture of different designs project onto the church. This particular photo was taken during a sequence during a night sky type image was projected over the Cathedral and little stars were falling. The whole sequence was exciting, interesting, and very unique. The sky in the background looks somewhat strange and purple because there was also a lighting storm happening, which I know was not any sort of artistic decision, but it made the whole experience even more magical. This light show was one of the best parts of my trip.

Home

I came across this photo recently and had a flood of memories hit me.  I remember as a child spending summer nights by the pool with only the pool light on.  It amazes me that so much light can be produced by the reflection off the water.  Most of the time it would be pitch black outside with only a few stars to see, but when we turned that pool light on, almost the entire backyard was lit.  

Reflections

I found this picture over the weekend I was sort of struck by it.  It give me an eerie feeling and it doesn't look like there is any moonlight present.  The only lights that are present are the streetlights and those strange green lights on the houses.   Yet, all of the lights that are present above the surface are all reflected on the water.  I turned this photo upside down and it looked as if there wasn't any water at all, just these huge beams of light coming from the sky.

Moonlit Forest

I came across this photo and chose to talk about it because of the peculiar atmosphere it exudes.  The light from the moon here is scattered, making visibility minimal.  The rest of the light creates the shadows and silhouettes of the trees here, making the scene feel threatening, frightening, and dangerous.  There is also an implied juxtaposition in this photo, as one might imagine that the same scene in daylight might look more placid, happy, and natural.  None of these emotions come through in this photo.  If anything, it looks exactly the opposite: troubled, unhappy and supernatural.

Winter Moon on Ocean

This photo really doesn't do the scene justice. I took this picture on the Newport Beach pier. I was struck by how the ocean just looked like this vast ink well. It was so deep and dark - an endless sheet of rippling black broken by the shine of the moonlight. In movement the moonlight looked like electricity or a thousand tiny silver-white fish being born, flying, and dying. The moon was a spotlight, creating a swathe of drifting, playful light - almost like a migration. In the immediate foreground the water looked glossy, but in the distance, it seemed completely matte. The water untouched by the light seemed like sinewy tendrils of magma. It's incredible how light can change the texture and make something seem so alive.

inner house

This past weekend I was visiting one of my friends in Berkeley and I took this photo. I really like color in photos, especially neon color. I like when there is color and complete darkness surrounding it showing what the color can do to the photo.

I liked this photo because I thought it showed three different dimensions. The doorways showed the different parts of the dimensions. The first dimension had the red and blue colors in it because of the lights. The middle dimension was completely dark with people in it. The one in the way back was completely lit as if the people were walking towards the light. I like how the white light from the back room bleeds through the peoples legs creating these different shapes on the floor. Just because of this, the people stand out in the photo. 

Big Bear is Snow Fun

I was up in Big Bear on Monday to play in the snow and slide down some hills in a plastic tub we picked up at target for $2 and while we were driving around to find random bear statues for a video we were filming, I noticed this gorgeous view on the other side of the giant creepy/hilarious bears. The sun is poking through the cloud barrier and hitting the water in such a way that every detail of the wind blowing across the water is captured in the ripples of the water. The lighter section draws the focus, in the detail of the water where the light is reflecting as well as from the light source in the clouds, and the rest of the background is lit with just enough light to see but not to draw focus. I find this a great tool in terms of showcasing the importance of focus in a lighting cue along with the necessary lighting of the rest of the set without it being distracting.

Creepy Christmas

This is a photo that I took last near during the holidays. I always appreciate this family for having fun decorations every year for Christmas, but I think the way they are lit up is a bit funny. The decorations themselves are cute and festive, but the low frontlight gives them looming shadows that almost seem sinister. The wood cutout of the Christmas tree is festive, but the shadow makes it look like a huge and dark monster shadow tree is sneaking up on the scene. I think that this family might have a more cheerful set up if they find a way to light their decorations from above. The light also fails to cover all of the decorations which leaves some of them lurking in semi-darkness. I have a dark sense of humor, so this scene makes me laugh, but I'm not sure that this was the family's intention.

Blue Skies Smilin' At Me...

