Week #8: Breaking up the White light

I went back to home-home this past weekend in LA to celebrate my mother's birthday. It's been a good while since I've visited home so the moment i walked into the family room i knew exactly what i wanted to do this weeks lighting blog on. In the photo (on the left) is a picture of one of the windows in the family room. You must be wondering if that window is a design of some sort, or if it is on the verge of shattering. If you guessed broken class, you are correct! If you look at the bottom right hand corner, you can see how there is a B-B shot that causes the entire class to crack.

I am writing about this accident my older caused when he was in high school (about 11 years ago) because i noticed the cracks in the glass shows the prism effect we learned about in class. The sunlight hits the edge of cracked glass and breaks up white light into its components and we see a rainbow-like light. It's funny how i had always noticed this colorful light that the broken glass had created ever since i was young, but since taking this class, i can somewhat explain why it has color. Now i know the reason why my older bro's mistake can be looked at as art, haha. (fyi...this window has been like this for the past 11 years...and hasn't broken apart yet...dayum)

Week 8 - The Gym

What could be another means of light that really stirs me emotionally? I was having a rehearsal for a student project by my pipeline player crew. We had no real rehearsal space unfortunately, so we ended up going to the last place on Earth for rehearsal... The Arc. The Arc is a gym located in Irvine area. When I got there, I realized for once that there is always a specific bright white light in the Arc.... It is a white bright light, but why would that be so?

At first, I thought that it could only be a means for saving money. Then, I began to think how could this white bright light affect my senses and emotions. First, I felt a lot more awake at the gym. I entered the gym, and there was never a moment where I felt sleepy or drowzy. I felt ready to physically move around. Could this be the result of the light? As I have analyzed before, the brighter the light the more profound an effect it has on people. For example, brighter light always makes people more comfortable since it is more revealing. Therefore, maybe people feel better in their own skin at the gym because nothing is unrevealed. They could be feeling more physically comfortable and gaining a boost of energy. They have less fears because of the light whether it is because of their own body or their surroundings. It is a neutral light. There was also a great amount of white light. People are generally more attracted to white light. Could the white light bring out this sense of comfort and energy that prepares people for working out. If we are attracted to white light, could we be having an energy boost because of the power attractivity pushing us physically forward. I mean we always have rushes of energy when we attracted to someone. Again, I would like to stress thatI felt very neutral at the gym as well. I had the ability to focus easily on the physical tasks at hand at the gym. Could it be because of this white and bright light that makes me so aware and comfortable?

As simple as this light is, I really think that light at the gym is purposely made to stimulate us, so that we are ready to work. It is simple and effective, but I just don't think they choose bright white lights for financial reasons.

Week 8: Cool Shadows

So we all know exactly where this was taken and we can probably guess what time it was too. I remember someone telling me that high noon was the most boring time of day as far as lighting goes because it's just a flood of white light from directly above you. I took a picture at this time anyways because I thought the shadows being thrown across the benches are pretty looking. It reminded me of leafy patterns I've seen in shows when the director is going for a natural or forest look. I've probably walked past this hundreds of times and barely noticed the intricate willowy shadows on the ground and benches. The fountain right here is serene in and of itself but I think the shadows covering the benches adds to this feeling. There's a sense of soft coolness from the shadows that gradually fades away towards the white sand farther out from the trees. When I stopped to take this picture it looked inviting in the sunny afternoon.

Week #8 Soarin Over California

So on Friday, I went to California Adventure. The pictures above are from the "Soarin' Over California" attraction. I felt like a super tourist taking random pictures of the ride before it started. Blue was a dominant color used in this room, I wondered why blue was chosen because I don't feel like it is a color that is associated with airports. Never the less, it made the room feel cooler and mystical. It also created a sense of excitement. I felt like the lighting was VERY much related to architectural lighting because of the many spot lights that showcased the features of the room. The pictures aren't a good reflection of the effects the lighting created however. I felt like the lighting enhanced the depth and the hardness of the steel structures. I definitely felt a night vibe from the room.

Also, picture 2 is where the video is projected. It wasn't like any other projection screen in that it was curved like a lens. This immediately made me think of the old fashioned cycloramas that curved across the stage. Much like how the old fashioned cycs were intended to create a sense of vastness, this screen had a similar effect.

