The reason I chose this image is because if one were to look closely one can see a person sitting half way on the stairs. I think that was very cool especially since the area is restricted. I saw no one else and I kind of wish I could be there. I feel like being up there could be very relaxing or just a place to reflect on life. Not only is it a great as a place t be alone but it the view is most likely amazing and picture worthy scenes. As I passed by there the stairway was gone and am a bit sad because I wanted to figure out how I could get up there.

Week 10 - A Car Ride With The Sun

 I was in the car with a friend recently, and whenever I am in the car (and not driving!) I love to look out the window and observe the world outside. During this moment however, I noticed that the sun was starting to go down rather late. Though daylight savings time makes us lose an hour of sleep, for once I appreciated it, as it allowed me to watch the light of the sun at a much later time than I was used to! Its position in the sky between the trees was so beautiful that I had to snap a picture of it! I managed to capture this picture where the sun was so bright that it almost looks as though there is a hole in the tree and the sun is shining straight through it! Though I am not quite understanding of this phenomenon, it does make me wonder if perhaps the light is so powerful that it is all that our eyes can see, therefore making us unable to see that area of the tree.
I really love the way that the light casts the shadows of the trees upon the street, and how the light wraps around the trees to make them stand out so nicely against the blueness of the sky. It makes me think of the tree as a real life gobo, with the sun's light shining through it and creating beautiful shapes on the ground. This was a really nice and peaceful drive home, and now that I drive myself, I rarely have time to gaze out the window of the car and observe the world passing by me nowadays. Therefore, I was really happy to capture this beautiful picture during this particular car ride home.

-Diane

Week 10 - New place same sky

My Mom took this picture when she went up to Idaho and this is the house she decided to buy. She is traveling up in a coupe of days and I'll be flying up Saturday- yet this picture is unlike my others. I didn't take it and I don't know how it makes me feel. But I know how it will make me feel hopefully soon- like home. And then to my children it will feel like grandma's house. The picture is simple, well lit with the sun behind the camera and the bright blue skies behind the house that I will be traveling across in a few days when I'm on my way to what will be the newest of the many places I can feel at home.

Week 10 Track

Personally, seeing a track brings me back to my days as an athlete. Especially when the days were cloudy and overcast, those were the most comfortable days to run  because there was so much fresh air. Seeing this picture brings positive memories for me, the colors are muted and bit and there isn't much brightness, but my connection to it reminds me of how fun and comfortable it was to run in days like these, the sunlight is refracted, and everything is flatter a dimmer.

Week 10 A Friday Rainbow

Friday afternoon when I got out of class and headed home to get ready for the opening night of my DCP this quarter, I looked up and saw this beautiful rainbow in the sky. I know a rainbow is just the
reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets that allow us to see the colors that make up light, but the six year old in me still thinks they are magical! This instantly brought a smile to my lips and filled me with the desire to go on an adventure to find the end of the rainbow just to see if there is a pot of gold waiting there. Not a bad way to wrap up a crazy week!

DISCLAIMER: THIS ISN'T MY PHOTO. There is something wrong with my camera so I couldn't take any pictures, however, I went on Instagram with my laptop, and I found this photo. In Week 10, I wanted to focus on more of color and the color of the sky is so beautiful. None of it is so harsh, however, I feel as if the yellow-orange compliments the sky. It's a nice mixture, and it adds to a smoothness to it. Like the beach, it's a relaxing and calming place, and with these soft colors, it adds to the experience. 

Week 10 Fire Side Nap

I absolutely love this picture, setting, lighting, and especially the little person. The natural lighting of the fire and the lighting of the living room blend very well together and provide a feeling of comfort. I find it very intriguing how the bottom of the fire matches the blanket. The lighting of the living room helps reflect how tired he is and makes his red cheeks noticeable. Noticing how the fire isn't really high but the reflection of the fire on the glass doors give the illusion that the fire is high is interesting. I wish I would have taken a picture without the living room lights on to see how the natural lighting from the outside and fire would have looked.

Week 10: Rainy Day

I took this photo after a rainy day as the sun was coming down. These events culminated into this remaining image. I took this picture because I liked the shadows on the environment, the clouds, and the depth created with the light shining through the clouds. I liked how the light from the sun was not just a source of light shining on the scene, but instead, a part of the scene itself. For the most part, the light here is really the main focus of the image. I think it would be interesting to see a show where light didn't just enhance some other aspect, such as the characters; it would just be a show about light.