I like that that beams of light are visible in this picture. The cathedral is completely in shadow since the light comes from behind it. You can see the trash bag glowing in the sunlight and see the sun's reflection at a lower intensity on the wet cement. This picture is mostly cold with a little warmth from the sun. I like the contrast of the light and dark. and seeing how the haze is affected by the sunlight. Theatricality, this picture tells me that backlight at too high of intensity can blur the outline of the subject, as the pun peeks over the hill in the photo.

Rock On!

This picture caught my eye because I am particularly interested in concert lighting.  The combination of color in this particular concert photograph gives a hard, electrical atmosphere to the stage, which makes sense given the headliner is AC/DC.  I was also drawn to the LED projections, which fit the concept of the event and complement the thrust stage well.  The lighting design appears to ensure that all concert goers will have similar experiences whether they are front and center or in the far back.

A shimmery winter

This is a picture my inspiring photographer friend took one winter in New York. I really like this photo because of the sunlight reflects off the water and also the snow. The reflection gives both the water and the snow a shimmery texture. The use of light in this photo is very interesting because of the reflection. Reflection is a very useful technique for lighting and it can enhance scenery. 

Neon Lights

I found this fun neon light one weekend in LA when I was exploring the city with some friends. Neon lights must be super popular in LA because in one day I saw about eight different neon lights in front of coffee shops, hair salons, and ice cream parlors. What I love about neon lights is that no matter what time of day I pass a neon sign, it pops out at me. Not only is the neon an effective way of marketing the business, but neon lights give character and uniqueness to the shop. Having an awareness of lighting and the different paint brushes you can use in lighting, I see neon lights as PAR, very punchy and loud. Like a PAR, neon lights make the subject pop and get their message across.

Diving into the ocean

I personally love any kind of extreme activity, such as snowboarding, skydiving, playing rollercoasters, or jumping into pools. One of the activities that I haven't got a chance to do is diving. Many friends of mine have been sending me pictures and telling me how amazing it is to dive into the ocean.

Because of the refraction, when you are under the surface, everything you see upon the surface is vague. The picture that I chose is the perfect example. The photo was taken under the water, as well as the diver. It is like being in a different world. The sun becomes a big blurred white circle on the surface. The view beneath the water is also incredible. Hopefully, I can get to see the view myself soon.

Survival spotlight

I stumbled across this scene in Cyber A  The Greenroom today. This very poignant spotlight, pointing to nothing. Not the sign above,not the table. As if someone programmed it incorrectly, or an actor missed their cue. It made me think about how much light directs us as to where to look, and what to focus on. It also reminded me how cool simple lighting is, and that we don't need anything fancy to create lighting that supports our stories.

Fog!

The other night it was super foggy here in Irvine, California and the fog had just the most magical effect on all the lights. Every lamppost, car light, or random light off in the distance had a visible glow/ halo around it. Normally, when an instrument gives off light it just bleeds into its environment, but adding the element of the fog it creates another thing to catch the light and show its defined pool. So in this picture I took you get a street lamp shining through a tree. This gave me the ability to see the pretty rays of light shine through every branch and needle of that tree and it created the coolest effect. This made me think about how useful and interesting of a texture that a fog machine could bring to stage lighting.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

I know this isn't really the greatest photograph ever taken, but this was a photo I took at the David Gilmour concert at the Hollywood Bowl last year. This was probably the first major concert I had ever been to and the lighting effects were a large part of the show. This specific photo was taken during the song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and basically the video projector was turned off and the only lights featured were those white beams you seen surrounding the video screen. Throughout the song the lights would move through different sequences and it was quite spectacular to see, especially considering the effect was fairly simply compared to some of the other ones that were featured. The strong, white beams danced through the audience and really highlighted the idea of shining bright a s a diamond or bright as a star, the whole performance featured a multitude of intense lighting effects but I saw this one as the most memorable and the most touching in a really simplistic way. The lighting isn't show so well in the photograph, but what this image reminds me of almost makes me more interested in lighting design because it was so spectacular.

City Lights

I chose this picture because I like the effect that city lights have. The collection of a lot of unrelated lights creates a beautiful image, despite the fact that the overall image wasn't designed as a whole. In a way this is a collage or a mosaic because each light on its own is capable of telling its own story. The different colors of light, the different types of light, and the different intensities of the light all factor in to what could be compared to an abstract painting.