~Politeia

Random cute side note: My grandma actually thought we took off, and started praying because she was scared we would fall to our deaths.

View Hopping

Since starting lighting class, I have noticed how much my appreciation for light has changed. I am always finding myself looking up at the sky, examining the sun, watching how the sky changes color throughout the day, taking in the different types of lighting used to light areas- parking garages, street lights, everything. This particular post is not a unique type of lighting, but it is a very meaningful one.

I live in the bay area and the views from my house and around where I live are absolutely breathtaking. There is this one spot that a friend introduced me to that we all like to call "the view". One late night, I wanted to bring my best friend to this place that looks over the entire bay area. Unfortunately, I had no clue how to get there and ended up taking us on a trek around where I live which is now a new tradition that we call "view hopping". We went around looking for different views of the bay and stopped and parked at each one and had long deep talks and took in the beauty. It was such an amazing, wonderful night. Such breathtaking sites at night always seem to be the fuel for great conversation and wonderful memories.

I love watching all the sparking lights twinkle in the distance like little stars stretching out in front of me. It really makes you realize just how many people are out in the world at that moment living life, doing different things. And it gives me an appreciation for where I live and for my home.

Week 8 Blog

This past week during a day off, I decided to go shopping in West Hollywood on Melrose. My favorite store, Marc by Marc Jacobs had this stunning new window front that displayed a captivating image that caught my attention. What I particularly enjoyed about this lighting is that it also lit up part of the store on the inside where everything was dark and neon blue. I felt like I was shopping in the future. It put me in a very strange mood that made the clothing seem greater than it really was just because of the lighting. This enhanced my shopping experience a lot more because I felt like I was shopping at such a unique place with such a unique experience that the average person does not get to experience on an everyday basis. I never realized how important lighting is to a store because it really does make a difference and get to show off the artistic side of the store/owner/designer. Overall, I generally really appreciated this creative use of light because futuristic lighting really appeals to me and I think this was a great example of it!

Ricky

Week 8: A Cloudy Day

Usually, I don't like cloudy, overcast days because they make me sleepy and I feel the need to sleep in all day. But this was a fairly interesting day. I just came from seeing Avatar (ridiculously cool movie by the way) , sat in the back seat of the car and was on my way home. I looked through the window, up at the sky and zoned out. Randomly, I wondered what made it still light out on a cloudy day. I figured because it's overcast there's no sunlight coming through, it's all being blocked, however... I was wrong. Upon further inspection I realized that the sunlight is just filtered more, with the help of the clouds. The sunlight still goes through, but somehow must refract off all the water droplets that make up a cloud, blocking a majority of the light from coming through properly. So I thought that was pretty cool. Especially how above the cloud line it was completely blue, yet below it was encased in shadow and felt depressing and gloomy. But something that I particularly found interesting was the fact that colors (particularly green) seemed to stand out more than usual. It's sort of like going into a garden in the morning, just before the sun pops out, that the colors in the flowers and leaves are the most vibrant. Or when you wear black with a splash of color, the color seems to pop. Maybe colors seem more vibrant because there is such a contrast between the dark and bright, allowing dark colors to accentuate colors.

Shopping "Light"

For the very first time, I went shopping in the fashion district of Los Angeles. I went bridesmaid gown shopping with my aunt and her wedding party. And although I promised myself that I wouldn't spend money on anything other than the dress I needed for the wedding, the plans changed as I found bargain after bargain! After I was done shopping, I noticed that the most money was spent in the stores with soft or dim lighting and that no money was spent in the stores with standard fluoresent lighting. There was something different in the way the jewelry. clothes and shoes were presented in the light. It felt as though the light was able to add value to the clothing in the soft lit stores. I knew that for the most part the stores carried the same quality of clothing but for some reason, I felt that I was getting my money's worth in these dim lit stores. I can't believe that light can have such an affect on my shopping decisions!