Week 10: The Eye of God

Last Monday after a particularly rewarding rehearsal I was alone in my best friend's garage when I heard a voice from the heavens. It was not, in fact, the voice of god, but a rather stern copilot ordering some party to disperse. I stood and watched for awhile, and thought of class, and thought of context, thought of the absurdity of a party that big on a Monday night, and began to cycle through all of the two-words that I could use to frame this incredible beam of light removed from it's real world context: SPACE ALIENS... EUREKA MOMENT... PROFOUND ISOLATION... INESCAPABLE TERROR... FASCIST TOTALITARIAN... THE ONE... GOD'S CALL... MEMENTO MORI... HERE, NOW... FATEFUL DECISION... TRUE LOVE... INEVITABLE DISCOVERY...

And that's what I'll remember from this class (amongst one or two things), because if I think long and hard enough, I'll keep finding two words that might just work. Context is everything.

Week 10: A Light Walk

When I took this picture, I wasn't quite sure what I was thinking and feeling at the time, although now looking back on it I fondly remember the feeling of utter contentment. This picture represents it perfectly as well by the angle and the way there is the darker areas to the lighter ones. The sky is lit up and the other scenery is just a tad dimmer in light intensity, giving the picture just enough energy without being too bright which would cancel out the calmness and flood it with jubilation. All around everything is light and open just as I had felt; the contrast off the trees provide a glow and just a feeling of freedom. To add just a cheesy part to it, there is a light at the end as if it were the light at the end of the tunnel being in this case, me being almost home and it being the end of the quarter and that I made it through. It perfectly captures what is usually thought of when someone sees a sunset and that is the end.

Week 10 Post- Maple Tree

Often on my walk to class, I stop and notice the row of maple trees standing in the courtyard. I've always loved these trees. When life feels monotonous, the green and yellow maple leaves always remind me of all the richness that surrounds me on campus when I "look closer." On sunny afternoons, light shines through the leaves and hits my face in interspersed rays. This makes me think of refraction and how light can travel through different mediums like leaves, often exposing their transparency in the process. It also makes me think of the movement of light, and how this movement seems to bring even inanimate objects to life. It's not often I have the chance to see these trees after daylight. But on Thursday night, as I waited for Woyzeck to begin, I laid down under the maple trees and glared up at the stars. In the night, the trees felt different. The green hue of the leaves was made visible by the lamp post, but in contrast to the night sky, they appeared a much darker shade of green and less saturate. The leaves appeared solid and less transparent. It made me think of how our eyes perceive color differently in relation to the colors around it- for instance the leaves under the blue sky are much warmer, brighter and saturate than they are under the night sky. When the quality of light and color change, their meanings change too. We may identify with them in completely different ways. Now, the maple trees remind me of tonality and how color effects the way we relate to objects; even moreso than other visible factors like shape or size.

Week 10: A Beautiful, Stressful Week

So I'm sure for everyone, this past week has been extremely stressful with final exams, papers, and tons of homework. I noticed that even though it was Week 10, and I was stressed and worried about my classes that it was a really beautiful week. Almost everyday the sun was shining, and the sky was clear with just the right amount of clouds. It reminded me that no matter what is going on in your life, that it's important to stop and look around at all the natural beauty that surrounds us. I feel like nature felt sorry for all of us, so it gave us a few beautiful sunny days to relieve our stress. I love how the light is almost making the clouds shine and glow in my picture. I was coming out of my acting class in the Little Theater when I shot this photo. The clouds also highlight the shade of blue that the sky was that day. I wish everyone luck on the rest of their finals. Just remember to enjoy the things around you; finals thankfully don't last forever!

Power of the Sun

A couple days ago I was walking through the UCI campus around the school of law and I noticed that the sun was beaming a lot stronger than usual. I walked through the parking lot and I was fascinated by how the light complemented the surrounding trees and nature. I definitely felt at peace and present in the moment. I looked at the sun and I saw how powerful the ball of fire was, I completely understand how one can go blind from staring too long, it's powerful and very illuminating.
I also like how there are rings of light surrounding the sun, it also compliments the clouds too.

Week 10 - The Ocean

I took this picture at Newport Beach last week and I thought there is an ocean above the ocean by having waves made of clouds in the sky. The light from the sun is coming through the clouds, which made the clouds have a brighter area and the darker area. The brighter area of the clouds look like bubbles when the water splashes, and the darker area seems that it is showing the deepness of the ocean. I also thought it is interesting that there is a big could colored with white and gray but by going further, the sky is blue and yellow with having a heaven looking sky. This contrast made me excited because it seemed that the sky is trying to imitate the ocean but could not completely imitate it. The brighter sky seems that it is having fun controlling the clouds and the light from the sun to entertain us.