Alien

I chose this image because I like how much darkness there is. I think it looks cool when one thing is lit up in a sea of darkness. I think it's cool because it makes a little bit of light have so much impact. The sea of darkness allows the light to punctuate and really draw an audience's eye. The take away for me is that darkness is as much a tool as light is.

Moonlight

This photo does not accurately represent the effect of the beautiful moonlight of a recent evening. The moon was delicately framed my fluffy clouds, only visible because of the soft light emanating from the moon. The light of the moon reminded me of a Fresnel because of the very visible hot spot, the moon itself, and the soft, almost halo-like effect around the outside. The light looked almost angelic, as if it possessed its own power of movement and communication. 

Pasta!

A few days ago, I found a very nice Italian restaurant in Newport. I took some pictures of pasta. However, none of the pictures was looking good to me. I knew there's something wrong the pictures, maybe the angle or maybe the camera. Actually after applying the filters, I realized it was about the lighting. The two pictures on the left were the originals and on the right were after applying the filters. (same filters for both pictures) Apparently, on the left, the food looked just okay. The pictures failed to present the delicious food. But on the right, after adding the filters, the entire tone of pictures has changes. Shadows disappeared and the pastes looked so striking and tasty. 

The Balboa house in Balboa pier blog #3

When I went to Newport Beach to do research for the UROP project for my independent acting project class. I took a lot of photos for the research section of exploring the beach. I've taken a lot so we (the cast and crew) understand better on the characters, setting, and plot. Also, I took this house since characters have to live in a habitat for this story and setting. I enjoy the natural light (or sun) the reflects the the house. I enjoy the house and the color of it. I enjoy the reflection and shadow of the backyard and the house provided by the tree. I enjoy the shadow of the alley and the bushes. I enjoy the brightness of the house and the sand.

Sleeping with Light

I know there is not much to look at or see in this picture, but it was taken on my phone and not a low-light camera. This is in my room, the observable white is a curtain covering a window. In real life, the room is a lot brighter. The other night, I took this photo because I was having trouble sleeping because my room was so bright. The white curtain seems to absorb all the light instead of reflecting it and in turn creates a nice, bright, cast of light in my room. I am the kind of person who prefers it to be completely dark when I sleep. It makes sense, that's how our ancestors lived; light is associated with daytime and darkness with night. I am curious now as to how designers portray nighttime. Do they use dim light, dark colors, etc?

Foggy Nights

The other night as I was driving home from work it was incredibly foggy. As I was driving the strip on Campus, between Jamboree and University it was almost impossible to see in front of me. I don't have any pictures that I took because I was driving but the closest thing I could find that reminded me of that experience was this picture below.

 The soft blur effect in the darkness made it impossible to tell what the lights were attached to and just how far they were. It was honestly terrifying.

Film Set

I took this picture on a film set. It's very visually eye-catching to see the different colors alternatively blend and clash. On the right side of the picture, everything is cast in a deep magenta reminiscent of a night club. This was to evoke a feeling of partying. The arm of the sofa catches some of the purple. Soft candles are surrounded by wineglasses to added a softer, ambient intimacy, balancing out the club-esque feel. In the middle is a neutral white light cast by a chandelier, serving as a middle-ground that transitions into a cool blue leading outside the door. I'm also struck by how the colors and intensities of the light so drastically change the furniture, plants, and people that it hits. The darkness combined with the vibrant colors leads to less inhibitions. In the colored light, people are dark shadows, wineglasses are shallow mirrors, pale flowers become a lovely cerulean. But in the neutral middle ground we see how things really are. The corners of the walls cut off the light very effectively, creating three distinct separate rooms and moods.