Week #8 - Burning Sky

                       Last weekend I was able to spend some time with my best friend in San Diego. I stayed at her home, which is a big, beautiful house on top of a large hill in a suburban area of the city. We were sitting outside on the deck enjoying each other’s company as the sun began to set. At first I didn’t really notice it – we were distracted in deep conversation – but soon enough I couldn’t help but stare in awe at the extremely warm colors that caught my attention. Part of the sky had turned bright red. Not just a pale tint, but a legitimate, fire-engine red, and I was amazed. The photo doesn't quite do it justice: I had never seen the sky look so much like flames before. The beauty of it came from the red dancing and intertwining with other warm colors like yellow and orange. Since these colors were so extreme, and slightly irritating to our eyes, I was glad to have the knowledge about how warm and cool colors compliment each other. While the horizon looked like fire, the rest of the sky above it was still a gorgeous shade of deep blue, with some light purples connecting the pieces. This is easily one of the most beautiful sunsets that I have ever seen, and I was grateful for the wonderful company to share it with.

Week #8: Source vs. Sunbathing

Nothing earth shattering about this post. I came home one afternoon to find my cat, Nebula, sitting on the bottom stair essentially staring at nothing. Laughable at first, because well, my cat is a. awesome, and b. a little weird at times- I didn't think too much of it. It only took .235 seconds later to realize that she was sitting on that stair directly in the sunlight being cast through the window. Obviously cats are known for sunbathing, but I couldn't help but smile at this after all the discussion we have been having in class about humans needing a "source of light". While I'll be the first to admit that I see my precious Nebula as more of a human than a pet, I love the notion that it is all living creatures that strive to have a source of light in their world.

Week 8: Spectrum Lights

So earlier tonight I was feeling a little overwhelmed by everything that is going on in my life right now and I decided I needed to just get away from it all for a few minutes. So I decided to take a little drive on the freeway and I got off at the Irvine Spectrum. Even before I started taking this class, I was drawn to all of the lights surrounding the Spectrum. I get such a calm feeling just walking along, gazing up at the strands of lights connecting the palm trees together, inside the fountains, glowing on the sides of the buildings, basically everywhere you look.





My favorite source of light at the Spectrum is the Ferris Wheel of course. Even before you get off of the freeway, you can see it glowing brilliantly in the distance. I don't know why, but I have always been drawn to such displays of light. It gives me the same sense as being at Disneyland. It is so beautiful and captivating compared to everything else around it, and once I look at it, I can't take my eyes off of it and I can't think of anything else. The flashing colors and the brightness of it all immediately gives me a new energy, excitement, and optimism. In a way it reminds me of the simplistic wonders of life and I feel like a child again, able to let go of my adult responsibilities momentarily. Seeing this was just what I needed tonight; sometimes it's important when you feel yourself getting too wrapped up in life to take a moment to pause and enjoy the beauty of the world around you.

(I did take some good pictures of the lighting at Irvine Spectrum but my computer is refusing to read my camera's SD card, so unfortunately I could not include them in this post. But if you happen to drive by Irvine Center Drive at night, just look up and you will see what I'm talking about! )

WEEK 6 : Iconic Sunset

One my way home from school today I was feeling pretty exhausted and not looking forward to the 6-8 page paper that I have to write for Wednesday among all my other homework. Then I noticed that the sun had just started setting and as it was a pretty cloudless day, the whole sky to the west had every color in the rainbow showing. Also, as I was driving north up the coast on the Pacific Coast Highway, I noticed all the palm trees were in silhouette, and being back lit from the setting sun. This scene made me think of all those iconic California postcards that are supposed to make people think how calm and relaxing it is here. And just by thinking about that, I started to feel a lot calmer, relaxed and actually started to get a little motivated to start on that essay.

Merry Go Round Week 6

Last Saturday I went to the spectrum with a friend to watch a movie and was inspired by the carousel lights. They are simple yellow lights yet they are so captivating to the eye. This is a perfect example of how simple lighting can be used to create an effect on people. The lighting of a carousel is supposed to capture young children's attention. One would think that in order to capture attention of a child, you would need a bunch of colorful lights, but that isnt the case. The carousel is painted in pleanty of captivating colors and the simple lighting creates a perfect picture to entice the eye.

Week 6 - Space Mountain

I put my Disneyland pass to use on Friday and ran around the park for a few hours to relax and have some fun with my friends. I recently read that the Space Mountain ride which seems to go really fast only goes about 8 mph. I went on the ride to try and see for myself how Disney creates this illusion. As you can guess (especially since I’m writing it on this blog) one of the biggest factors is the way Disney uses light in the ride.

