Week Ten - Hope and Serenity

Copyright Cassie Doutt 2013

So this photograph I took at Crystal Cove State Park during Sunset. It was absolutely magnificent to walk down the hill with my camera in tow and just watch the sun drop down between these two giant boulders/rock formations in the sand. Like the perfect egg in a basket. I love the silhouettes found in this image which are lacking any frontal definition other than the sharp lines of their silhouetted form. The light glimmers off the wet sand and glows amongst other cooler colors of blue and shades of darkness in the foreground. I think this image evokes a lot of what I learned throughout our lighting experience... it definitely has a sense of source (the sunlight) and cooler colors to counter the extreme warmth in the orange and yellow hues. I see this photograph and I feel happiness, calm, hope, and love. If I were to light it, using the same light plot that we had available to us for our projects... I think I would use the cyc and match up the golden tones in the background... use a SL diagonal back light with a hint of gold as a source light, and mix in perhaps... a SR side light of blue to keep half of my model's body lit but shadowed on the other half a little bit... and have the model walk off USL into the sunset... so what we see is their body form and not their face.  If you look into the sun of this photograph you see a halo of a whiter yellow around its globe... and the varying intensities of yellow shades... I would think this could translate to what kind of transmissions each yellow gel has at varying gel colors.  Its really interesting now, how just after taking the class, I am noticing how everyday moments are lit... its like opening something really magical and wanting to emulate it all over again.  I truly regret not taking a lighting class earlier in my college career because I could have graduated knowing so much more... now I have a taste of it and want to learn more. I guess thats what good things do to you. You know its right when it makes you happy. 

Misty Mornings

Living in Newport Beach this year has been quite the experience. I have noticed so many things about nature that I have failed to see before. In particular, the time of day truly effects the weather at the beach-visually, textually and physically. Sitting on the lifeguard tower in front of our house, I captured this photo. I found the way the light filtered through the morning fog to be beautiful and mysterious. I was intrigued by the mist and the color that it emitted throughout the atmosphere. The area became this greyish tone that turned the sand into a cooler color than it normally is. I found it interesting that the surrounding objects and areas changed their normal appearance due to the fog and the colors that it conveyed. This image really spoke to me. I don't know if it is the mystery that is behind the cloudy unknown or if it is the altered appearance of nature, but I have not stopped visiting the lifeguard tower every morning since this picture was taken.

The light is certainly the most prominent aspect of the photograph and how it affects the emotional aspect of the piece. The misty atmosphere made each crease in the sand more apparent, while smoothing out the skyline. I really appreciated this alteration in my normal view. I will treasure these early mornings and forever ponder how lighting effects the simple things in life.

Lighting 50C has taught me to appreciate light in a completely different way. I look forward to discovering more about lighting and how it alters my perception on things. I have learned a great deal this quarter and I am excited to incorporate my new knowledge into my future endeavors.

Thank you for a great quarter!

week ten: Why am I up this early?

Two days ago, I woke up at the unreasonable hour of 5 to go visit some friends out of the area. It was worth it because I was able to catch this amazing sunrise. The variety of colors is what makes it so impressive to me, the bright yellow right alongside the purple. The source of light is so blatantly apparent, not by brightness, but by color.This is an example of how even in real life some colors don't seem at first to fit but in the end can work so well. It's tough for me to choose color, but I try to go with my gut instinct. I mean I've been experiencing life for 18 years, I must have some inspirations to pull from right? This photo is getting saved for later!

Week 10: That Holy Backlight

What is it about backlight?

epiphany? holiness? hmmm...

In going through some old photos in hopes of finding something interesting in the mundane, 'every day'- I came across this one a friend took of me in a cafe. All I am doing is drinking a shake, probably thinking of something else to say, or daydreaming, noticing something over there, or just averting my eyes from the camera to be a brat. But the backlighting from the outside through the window adds some interesting context.

This photo reminds me of something I've really enjoyed taking from this class--- what kind of light means what to different people? How is it that seemingly arbitrary intensities, positions, colors, and so on can add so much meaning or varying interpretations to an image or story?