Week 10 - International Pancake Day

Earlier this week, my friends and I went to IHOP to get free pancakes for international pancake day. It also happened to be one of my friend's birthdays that day as well. We drove over to the closest IHOP from campus, which was right next to the John Wayne Airport. It was a pretty nice day outside, which was a surprise considering that it had rained just the day before. There were no clouds in the sky, the sun was out, and it was breezy. I decided to take a picture while we were waiting to be called into the restaurant because I thought the sky looked beautiful that day. I enjoyed how there weren't any clouds to obstruct the sunlight, and how that created a nice blue gradient in the sky. Since everything was so bright and well lit, the atmosphere evoked a happy mood in me. Everything felt so open and free because there weren't any shadows to hide anything. I liked how everything looked really bright because it added to the excitement of my group of friends getting to spend time with each other outside of school, especially on someone's birthday.

Week 10- Attempt at Photography

While waiting for my writing class to start, I was sitting on a bench outside of PSLH, enjoying the gorgeous sunny day. Next to me were these pretty yellow flowers, gently swaying to the wind. I was admiring their beauty and suddenly had the inspiration to try and capture this moment. I got out my phone and pretended to be a photographer for the next five minutes, carefully taking a picture of this flower from multiple angles until I was finally satisfied. The result was a decent picture, at least I like to think it is. In the image depicted above, I tried to capture the essence of the flower. The bright yellow petals contrasts with the green leaves and brown earth. Its color pops and demands my full attention. The light form the sun only served to help the flower glow and show off its soft beauty. In the background, there are shadows caused by my body blocking part of the sun. However, the shadows are very subtle and doesn't take away from the overall brightness of the shot. The flower is the center of this image and evokes peaceful emotions. While looking at this picture, I can't help but feel excited for spring and the nice weather that is to come!

Week 10- What"s Not To Like

Ending this class, I have decided to save my favorite picture for last. It brings together so many things I love. I found this picture to be truly beautiful at the beginning of this quarter, but now I begin to find a different kind of beauty in the lighting. I love sunsets, always have. I love the warmth this one gives off while still keeping the "cool" colors the sky has most of the day. But, after working on all of these Our Town projects, I now realize just how visually captivation this image is. It brings in the joy and comfort that I found in Our Town and tried to create through my lighting. How amazing it is to find that exact type of feeling I was trying to create in real life. This was taken, looking out on Hunington Beach, which is basically in our backyard. Irvine may not be a small town like in the play, but it still is able to give me the same types of emotions. I view light everyday and still have a high appreciation for sunsets, but this specific sunset has even more meaning now after taking lighting design than I ever thought it would. Thank you for giving me that!

Week 10: Under the Tree, Staring Up at the Sky, Talking about Life

On Friday night, I was hanging out with a friend, and we had some time to kill before we were going to see Woyzeck.  We spent a good long time in the campus pub, and I had a few too many beers.  So, I decided to lie down on a concrete barrier and look up at the stars.  She told me to take a picture for the lighting blog, so I did.  I took a picture of my view staring up at the sky, and the tree.  The lens flare was a happy accident.  The flare from a nearby light caught on my camera, and it gave the image a whole new power.  J.J. Abrams be jealous of my lens flare game.  The light scattering across my camera lens created this image.  I looked at the harsh streak across the tree.  The tree is washed out by the scattering of the light across the lens.  I like that it forms a pattern blocking out the tree, making everything washed in tone and color.  It helped create a dynamic look.  The picture came to life when the flare shot across my camera and animated it.  It's a sort of action, and the flare almost aggressively announces its presence in the picture.  At that point ti's a declarative moment of action, of liveliness.  It was kind of amazing to look at.

