Lighting and Composition

One thing I noticed when taking photography is that the lighting that is captured from the iris of the camera, is not the same as what we see with the human eye. This makes me appreciate so much more how our eyes are able to see images and colors so sharply, clearly, and to the exact degree of what the color actually is. This photograph captured the colors very nicely, but not exactly; it did though capture some lighting effects that I might be able to describe with my growing lighting knowledge. What you don't see in this photograph are the Globe type lights used in carnival lighting (located on the down left side of the unsuspected photography victim). These lights are lighting his profile in a very sharp way showing all the details of his face and clothes). What is creating the shadow on his left side of his face (the part we can actually see) is because there are no buildings in that direction. There is a marina with docked sail boats. This did not provide enough light to flood him in bright lights such as his right side. I loved the movement in this image, with the blurred lights in the background, the night sky above, and the linear fragments that compose the image. There is a central focus on the man due to the the lighting, the lines of the buildings, and the lighting focusing on him causing everything else to be blurry. HIS black coat also doesnt absorb any of the colors which is a nice grounding contrast to all the other warm and cool hues going on in the background. If I were to try to replicate this on the stage, I think I would wash the back wall of the theater with Fresnels to make  that beautiful blue hue, then I would light from stage right at an angle to have the same effect and hue of the Globe Lights and with some more darker blues from the Marina on SL.  This was a pretty cool night and I love the lighting, the movement, the colors, and the composition. I would think that when designing lighting we as designers also need to think about the composition on the stage just like when we are taking photographs.... When I look at taking photos, I try to make sure the composition matches up with the best lighting and it compliments the photography subject.