The way that Disney gets away with having the ride go a mere 8 mph is the optical illusion that is created by the strings of light that rush by you as you go through. This creates an image of stars rushing by you quickly as the cart speeds through. The trick is, however, that these lights don’t stay still as the cart moves, the lights are moving faster than the cart itself. Add this to the jerky turns and the really hard air blowing against the riders and you get a ride that many people think goes 60 mph!

Week 4 - Vibe

I had the pleasure of watching the Vibe Hip Hop Dance Competition at the Bren earlier. It was a pretty awesome show but I must say I was disappointed in the lighting. First things first – the lighting was not done by professionals. The lighting was done by the show’s DJs and they tried to make things look flashy but definitely failed.

They had two projectors on either side of the stage to give people a better view of what was on stage. Fortunately for me I came early and already had good seats. Unfortunately for those who would have needed the projectors, the DJs placed the projectors next to the stage so they were pretty much useless to those who already had a bad view. Now with something as emotionally driven as dance, I think lighting designers have a ton to play with here. Unfortunately, the DJs dropped the ball by going with the same attempt at starting the dances in an “epic” fashion. They would start the lights a few seconds after the music had started and always with this slow fade into green light. The problem with this was they would often miss some opening moves as they waited for the light to fade in. Also, they went with a lot of lower front light which created a lot of shadow on the dancers faces. Luckily the lighting didn’t ruin the amazing dancing going on stage. I just wish I could have had better things to say about the lighting.

Week 2 - Irvine Spectrum

(Sorry these are old posts everyone, I was having issues with posting on the blog and just figured it out now.)

My roommates were craving some fake Mexican food so they convinced me to head over to Chipotle with them. I figured while I ate white rice in my "burrito" I'd be able to take a look at some of the lighting around the Spectrum. What struck me as I looked at the lighting all around was the different strategies in which the restaurants around me took in lighting their logo. The Chipotle logo was lit from the back to create a sort of glowing aura around it. The Johnny Rockets logo went with a more retro feel by using neon signs and a harsh cursive font. The Dave and Buster's logo went with a large imposing circular light that lit the entire logo as opposed to lighting parts of the logo. It was interesting to see what each company was going for with the way they would light their own signs.

Week 6: Sun & Snow!

This weekend, I went up to Lake Arrowhead for my first ever trip to see snow! It was magical. One thing I noticed about the snow was how the sun played off it. Since it is the end of the season, the sun was out and shining throughout the weekend. As anyone who has been to snow can say, it is very bright. It's white! And when the bright completely white light of the sun bounces off the very bright white snow, it can hurt your eyes. I felt like I was in a magical sunny winter wonderland.

After spending the day in the snow, I came to truly appreciate a new kind of natural light I've never experienced before. It was nature working with nature and creating something beautiful. You definitely needed sunglasses to avoid blindness :), but it was so gorgeous to watch the rays of sun bounces and glittering off the snow. I can't wait to go to the snow again!!

Emily Schwartz

Weak Six- Lion Tree

I do not have a photograph for this particular image, because I did not have a camera on me at the time, but it was so striking I had to discuss it. As I was walking home from the gym last week on my usual route, I happened to look up into the sky. I am not sure if I was particularly looking out for interesting light patterns or images, but perhaps I was for, ever since beginning this lighting blog, I seem to be more likely to look out for these kinds of things.

As I was walking the sun was just starting to set in the sky, so its positioning was not quite overhead but somewhere far ahead, beginning to lower itself. Ahead of me where also several trees and I was watching the sun through the trees as I walked. When I got to one particular angle, I could see the sun positioned just perfectly, shining through an almost perfect circular whole among the tree branches. The effect was phenomenal. The tree branches and leaves looked like a lions mane around the golden sun as the yellow rays combined with the green leaves. I paused there for a bit and just watched, enjoying the image, and trying to memorize it before continuing on my journey home.

Week #6 - Disneyland Optical Illusion

I got the opportunity to go to Disneyland again this weekend, and as the quarter progresses I have been more and more observant in terms of lighting. I am incredibly impressed with Disney and the way that they create such a happy feeling just through the lighting throughout the park. One lighting trick that particularly caught my eye was on a large display on Main Street as we were exiting the park. There was enormous display of plastic, replica balloons coming out of an over-sized envelope with a card protruding saying a much more eloquent and clever version of “thanks for coming.”

