Week Eight: Sunset

These three images are just a few of the huge collection of pictures I have of sunsets. There is something so intriguing about a sun setting and as much as possible, I take the opportunity to capture it through a photograph. It is my favorite time of the day. The light and illumination of the sun is just more visible to us. This time of the day allows us to acknowledge the sun a little bit more and not just for its heat or lack thereof, but for its lighting and richness of color. As you can see through my images that during sunset, the lighting of the sun transcends so much that you can see it reflecting upon its surroundings. In the first image, you can see its reflection along the water at the beach. In the second image, you can see the light reflecting upon my friend's face. In the third image, you can see the image fully transcend past the tree branches and all the way to my window. I feel that the sun has so many beautiful stages of light but this is definitely my favorite.

Leah Joanino

WEEK 8

I took this photo in my backyard after the rainfall this weekend. I loved how the raindrops clung to to tree branch. The breaking sunlight refected a feeling of clarity with a crisp white light in each individual droplet. It looks so pure and clean. I love the way nature looks right after a rainstorm.

~Jill Thomas

A Little Bit of Home

I've been feeling really homesick lately so I thought I'd write a post on one of the aspects of my home that I remember most. From my window I could see this view but from the opposite end. The chrysler building was in front and the empire state building was in back and a little to the left of it. I'd turn off the lights in my room and every night I'd say goodnight to these two buildings. I always loved how bright the chrysler building was. During the day it beamed the sun off of its glossy sides but at night it completely illuminated the sky, the neighboring buildings with their office lights seeming like stars surrounding it. The Empire State building was, I remember thinking, always doing its own thing. Depending on the season the Empire State building usually had bright colors. It almost looked as if the sides of it were draped with shiny, bright silk. The buildings didn't really "match" color wise but for some reason they complimented each other. The way that they light up the sky is incredible. During the day they are still very beautiful but at night they are truly spectacular.

The Sun Shines so Bright by the Science Building!

Week 8: Blog #4

Last Tuesday after lighting design class, I have about thirty minutes break until my next class. In those thirty minutes, I have decided to check the science building because everyone in campus said that it would be a sight to see. They are right! I have enjoyed walking around there and I have found this one place where the sun is shining bright! So I thought, since I am studying the sun, why not take a picture of it! So I did!

This was about 2:40 PM in the afternoon and the color of the sun that shines so bright is much different than the color of a sun set and a sun rise. The intensity of the sun in the afternoon is much more brighter. Instead of yellow, the afternoon sun is much more whiter compare to the sun set and the sun rise! I am glad that I have the opportunity to take this picture by the science building because so far, I have discovered all three colors of the sunlight in the morning, afternoon, and in the evening.

Week 8: Christmas at Disneyland

This weekend I went to Disneyland just for a few hours (love having the Deluxe pass!) I met some family there to honor my grandpa, who passed away a few days ago.

Something that immediately caught my eye, naturally was the spectacular new Christmas display of lights. I love how to represent snow on the castle it is just a combination of cool colored lights trickling down the castle walls.

In the first picture I love that my camera captured the different colors. The reds and greens in the garland, the yellows and whites on the buildings, and the blues in the Christmas tree. It makes for a more dramatic effect I think to have these different color combinations, yet it still has an elegant and traditional Christmas feel.

Without the use of the extravagant lights the guests at Disneyland would not enjoy the entire atmosphere that is the holiday season. In this particular setting, instead of lights being used to support an idea, they are in a way one of the important main attractions. Like going to see the snow fall, or the firework show, many people go to Disneyland to view the Christmas tree lit or to see the castle all lit up.

Week 8

Spent the majority of my time these past weeks in the Little Theater working on Restoration Comedy with hardly any time to go any where to find lighting inspirations when I noticed one of those evenings that the light came to me. I peered out from the Little's doors to notice a hidden sun setting in the distance giving the concrete walls and floor a soft amber and just beyond the concrete railing to compliment the amber a nice purple transitioning into the open space. I had never seen these colors play off the way they did on the building and its surroundings until that evening and was glad to see how natural light can create an inviting atmosphere especially since I had been locked in doors for several hours. It was a pleasant change and a breathtaking moment that I had experienced. It was nice to know that I can find beauty in any lighting setting as the one that was presented to me that evening.



-Sandy Cisneros

Week 8: Las Vegas

I went to Vegas last weekend and really just have a compilation of pictures, because talk about prime time place for lights... among other things. What this trip really confirmed for me was how much an ambiance, especially in a place like Las Vegas, relies on the lighting. Everywhere you go, it seems that it's the lighting that really draws you in; flashing lights to make you look, bright colors to insinuate excitement, dim, warm lighting to show intimacy, class or romance, etc. Lighting is also a focal point in a place like Vegas because of the spectacle. Everything (or so it seems) is a spectacle there. I saw my ever-favorite changing LEDs all over the place. A couple examples are here: the first two are in the forum shops at Ceasers. During the day, the ceiling looks like the sky, then at night it dims to indicate evening; all done with lighting (these pictures don't do it justice). Two of the other pictures are a chandelier and its reflection on the tile in a different mall - I just thought it was cool.

Then last, but not least, I saw Cirque du Soleil's Love. And it was fantastic. And so much awesome lighting! Especially in the entrance to the theatre, like in the picture. So many bright colors, changing colors, and mirrors to reflect it so that you see it many times over. I think it's rad. I also took a picture of the stage before the show started (found out later that I wasn't supposed to... once again. It's getting out of control). But much of the incredible staging was owed to the lighting because of placement and just like the entire show itself, exaggeration.