For this one in particular, I am wondering how automatically backlighting or a glowing effect evokes holiness, power, purity, and so many other interesting symbolic things. 

Well! I decided to see if there was anything on it on one of my favorite research sites (first step into research, not final source) which is tvtropes.org ... it's great to check out for explanations or links to further explanation, or just for fun. 

The first thing I entered as search criteria was 'Holy Backlight': http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HolyBacklight 

...which led me to 'Power Glows':
 http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PowerGlows

Here is my own quick and dirty two cents on this kind of image: We associate light with power, because, indeed it is. So, if a figure is bathed in light, they must have some kind of power- be it wisdom, divine power, knowledge, and a bunch of other things depending on the context. Then, of course, the colors can mean different things to different people... 

 

One of my favorite uses of this in film is for both the characters Gandalf and Galadriel, that blinding white back light (and light from probably all around) is paired with that classic choir 'ahhhh'. When this happens in film/theatre, whamo, you've got some important stuff going on or people to be looking at. 

On the other hand, this engulfing light could ruin one who 'is not worthy', or something like that (e.g. how Agent Smith in The Matrix is ended with blinding lights)--- I try not to read too much into things sometimes or let the analytical side take over simple enjoyment or digestion of something, but it is fun to think about. 

Like most classes, I feel like we have a lot of useful information and insight but have barely just begun on our understanding of the 'magic' that is light. 

Have a great Spring break everyone! It's been nice. 

-Cinthia

Week 10: Enchanted Wood

This morning while filming for one of my friends student films, we went to an enchanting wooded area in New Port. I was so enthralled with the way the light filtered through the trees. I know I've already discussed the sun's effect on me, BUT, in this area I realized how the suns positions really affects the mood of the scenes we were filming.

We arrived very early and were there until the afternoon. The position of the sun moved over us and gave very different moods as the light changed. The shadows got smaller and then taller. The areas that were shady were no longer shady. I think in terms of lighting a play that happens throughout one day, this effect of moving the source of light across the stage would be very effective. Ideally, I'd love to mimic the movement of the shadows, but there would definitely need to be collaboration between the scenic designer and I. Also, as I mentioned, the mood changed as the day progressed. If the light was bright, we filmed the more happier moments in the film; if shady, we filmed the eerie and sadder moments of the film.

Aside from all that, I really loved this picture because of the sun spots. It made the location even more enchanting then it already was.

Good bye 50C Lighting Blog!

-Erika Quintana

Week 10: Peaceful Sunset

Light is a remarkable and necessary aspect of life. It defines a stage, exemplifies a reaction, and provides comfort to those who are weary of the dark. It is an important ingredient to the emotions of individuals because it can worsen moods with a lack of light or increase their joy with added light. The sunlight I saw today created a calmness inside of me that has not occurred for a while. This entire quarter has been hectic and after a long eight weeks of filming with my crew, we finally finished! We could not be more proud of ourselves for all of our hard effort. During the last moments of our film shoot, the sun started descending amidst the clouds. It brought peace to me and my entire team. As tired as we were and as eager as we were to finish the final scene, we took time out of our crazy lives to snap a picture. We felt a sense of joy wash over us and our stress melted away as our peaceful feelings amplified. The sky was filled with beautiful shades of pink and orange and I could not have been happier to see it.

Week 8: A Walk in the Clouds

On my way to San Francisco a couple weeks back, I took this photo on the plane. I remember looking out my window and seeing the sun shine through the clouds-it was very bright. But then I looked down at the clouds below and I was so amazed by the diffusion and color the sun created on the clouds. What really confuses and impresses me so much about clouds is their reaction to the suns light. The color shown here is not as bright as when I took it, but even so, the color produced is still beautiful. Even though I definitely turned my phone on against plane regulations to get this photo, it was totally worth it. I love sun light and its ability to create such awe inspiring landscapes- and I would hope that one day if I need to recreate a look like this, I can be successful!

-Erika