            What was so exciting about these balloons at night was that light was being projected on them in such a way that made it look like they were not only real, but actually floating. It is hard to tell from this picture since you can’t see the light moving, but somehow shapes of squiggly lines were moving around on the plastic, and rotating to create the illusion that the balloons were being moved around by the wind, floating up and down and back and forth. I looked around and tried to figure out where the lighting fixtures were, but I did not see them. I am incredibly intrigued as to how they achieved this illusion, and managed to conceal the lights that created this illusion. I would guess that it had something to do with rotating lights and maybe some gobos, but I am not positive as to how this worked. I would like to learn. Regardless, I was so impressed that light could create such an exciting and interesting optical illusion.  

Week 6: Less is More

Week 6: Less is More

I have to admit I’m a little flustered and frustrated right now because I wrote my whole blog for this week, submitted it, and my browser crashed. So here is round two on describing a lighting experience I had last night in a bar…

Before I start, the first two pictures of the space from the website, the other two were taken from my phone. The bar was much more dimly lit than the first two photos, but brighter than the ones I took with my phone. Despite being darker, I found the bar to be inviting. Something I noticed was how light divided the space. The pool table was the most brightly lit area. Above it was a crystal chandelier and few, but bright, recessed lights. This helped with making this area a focal point of the room. I felt like this was kind of related to theatrical lighting in the sense of scenic lighting elements. For example, a table lap would be on stage, and additional lighting would be used to support and illustrate the light that came from the lamp. The actual bar area was covered in tea lights, even in the booze shelves. Light from the tea candles glimmered and highlighted the various shapes, sizes and colors of the bottles. This made the alcohol that much more alluring. I liked the way the candle light lit the faces of the patrons who sat at the bar. The lights above the bar had had pink and purple gels in them in celebration of valentines. The booths were lit with wall lights that had c-type lights that we saw in class and pinkish/purplish/reddish lights that came from the tops of the booths. The light that came from the tops of the booths had a beautiful effect on the red velvet wall paper. With a little investigation, I found that there were your typical Christmas tree lights in the pit covered with frosted glass. I thought picture 4 was super cool. I think it looks like a microscopic view of a blood vessel. This also brings up another thing. Looking at it reminded me of a cyclorama in that you have the freedom to play with color and create shadows.

This lighting observation reminds me of how I love source lighting. Because it was dimly lit as well, it was interesting for the eyes to see the shadowing and highlighting effects that resulted. And of course, thanks to the dim lighting, the crowd was that much more attractive… well, that and a few drinks in my system! HAHA. I feel like I’ve skipped and forgotten some points I wrote about first time around, but I hope you feel like you had a taste of the experience.

Happy lightings,
Politeia

Week 6 - Vegas

I really wanted to take this opportunity to talk about Vegas in which lights are prevalent. Vegas is designed to be able to make a man or woman feel as if this is the place where opportunities to win are high. I recently went to Vegas, and I must say that one element of Vegas that uses a wide range of colors and lights is the slot machine.
I remember staying at Caesar's palace with my pal, and we took the opportunity to walk around Vegas and really look around at the variety of different lights inside and outside of the hotel. The most attractive and flashy spectacles were the slot machines. The slot machines used a variety of red, silver, and gold colors. Even if they used darker colors, the slot machines found a way to retain a shine that really brought an eye catching appeal to the slot machine. A slot machine could never be passed unnoticed in other words. I also noticed that the slot machines were always using quick fade in and out times to really catch my attention. The slot machines seemed as if they were screaming for my attention; they, however, were not obnoxious. These flashing lights and colors were coupled with music and sounds that were repetitive but were not annoying to hear. Even fade in and outs were not annoying. It was as if the slot machine was screaming for attention but with a great appeal. I am not a gambler, but I could not help but approach the slot machines knowing that there is that slight possible of winning.
I also noticed how focus seems to be one of the biggest factors in lighting. It's not that the lights are trying to make someone do something specific but are trying to focus this person on a specific element. Therefore, you begin to feel some sort of emotion because of what you are focusing on. At least, this is my impression. I am making this assumption while referencing a book that I have read on acting. It is called improvisation technique for the stage. The concept introduced by this book is that if we focus on a particular aspect on the stage such as what a person is saying, what we are thinking, or what we are doing we can begin to respond to our feelings versus our intellect. It's this focus that creates a spontaneous actor. Hence, if you had a dark theater with two lights, you have an audience who will respond emotionally to the lights, the primary foci. Therefore, it's the lighting focus that creates a responsive audience.

