Week 2 - A Stone Cold Night

Over the break, a friend and I decided to go out at 1am and tough it out in the -10 degree weather. 

We came. 

We saw. 

We froze. 

We ate some McDonald's. 

And we got some beautiful pictures. 

This picture was one of the last few of the night for me. I was fascinated be many different contrasts between the light there were happening in this space. The warm inside tempting the cold outside. Calling for my friend, Zachary to walk inside the orange-yellow Hubbard Marketplace to thaw out his fingers and toes like a fire. Yet for some reason, he remains outside. Those four cold blue lights so intriguing. So enticing. So radiant with light, it draws you to them. Because even though the inside may be warmer, the outside will light your path more clear. 

This is but one of many interpretations of this picture, but I was just so drawn to how color, in this instance, conveyed exactly what we generally think light it (WARM=reds, oranges, some yellows and so on. COLD=blue). It almost seems like the outside would the sad place to be as it is freezing out, his toes were frozen, body shaking, breath thin. And a lot of people would associate being sad as being "blue." So it was fun to make take this picture and try to make the inside warm and inviting, yet make the outside oh so much more enticing. 

Week 2: Desert in the Darkness

So for the last month I've been spending my weekends working on set for a film my best friend had the pleasure of bringing me on to work sound for. Sunday was our last day of filming which required shooting on location at Calico Ghost town just outside of Barstow. We ran into quite a few problems as the night grew longer, the van we rented began to sink into the sand multiple times as we drove around secluded areas looking for optimal places to shoot. We had to push it out multiple times, thankfully we had a big crew and cast so this wasn't too difficult. The last problem we encountered you actually can see pictures here, the batteries for our LEDs began to run out and there were no more extra ones left, so we opted to film using car headlights for backlights. It did a great job of piercing through the darkness (which is greatsince they're car headlights, I would hope they'd be able to do their one job correctly.) We got the harsh shadows that we wanted out of them and it worked to our favor which was nice. It was really eerie how dark it got out there, and it's always nice to be in non-light polluted areas and remembering stars exist.

Leaves in the Sunset

When I was looking for pictures and images I have seen that inspired or caught my eye about lighting all I could think of was the sunset. The way the sun looks as it’s setting has always been something really beautiful to me and unlike anything else I’ve seen. I chose this picture because I loved how the leaves are illuminated from behind by the light. It is interesting how the light from behind makes the leaves look darker and more defined on the exterior, yet the definition on the leaf itself is not as clear. It makes them almost look like a shadow when there is lighting from behind. However, I love that the top leaves are more golden and almost look like the sunset has reflected back on them. They look more defined and cozy looking. 

Week 2: Silhouettes

I took this picture around 6pm, my favorite time of day, mainly because of this particular saturation of blue in the sky. It's such a vivid and interesting shade of blue, yet dark enough to turn the trees into black silhouettes. As complementary colors, the cool blue offers a great contrast to the warm, almost orange, lights below. The deeper the blue in the sky, the warmer the lights seem to feel below, which give the homes a welcoming atmosphere. The beauty of the silhouetted trees add to this general mood in the fact that they appear to be simplified in their black 2D form. To me, when looking at this image, I see something simple, warm, and inviting after a long day.

WEEK 2: A Misty Morning

I noticed the foggy sky when I came out of my Spanish class on a Thursday morning. It was also quite chilly outside, and the lighting from the sun with the light clouds blended well with each other. The sky wasn't too blue nor gray, and the faint mist created a calming feeling with the cold air. I admired how the light wasn't as harsh as white light, but it was still bright enough to see the sunlight. I enjoyed the fact I took some time to notice the environment around me..

Week 2: My Parent's Anniversary Gift

My parents were gifted a stained glass lantern for their 25th wedding anniversary from a relative and every so often when our family has guests over or during holidays my mother places a fake candle inside the lantern. Because she only does this on special occasions, I have begun to associate a feeling of joy and festivity whenever I see the lantern lit. Throughout the day, the front light that hits the stained glass does not evoke the same feeling as when light shines from inside the lantern, hitting the individually colored stained glass pieces in the process and further bringing out the color of the stained glass. My mother had previously placed a candle giving off a red light inside the lantern however, this detracted away from the experience because the red overpowered the different colors of the stained glass and instead of the special mutli-colored effect that is given off, a domineering red light protruded outward that ruined the usually joyous feeling.

Week 2: Sunday Morning

This morning I woke up knowing today was going to be super busy. The morning light was starting to peak through my curtains telling me that it was time to get up. At first I was anxious and stressed thinking about starting my day but then there was this quiet serenity that I felt while sitting and taking in the soft light. I really enjoy this kind of light, it is comforting and I find it really beautiful.