Shipwreck

There is that old familiarity with the calm before the storm, but what about the serenity afterwards? I found this picture to be an extremely delicate piece of how light is used as a mechanism of beauty and forgiveness. In the picture you can see of would looks to be a wrecked plane. The plane is surrounded by an amazing clear blue sky with green trees and rocks that probably indicate a jungle or island somewhere. The picture is a peaceful indicator of the aftermath of what probably was a terrifying situation for those who were involved in the accident. The passengers and pilot probably had no sense of direction or light within a storm or some other sort of unfortunate disaster. There is also a sense of disjunction in the image that illuminates the difference between the man-made world and nature. The plane has become completely broken and seemingly useless while nature and the world around the crash continues to flourish. The sky will shine another day and the problems of humanity will always have a firm reminder of the natural beauty in the world that surrounds us as long as we take care of it.

Looking Up

So this is a picture i took when I was sitting in a basket swing which is sort of like a hammock. I though the way the light came through the basket weave at the top looked really cool and the design was interesting - especially since the basket is a solid color and the sky above is blue but also obstructed by clouds. This makes the light more scattered and the design more interesting. I can see the color of the basket because of the light but it looks much darker when compared to the sky because the sky is so bright. Just some thoughts, I honestly thought the light looked really cool through this pattern and I think it would be interesting if I maybe sat in the basket at night with some kind of multi colored or color changing light and then see what it looked like from the outside - I am definitely going to try that next time I am in my home town.

The Bear from Toy Story 3

This is Lotso Bear from Toy Story 3. He is lit with an top light. We learned in class that on people, top lights hide the face and give an abstract look. Lotso is illuminated, and is lit selectively, and the like helps to sculpts him and show dimensions. It is high intensity. This lighting lets you know Lotso is indoors. It tells you the mood is serious, secretive, and possibly dangerous such as an interrogation or a mafia meeting. It also gives the scene a comedic effect since the lighting is contrasting with the subject. If Lotso were lit with natural light or something softer and more colorful, it would make sense because he is a teddy bear. The edges are very soft, and it looks like the like source is not far above him based on how the intensity is mainly on the top of his head and not more spread out.

shining canyon

A couple summers ago, I had the privilege of visiting Antelope Canyon in Arizona with my family. It is a huge canyon that youclimb down into, and take a trail back up the canyon admiring the light that reflects off the beautiful sandstone. This is a photo taken from the bottom, showing how the light bounces off the walls and allows the rock to shine as is dawns down from above. I find this movement of light so fascinating, inspiring me to think that of an ethereal energy was washing over me and I was revived walking through the canyon. It gave me a sense of warmth and I was in awe of the different colors the rocks were able to reflect because of how the light was shining. It also was amazing being able to experience this, because the rocks only reflect like this in the photo at a certain time of day, and I happened to be in the perfect tour group that experienced the "ideal" photo op time slot. I didn't know that the angle in which light comes in can affect so much of how we view the world around us.

Lights and The Alley Crabs

My best friend is in a band called The Alley Crabs. They play small shows here and there, but the picture to the left, is one of the first shows they ever played with special lights. The lights occasionally changed color: from green to blue to red. This purple however, was my favorite. The purple created this vibrant glow and set the mood for what I think accurately depicts their sound: fun, melodic, and smooth rock. It never occurred to me--the importance of lights in concerts or music-related shows, but seeing this band perform with lights added a whole new dimension. The show itself felt more official and exciting. I am now learning how light and sound can work together to create a majestic or psychedelic music experience.

I took this picture on the nineteenth of January early in the morning (7:30 am) on my way to dance class. The lighting for this day was very particular as it had just finished raining and the sun was rising. It's really nice to see how the natural lighting that was coming behind these buildings and clouds gave a different dimension to the trees up front. What was so beautiful about the lighting was the fact that it was a gloomy day, yet the lighting in the background was giving the day a contrast. The shadows that were also created on the pavement from this natural lighting were very interesting to see.

Marketing Lighting

While going through my pictures from the Consumer Electronic Show this year, the lighting from this display caught my eye due to the focus on lighting I've gained from the class. While being a relatively simple looking product, the lighting in the display keeps everything looking clean and wonderfully crisp - the focus is drawn to the product and the lines are clean due to the lighting within the display box. The strong light coming from above gives the white base an almost glowing look, and draws in people as they walk by, succeeding in the job of marketing and creating a sense of wonder that makes the passerby feel the need to see what is so important as to be lit in this fashion. I was inspired to look at these photos due to today's discussion on the range of jobs available to lighting designers.