Week #6 Memories of Christmas

Last Christmas, I was in Murrieta at my cousin's house for Christmas and their neighbors house across the street was lit like this. I thought that it was so simple, yet so pretty at the same time. They didn't light the house using traditional christmas lights but instead had green, red and yellow light bulbs that were set at an angle to create this beautiful glow. The christmas trees that peak through the windows add a final touch to this picture. I thought this was really artistic and unique and it stood out to me, more than the other houses covered in lights and decorations of every shape and size. This is a prime example of how a few lights can create such a stimulating visual to the eye.

Week 6 - San Francisco

This 3-day weekend, I visited my hometown in San Francisco. As I went out on Friday evening, I re-fell in love with this city and all it had to offer because of the people, atmosphere, and surprisingly, the lighting. I absolutely love big city lights because it gives me this rush of momentum that energizes and inspires me. I enjoy walking around any city with lights like this because it is so lively and reminiscent of my childhood when I would be out with my family. This photo was taken in the Castro district of San Francisco, which is another reason why I took this picture. Being a member of the LGBT community, this feels like home to me. The people here are always nice, friendly, and gay (no pun intended). This is very inspiring to me for some reason because it makes me want to conquer so much and I absolutely love this lighting!

p.s. Sliders Burgers in this picture was first family owned by my dad and uncles and is located throughout the city!

Week #6: Sunlight=Source

While i was taking a walk near my apartment, i walked over the bridge on the street Coronado (right near Harvard and Main). I had never walked over the bridge because on the opposite side of it are buildings for businesses. There really is no reason for me to go across, but i did anyways. It's Valentines day and i celebrate singles awareness so i had nothing better to do, haha. As i walked over, i noticed how the flooding from downpour of rain we had from the past week died down and left some crazy patterns at the bottom of the creek. The lighting from the sun casted great shadows that added form and shape to the muddy sand. I thought the shadowing gave it a "lumpy" feel if i were to imagine myself walking on this ground. Imagine all those nasty creepy crawlers that live in the mud, ewww.

Something else i took notice of was the idea of source. In this case, the sun is probably the main source of light, haha. This may be an obvious statement, but in one of the shots i had taken, the sun is best described as the source because you can see the reflections of the sun in the water.
It was quite captivating to see because the rays of sun glimmered, making the water's movement from the light wind clearly visible. Also, looking at the contrast in brightness from the sun's reflection to the muddy sand drew my attention to the sun as if it was a spotlight.... Now that i think about the sun as Earth's only source of natural light, it really is similar to the spotlight that shines on a character to capture an audiences attention.

Week 6

Driving on the 405 at 5 in the morning gives a very extreme view of light. Polar
opposites dominate the view as the headlights of cars contrast against
the blackness of night. The most severe contrast occurs when driving
in the carpool lane with the lights of five lanes of traffic blinding
you. A greater appreciated is found for more precise beams of light.
Light in this case became debilitating, it became difficult to drive
because of the harsh light of the South bound traffic.

Week 6: How many lights does it take to completely change the color of my bedroom?

When I was cleaning my room today I realized I have a lot of different lighting options and when you put them all together in a certain way they do fun things. For starters I have a lamp on both my dresser by the door (bottom pic) and on my bedside table (1st pic). The tall lamp hanging out by my closet (2nd pic but you can also see the light from it on the other closet door in the 1st) is cool because two of the five bulbs sticking out are pink and give off a slightly pinkish light in the general direction of my desk. Above my bed wrapped around the curtain rode is a rope-like purple thing that lights up but for the most part it's just decorative. It's kind of like a strand of Christmas lights; it's pretty to look at but for the most part it's rather useless as it doesn't emit much light. I also have a black light over my bed above the cork board and various glow-in-the-dark galaxies painted onto my ceiling and empty wall space. Perhaps I will talk about what my room can look like in the evening for my next blog.

But anyways, the particularly fun lighting source is the sunlight coming through the sheer lilac purple curtains I got for Christmas and just now decided to put up. With nothing else turned on, the light coming in is a soft purple with a small hint of light blue. I think it's interesting to see how this wash coming in through the window blends with the two small lamps and the one that gives off pink over by my desk. In the 2nd pic you can see the white-ish light going into the closet, the pink going onto my desk, and the purple hitting the wall from the window directly across.

