Ten>>>

I woke up a few days ago to a morning where there was nothing but an off white-ish grey sky. Even though it is approaching the holiday season, this has nothing to do with that theme of winter. It's really mornings like this that I just love to wake up to. It occurred to me that in theater and what not, I've never really encountered the use of a off white sky being used to convey a calm type of atmosphere (blue, pink, and yellow being the most common I've seen). What I also like about this is the green that's involved. With the off-white, black, and chunk of brown, the green really pops out and gives this shot a great sense of vibrancy. Add that with the black from the lamppost and it feels very grounded instead of too vast and expansive.

008 // The Horizon

I was driving in the mid-afternoon with a friend to a location using the I-5 when I came across this.  What struck me when I took this picture was just how open the landscape was. The lack of any buildings or any sort of manmade structures really made the sky feel so vast. This position alone made me feel as though it was a backdrop for a theater production . What I love about this is just the way the sky really transitions from a layer of gold to this nice blue sky. The wide stretch of dark green trees right over the layer of green grass also gives this a nice stretch and depth. There's a nice serene feeling that I get from this that makes me feel as though things are just starting to die down. Granted, I feel as though any sunset does that, but just because I was out in the open, the effect of that was on a larger scale. It was worth stopping for to soak in.

Week 10, Holiday Cheer

With the holiday season around, lighting displays dazzle neighborhoods, malls and various public locations. A while back I had worked on adding a unique Christmas display at my own home. The spiral staircase provides a unique opportunity to show holiday cheer and illuminate the room at the same time. With no other lights on except for the stair lighting, the entire room glows from all of the lights used on the stairs. With so many curves and objects to attach to, deciding how to wrap the lights on the stairs was a very fun activity. I enjoy the lights so much that I think I will leave them up all year long! They will just transform into the next holiday's lights. Also I figured out how many lights I could put on that circuit in my home and if I wanted to, the staircase could glow like the sun!

Week 10: Kiss of the Spider Woman

I saw this spider web as I was leaving my BioSci class. The reflected light caught my eye as I was walking by. At first, it appeared as if there were marbles or beads lying in the bushes, but upon closer inspection I saw that it was a series of dew drops preserved in a cobweb. My first instinct was to take a picture of it for the lighting blog. I loved how the water droplets looked so clear and filtered. The vivid green in the background further accented the drops, making it a very busy, interesting composition. Upon further reflection (no pun intended) I realized that I inadvertently chose to use mirrored light as a subject for my lighting focus once again. This case seems a bit different, however, because the light seems to be intensified by the droplets, which is why it caught my eye in the first place. Perhaps the curved surface of the dew drop focuses the sun rays similarly to how a lens does. Either way, it is very cool to see nature playing with light and I’m pleasantly surprised with my new-found attention for how things are lit.

Week 10 - Candy Cane Lane

So I was made aware by my peers that I have been a bit overzealous when it came to these lighting blogs (writing them every week). I guess I could simply say that I have been overly aware of light and required to write more than necessary about it. I have also been made aware that I need to read instructions a little more closely. That being said, I will write my final post on what is most appropriate for this time of year. I went home this past weekend to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with my father. While there, I took a trip over to see which houses had begun to put up their Christmas lights. I live close to a very popular street known as Candy Cane Lane, where homes go all out for the holidays. I love that each house has its own style and the personality of the homeowner is shown through their decorations. I find some of the most beautiful and classic-looking yards have no color at all, but are rather lit up with a stunning amount of white lights. These homes seem inviting and lovely and the closest thing to a white Christmas the valley may ever experience. I've also found that the families with children usually have Disney characters or bursts of color in the front yard bringing a different kind of wow factor to that particular home. It's always a fun experience, but I really noticed just how much light can affect our mood. This street alone lifts so many spirits and brings so much joy to kids and adults alike through light. It's pretty awesome :) Happy Holidays, everyone! Thanks for a great quarter! P.S. This particular picture is from last year's festivities. I couldn't not post it. This family's home is just above and beyond. "It's a Small World" comes to Woodland Hills.

Week #10 Christmas Context

It's that time of year again, Christmas lights!! Sorry these photos aren't better, my phone is a few years old, and photos at night are a little blurry. I took two photos of the Christmas lights on my street. And one of the biggest lessons I took away from our lighting class is how impacting context can be, and i thought about context when i took these photos. If we think about it, Christmas lights are just different colored lights, sometimes forms to make different shapes, but because we all know that it's the Christmas time of year, we see these lights and are filled with joy and excitement when we see these lights.

Just like in our picturation or Our Town project, some cues could be almost identical, but because the context was different, they would have different effect on us. I find the idea behind context fascinating in regards to lighting, and that id probably the biggest lesson I will take away. :)

-Alyssa 

Week #8 Real Life Gels

I had taken this photo a few weeks ago, after we had some major rain. I was in the CAC to see a teacher and literally stopped when I saw how beautiful the sky was. I had recently presented my "Our Town" project and the sky immediately reminded me of gels. I know it's kind of silly, but i just love all different colors that our presented in the picture of the sky. This picture would have been a good inspiration photo for my project, it has many of the colors I was going for, from orange-y ambers, to grey blue purples. I thought of our gel book that we used, all the different gels colors. I also really like how different each side of the sky is, one is dark and stormy, the other bright and hopeful. Again, similar to the scene I did for "Our Town" from dark scary graveyard, to bright childhood flashback. I really love this photo!

-Alyssa