(The product is a cardboard/paper plane that is controlled by wearing this headset and looking where you want it to go, using smooth, slow head motions and looking through the lens to see what the plane is "seeing" through its camera.)

A Rave, Escape Wonderland 2016

So today the picture that I am going to introduce you the lightings in one of the biggest raves at California, Escape Wonderland. People might not be familiar what a rave is, so let me explain. In Wikipedia, the definition of a rave is, "a large dance party featuring performances by DJs and occasionally live performers playing electronic music, particularly electronic dance music (EDM). The music is amplified with a large, powerful sound reinforcement system, typically with large subwoofers to produce a deep bass sound. The music is accompanied by laser light shows, projected images, visual effects and fog machines." In other words, a bunch of crazy people dancing and listening to live EDM. At the same time, there is amazing lighting that brings the energy to the next level.



Actually, this is when I first felt the power of lighting. It easily made everyone in the rave more excited. It was my first time to see so many different kinds lighting. And they were all different from theatre. In the theatre, the lighting is projected on the actors. However, in the rave, the lighting is on you, the audience. Sometimes you could see the laser lights are in front of you and you feel like you could easily grab them if you simply raised your hands. I am always deeply impressed by the lighting anytime I go to a rave. Thus, in my opinion, you have to nearly master the technique of the lighting to become a light designer in a rave. And it will be my ultimate goal after becoming a light designer.

This picture is really great to me, I love time lapses and the way they capture light. I particularly enjoy the different lights on both sides and how they juxtapose each other. It is as is to say that we are always in constant motion and we can merely attempt to capture it, which is especially true in a metropolitan area such as this. The brightness of it is also deeply alluring for the brightest of stars shine in the darkest of times. 

Soft Patterns

I took this picture one afternoon on campus. I thought the sun shinning behind the tree casts such a delicate design on the concrete. Light not only colors our world but patterns it as well. Then I realized that this design looks just like a gobo design I have seen in some performance before. The design also has a soft focus, which is something I would have never noticed until learning about how lamps can have a range of focuses. 

Post Rain, Blue Sky

    Last week after one of those really major rain storms, it was amazing to walk outside and see how bright and blue the world was. I don't just mean the sky either, everything around me seemed to have a blueish tint. While walking to the bus stop I notices these low clouds and how the sky seemed to be reflecting off of them. They were not just white, they were almost glowing from the sun.
     It was such a huge contrast compared to just the day before, being dark and sad and grey. This natural lighting made everything feel clean. The air was clean and the blue hue looked so crisp.

aquarium lights

I took the picture of the aquarium at my friends house. I had never been there before and I noticed how they had an entire part of their living room dedicated to aquariums. One thing that caught my eye was that when the living rooms lights were off the aquariums would glow with different colors. The image that I posted specifically caught my attention because the way the aquariums lighting is as if it's only on the fishes. The lighting on the plants seems less bright and more in the background. I also like how the lighting on the fishes make its seem as if the fish has light glowing from the inside. 

Birthday Lights

These are the lights that my mom hangs up every time it's one of our birthdays. They are tiny christmas lights enclosed in plastic ice cream cones. When the lights are on, it looks like the ice cream is glowing. The effect is adorable. These lights are completely decorative and provide very little lighting, and I think that's what makes them so fun. They are completely useless except for providing a soft beacon in the early hours of the morning that says, "TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY!"

Bolboa island

This picture was taken in Bolboa Island, Newport Beach two weeks ago. It was around 5:30pm, the perfect time for sunset.  A lot of stationary yachts sitting at the port created a peaceful  and calm atmosphere; the pinkish natural lighting here incredibly added more colorful and lively elements on the whole landscape. When I was taking the picture, I intentionally made the lighting come from the right corner. First was because it was evening, so the sunlight could only be on the west side. Moreover, if I made the lighting in the middle of the picture, the entire image would be overwhelmed with pink/orangeish color and all objects in the near distance would become less visible. It could still be a good picture of sunset, but sunset would be the only highlight and the whole image and it would not be as nice and pretty as this one.