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 

Week 10- The light at the end of the tunnel

I saw this picture yet again from a quick drive home. It was so appropriate that it was the week right before finals and where I had a show coming to an end and a few scenes to present. This week was so extremely stressful and I'm still recovering from being sick, but this image made me think of a few things. First, I thought of such natural beauty this Earth can produce and how the light can really enhance that. It made me think that there is an artist somewhere out there giving us these images to communicate to us. What I got from this image and light was to hold on and there is hope. There is something more to what is going on right now and there is a bigger picture ahead. The light shines through the dark and grey areas. We don't have to understand it all, but if we remember the moments that mean a lot and create impact, we'll be okay, I'll be ok. The light here really spoke that to me. It gave me a "heavenly" feel. The source is so great and majestic. I'm just reminded here how powerful light is. I'm glad the last of my blog ended on this image, it's rather appropriate.

Week 10: A Carousel of Color

This past Tuesday, I celebrated my friend's 21st birthday at California Adventure! A group of us sat overlooking the lake on the patio of the Ariel's Grotto Restaurant, and in front of us was Mickey's Fun Wheel all aglow with magnificent neon colors.  My eye is always drawn to this ferris wheel because the lights exude so much positive energy.  The intensity and brightness of the colors stir immediate joy and the energy they contain is contagious.  The rainbow of colors the wheel goes through is so childlike and  fun, it's hard to restrain those hyper jitters and almost impossible to not be reminiscent of the days of innocence when magic was real.

Now, I know this is show and we're technically supposed to stay away from staged lighting, but I also want to briefly touch on the wonder of the "World Of Color."  Light alone already affects our emotions in powerful ways, so I find it extraordinary how much more deeply it can affect us by being just slightly manipulated by something as simple as water.  The lights in the show dance, sway, float, and shoot in ways that would never be possible by just straight lights with the simple addition of power jets. Watching it, you sort of forget that the water is there after a while, and when that happens the resulting image is emotionally overwhelming.  The rays of lights seem to be bending and dancing on their own, which is physically impossible and as such produces a sense of magic in the air.  It makes me as awestruck as a 5-year-old meeting Mickey Mouse.  

Week 10- Crystal Chandelier

This is the chandelier in our dinning room. I can't tell how many times I have seen this thing on and  not paid any attention to how truly beautiful the lighting is. I like how the lighting comes creates a purple/lavender glow while still maintaining the warmth of amber. The lighting also creates such vivid shadows on the ceiling. The shapes that are reflected are so intricate and exciting to look at. The shadows create a dramatic effect that draws your attention up and outwards. The chandelier itself is gorgeous, but its not till the lights are on that it comes to life. The crystals catch the light and reflect it back out making the entire area around the  chandelier much more interesting to look at.

Week 10 - Never Ending Break Lights!

I took this picture during rush hour traffic (don't worry I was just a passenger...not the driver). I know it's really blurry, but I think the blurriness adds to the unpleasant feelings this picture is capturing. The brake lights went on for as far as I could see. It was a horrible sight! It is so amazing at how lighting can affect your mood so intensely. The moment I saw these horrible, bright, red lights my mood instantly switched from an at ease passenger to a stressed out passenger writhing with angst. I think it is important to remember that lighting is a great way to express mood, just as we did in class with our Our Town Lighting Projects. We were able to express all kinds of emotions with just lighting. We didn't need extravagant sets or costumes or great actors to get across the mood we wanted. All we had were a few lights, and yet we still had success at getting the audience to feel a certain way. Lighting can speak volumes.

Week 10: Sacred Lanterns

This is a club called La Vida in Los Angeles. I came here to see one of my favorite DJ s.  As soon as I entered this place, I recognized these lanterns on the ceiling. It reminds me one of the rituals at the Ganges rive in India which is about floating a little flower with a lit candle with a wish. They made me holy even though it was the club and I am not a Buddhist. I think the color of the lanterns also gave me that feeling. It looks very warm, friendly, gentle, and oriental. Also, the strongest lighting at the left corner of the picture looks like the sun which lights the lanterns.