We've been talking about "sense of source" lately and I'm not really sure where The Source is in my room. I feel like each fixture lights up its own respective area quite nicely depending on where I am in my room. (The Source used to be the ceiling light but I've stopped using it ever since I lost the remote thing to turn it on/off and I'm too short to reach the pull strand). Having all the lights on all the time isn't necessary and often I will only use whichever light I need depending on where I am, if I'm by my closet/desk, the bed, or the dresser.

Week 6: Airport

So, last weekend I went to competition with my Indian dance team at Penn State. We flew out late Thursday night and had a layover very early Friday morning in Detroit. As we were walking through the airport with our luggage in hand, walking along one of those flat escalator things (I don't know what to actually call it), I realized that there was this light show going on all around us. We were in a sort of tunnel and on both sides of us, the walls had these long panels that were filled with colored light. At first I thought it was just lit as I first saw it, in the blues and pale greens, and it gave me a slight sense of being underwater, or walking past an aquarium. However, as we walked, I realized that the lights were changing color. The blue and green would rapidly change to a bright red, back to blue, then quickly back to red, and it was almost like a pulsating heart. The lights cast a colorful glow on the ceiling above as well, and the entire tunnel was brilliant. Now, it could have been the fact that I had just pulled an all- nighter on the plane, or that I am easily amused, but I thought this was amazing to see. I also thought it was a bit weird that this much time and money was spent creating this lighting show in a tunnel in an airport, but I'm not complaining. Unfortunately, I had left my memory card for my camera behind on accident so I had to ask a team mate to record this video for me. She didn't want to use up much of her memory, so I only captured a few short seconds of what I saw, but hopefully you get the point.

Besides this, while I was on the next plane, half asleep, my attention was drawn to the window as I saw a flash of light. It seemed like there was another mini light show going on on the wing of the plane. The front of the wing would first have quick flashes of white light, almost like a strobe effect, and this would be followed by a big wash of red light on top of the wing. These lights just kept alternating back and forth, and of course I couldn't help but watch for a minute before falling back asleep. Finally, my favorite part of flying on a plane at night is being able to look down at the cities below. It is filled with such dazzling lights, and I always find it breathtaking. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take pictures of either of these things to show you, but I will always remember what they were like. I guess the point of this blog is that I never realized how much lighting you can be exposed to while simply catching a flight.

Week #6 - Morning spotlight

It's a quiet Saturday morning at my parents house (I drive down to visit on weekends). I've been awake since 8am and it baffles me why I wake up so early on days that I can sleep in. It doesn't bother me too much because I enjoy the mornings and not wasting my day away sleeping.

I got myself comfortable on the couch as I reached for my Nicholas Sparks book and helped myself to some milk and cookies. After reading for a little while, I noticed that little spots of light had shifted onto my book. The blinds in the family room are closed, but that didn't stop light from peeping in through the holes that the string goes through to hold the blinds together. I thought this was pretty interesting because there were little mini spotlights on my book! :) I thought it was cute and ended up playing with the light by moving my book around a bit to "spotlight" certain words. The little circles of light were dancing beautifully on the pages of my book.

P.S. Happy (early) Valentines Day everyone! ♥

This past weekend I had the good privilege to see Marry Poppins in upper LA. This was a delight to see and a truly magical night both from an actors point of view and a lighting designers. Throughout the entire show I have to admit that I was trying to find exactly where the lights were set up, how they were being used, and even what mood the designer might have been aiming for. This being a disney inspired and funded show, there was no shortage of technological wonder. I saw stars painted on the backdrop from what I can only imagine were many moving Leko lights. What baffled me was when a video was played on a backdrop to heighten the artistic mood, but I was stumped as to how they lit up only a portion of the backdrop and could use other lights on the rest of the set, but I think that the image itself was just lit from behind. I know that I have to go observe more natural forms of light, but when Marry Poppins flighs right above you with stars spreading out over the audience, you can't not write about it. Till next time.

Week #6: A New Light

I've been working at California Pizza Kitchen for 5 years.
Five. Years.
And while I am thankful to have security in a job during these "rough economic times", as it has been said, and being able to transfer to three different restaurants as I have moved around southern California.........Still...
five. years.