Glowing Cat

This is my cat on top of a ping pong table. The ping pong table is located in a room with a window behind/ to the right of it. In the afternoon, the sun comes in through the window and shines on the ping pong table, (which is an unfortunate placement of the table, because it glares off of the surface and makes it difficult to see the ball). Last week I was playing ping pong with my mom around 2pm. Naturally, my cat jumped up and started playing with us and then got tired and plopped over in the middle of the table. The sunlight was directed at her, and because her fur is white, it did not absorb any of the light rays from the sunlight, instead reflecting them all back to our eyes. She was glowing. This glowing effect was even more pronounced because the ping pong table and the walls are dark blue, and absorb most of the colors of light from the sunlight, so most of the light did not get bounced off of them and they ended up with much lower intensities than she did. The initial feeling I had looking at her was awe, because she looked beautiful and almost holy, like the effect we describe from the backlight PAR. My next reaction, once I processed my thoughts of a glowing cat, was that it was hilarious, just because of the situation. I've often seen pictures of cats where the eyes glow because they reflect light, but I've never seen glowing fur before. My final reaction was again beauty and happiness. The whole situation brought joy to my day, but on top of that, the contrast of the darkness of the backround and the brightness of her fur was pleasing to my eyes. It brought to focus and attention to her instead of to the world around her, but the brightness did not hurt my eyes because it was balanced and relieved by the darkness, and did not overwhelm me. This is actually my computer wallpaper now because I enjoyed it so much.

Week 10 - LED Ferris Wheel

I am not necessarily fond of selfies, but this particular picture has some unique lighting and context that's worth sharing. On Saturday, March 5th I went on a night stroll through the Irvine Spectrum with some good friends of mine and I couldn't help but noticing the newly refurbished, colossal, and bright LED lit Ferris Wheel. I am very much afraid of heights, which explains why I was never really into the idea of riding a giant Ferris Wheel anytime soon. However, I must say that it was the first instance in my life in which a composition of beautifully colored lights lured me in to do something adventurous and daring. I decided to take a leap and go for the ride. I was quickly caught off guard by the ambient lighting in each gondola which truly set a relaxing mood for the whole ride. I was very surprised by the fact that I didn't even feel a bit uncomfortable, instead, I was thoroughly enjoying the wonderful view of the city at night. I captured this picture when I was all the way on top, and I was luckily able to include both the panoramic view as well as the fading LED lights in one shot. It was genuinely a one of a kind experience that would not have been the same if I did not pay such particular attention to lighting design. It's experiences like these that make you appreciate design classes, because you start realizing how the concepts you learn tie directly to your everyday life. Thank you, Lonnie, for such a well-executed and thorough learning experience.

Week 10: We Are Infinite

This photo was taken on the pier at Newport Beach a couple weeks back. I love this photo because it has a feeling of connection and unity. I have also started looking at light in the capacity of how it can affect a story and what pictures inspire me with ideas. Along with the circles of light I also really like the background. It's supports the lights really nicely. When looking at this picture, the feeling reminds me of the book and movie Perks Of Being A Wallflower. The ending moments in the show, have the three main characters going through a tunnel and the lead character is riding in the back trunk of the truck with his hands stretching upwards to the top of the tunnel and you can see at the end of the tunnel where the colors are changing and becoming closer by the second, encompassing the whole view. Part of the monologue that Charlie (lead character) states is,

"I can see it. This one moment when you

know you’re not a sad story. You are alive. And as you stand up and see the lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you are listening to that song, on that drive, with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment, I swear…… we are infinite."

I really connected with this picture, this story, this lighting class, and these blogs that we have been doing.

Au Revoir,

Not Goodbye,

A 

Week 8 - Art or Light or Both

This is the side of The Claire. I was walking along and looked up and thought, "That looks like a piece of modern art." Then I realized it was light. It was just the afternoon sunlight reflecting of the windows and onto the wall of the theatre. I think it's kind of lovely. I'm not sure what my emotional response is to it, but it did make me stop and stand in wonder.  I just stood there looking at this piece of art created by reflected light for about ten minutes of my day. It's kind of amazing what all can be created with just light.

Week 8- I Never Stand Alone

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"I Never Stand Alone." This is what the name of my dance team here at UCI stands for. The picture above is of me and my Big right before our performance for Care-a-thon. I remember that day clearly, as it was the first time we all performed with our official jerseys on. My team members and I were ecstatic, because we could finally come together as a team and represent who we are to the rest of the people on campus. I had my friend take this photo to commemorate this wonderful memory. In this picture, you can clearly see the source of light coming from the sun. Despite it being sunset, the sun still shines brightly in the corner, fully sculpting the silhouettes of me and friend. The sun also creates some shadows behind me and my Big as well as the trees in the background. The sky can be seen clearly in the background and the lush greenery provides a nice complement to the setting sun. All these elements come together and create a warm and happy mood. There is no darkness or harshness in the colors and the rays from the sun invoke peaceful thoughts.