It has come to the point where I don't need to write down my table's orders- it all kinda just sticks in my head. It is a job (again, that I am thankful to have and be able to make enough to pay my rent and bills) that has evolved to one which is mindless and brainless. One that I can do upside, backwards, blindfolded, with one arm and half a leg. One that my attitude is frankly, "same shit, different day".

This past Saturday I came in at 3:30 for my evening shift. It was rainy, gloomy, and cold- and even though rent was paid last Monday and my bank account was screaming to be filled with anything of monetary value- I really didn't want to be there. In the midst of my 5 year old routine, I walk into the drink station to get some refills and the coffee and ice tea maker catch my eye. For a brief moment, the clouds broke in the sky and allowed the sun to peek through. One thing I do appreciate about the CPK that I work at now (Newport Beach at Fashion Island) is the wonderful view of the ocean and sunsets we get through our giant windows. For a split moment, the sun appeared and filled the restaurant with a brilliant light that had been absent all day. It was at this perfect angle that the direct sunlight spilled into the drink station, perfectly hitting the steel of the ice tea and coffee maker. I caught myself shortly captivated with the glowing appliances. It was for a brief moment that everything seemed new, special, and beautiful. The drab world of CPK that I know far too well- for a fleeting moment was glowing, different and exciting. It was in this moment that I was almost able to see the familiar realm that surrounded me in a new light.

Almost.

Week 6- Shadow Upon Shadow

So it's around 9 in the morning and I'm hustling my bum to get ready for class. Luckily, I manage to grab breakfast (aka cereal) and wander off from the kitchen into the dining room with the spare 5 minutes I have. The curtain to the door that leads into the backyard is open, I look out into the backyard into a warm, bright, rising sun and continue munching on my cereal. I look back to check what time it is and notice an interesting assortment of shadows along the kitchen counter. At first intrigued by the display, I instantly realize what causes such a shadow. The shadow of the grided dining chair settles upon the kitchen stool that combines with the kitchen stool's shadow- both settling upon the counter (basically a combination of shadows from different objects). I found it intriguing how the two shadows mixed together to form one interesting shadow shape. It kind of reminded me of the Pilobolous Dance company that makes different shadow shapes using a bunch of people. There's no telling how those people make the things they do...all you really know is that it's human body parts (which I believe makes them so interesting...the mystery behind it all) . However, with the shadow I was witnessing in the dining room I knew the sources that produced them which made them less mysterious. Had I not known where they originated from, I think I would have been more interested in them.

Rainbow and the Matterhorn

This image was taken a week ago Friday, towards the top of the image is a rainbow in the sky above the Matterhorn. This image falls laughably short of capturing the majestic colors that draped the sky above Disneyland's Central plaza. My first thought when seeing this was that i had to take a picture of it for this blog. Now I know that I also have to get a better camera. Poor quality aside the slight golden haze in the photo was how it looked that day in this photo it kind of seems like there is a gel over the lens.

Week 4: Spotlight

So I guess it's time to admit it... I love the Jonas Brothers. This past week, I went to see the youngest Jonas, Nick, and his side project live in concert. The band is called Nick Jonas and the Administration. Anyway, none of that is important. On to lights...

I never pay much attention to lights at concerts because most of the time I'm paying attention to the performer. At this particular concert, since it was much smaller and intimate (although it doesn't look that way in the picture, it was), and since I am in this class, I let my eye wander and assess the lighting. The main thing I noticed is how angle affects light. I was off to the side, and I noticed quite often that it was hard to take clear pictures because of the angle that the light was hitting off my camera lens. Not only that, but it was easier to take clear pictures when the stage was being lit with warmer colors than when it was bathed in cool colors. Like this picture for example. The stage is a cool blue, mixed with the white light of the spotlight, and all I got was this glare. However, at time when the stage was pink or orange or reddish, it was much easier for my camera to zoom in on what I was trying to capture, and to get a clear picture of it. My theory is that the cool colors were used in such a way that every time they were used, they were being manipulated a lot more. They were being used in spotlights or moving lights aimed at the audience. The warm colors, however, were usually bathing the entire stage or being used with gobos on the cyclorama.

Using all the information I have learned in this class, I was able to watch the concert in a way I had never been able to before. I noticed things that would have never caught my eye, and I was able to appreciate them in a new light... literally.

Emily Schwartz