Week 8/Post #4

This is actually from a series of pictures that my sister has been sending me over the last week, but it is my favorite of them. Somehow, she knows when I'm feeling down and knows exactly how to cheer me up with pictures of my dog and my nephews! Every time I see this picture, it always elicits a laugh and makes me miss my family so much, and yet keeps me going because I know that soon I'll get to see them all, including my doggy! The lighting in this picture is a bit washed out from the extremely bright sunlight coming in from the window behind my nephew's head, so if it were not so bright that the effect this picture has on me would be even stronger still, which is saying something. I like the shadows and definition of depth in the picture as it creates a very stark contrast to the dark background and really brings attention to the foreground where the silly action is taking place. Thus, my eye never strays from them and keeps my attention active in the picture. I love that these kinds of picture keep me going and give me hope that all this stress will soon melt away into joy and laughter when the break comes. :)

A light in the gloom

It's been a weekend full of gloom and rain. It seems like this gloom and shadow would have no hope of light and a thought of an interesting lighting blog. But, there is always a light in the darkness. I was walking along the sanclemente Pier in the middle of spurts of rain and I saw this beautiful picture of creation. The sun was right in the middle of the dismal clouds and slate gray water. This pop of ultimate light source , the sun, brought these other pieces of nature to a bright reflection. This light gave an interesting blend of shadow and light contrast to the cloud that made them more contoured and shape. As for the ocean it gave the same contrast as the clouds but, was more focused in the sky line and them faded as further from the sun. Though we can not completely encompass and recreate this source but the reflection on a slate world might give texture a depth through one pure light source.

Week 8, Blog 4, IS LIGHT SAFE?

When I was in Italy site seeing and going to museums, most of the times I took my camera with me, and mostly I was not allowed to take pictures because of many oil paintings that were there and effect of flash of camera at them. After I got back, I searched why the flash photography is not allowed in most of museums. I thought maybe is because of profits of selling the pictures but found out that according to Carl Grimm, head paintings conservator for the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, "the heat and light produced by flash photography speed up the chemical reactions that cause deterioration," and to be exact the light would hurt the painting and that is why many paintings are contained in dark places. Moreover, even the flash cameras are not allowed in theater, but for this is understandable. It is because of profit and also actors's attentions may be lost. They might forget their lines or even they might hurt themselves in such that if one actor is dancing and people are taking pictures, he or she might lose her or his control and ruin the show, that is why flash photography is not permitted in theater. But we do need light in our daily life to see things more clearly like the example of these pictures. Some are taken when I was driving through university drive in the fog and some are the show that I saw in my old college (IVC) called Bye Bye Birdie. Bye Bye Birdie was a fun show with lots of colors and excitement that I learned when I was looking at the lights. In this show, I payed more attention to the lights different to other shows that I have been to and learned that light sometimes can be dangerous even thought it helps us to see more clearly.

This picture was taken on one of those mornings when I was up way before is sane. Fortunately though, I was up to see the sun rise and snap this pretty little ditty. It reminds me of the path to El Dorado or the Emerald City or some sort of glamorous destination. The sunlight hitting the windows of the building makes it as if the building itself is glowing. It even reflects onto the ground in this photo. The light is almost blinding and is so radiant it enlivens everything close to it.

Week 8: the CLaSH

This was a photograph taken in on a ride in a friends truck. I meant to only capture the view but once I saw the picture, I realized that what I captured was a "clash", a near cacophony of light. The red and green lights are overwhelming, and the saturated touch of yellow and asymmetrical dashes of light blue just seem to add the the craziness of it all. The scenery seems wild because the colors are so bold but don't support each other and yet, it somehow....works. I don't understand it and to be honest, it made me feel a little awkward, at first, when looking at it, but now that I look again, I feel excited and elevated. The "clash", uncoordinated and unsupported, has this vivacious quality that gives me energy!

I found this image while surfing the web a few days ago. The main thing that I really like about the light in this picture is how the lights from the cars on the road almost frame the picture and surrounds the city which is much darker in comparison. I also thought how the light streaks from the cars have a sort of neon glow.

WEEK 6

I recently went back East to visit my son at Boston University. I was in complete awe of the incredible autumn colors. We don't get this in California! The trees literally glowed in florescent red, yellow, and orange. The colors were so captivating, I was constantly drawn to them. They mesmerized me and took my breath away. I kept asking my husband to stop the car so I could get better pictures but, he said stopping on the Mass Pike (the freeway) was not an option. Plus, I think Boston has the worst drivers in America. So, in protecting my life, I was only able to get this one picture. It does not do justice to the brilliance and intensity of the colors I experienced.

~ Jill Thomas

Week 6, Blog 3, SUN, OR RED LIGHT!!!!!

For this week blog, I thought to talk about sun, and the colors that sun creates, or talk about the importance of color in our lives but I figured I rather talk about both. First I decided to use this moment to show you some pictures of nature lights that was sent to me by email from my dad, taken by national geographic. At first they are pictures of the sun but more specific they are ways of sun when clouds are surrounding it. Sun is the first object that lights our world without any use of our creation or inventions. Most of the time during the day, we do not look at the sun or lights and warms that is giving us, we just choose to ignore it, but we have to sometimes look up and appreciate the light that God has given us . For me it inspires me to look up to sky more often to understand the sun and sunlight better since every light designer has difficulty create a sunlight. Second is the importance of light and color in our lives. I was driving to UCI, for two nights, and i looked at lights that surrounding me. I felt the need to understand light and color more because we use them during night and day, and we need them so I figured I need to pay attention. We use light to see during the night like moon light or the lights of our cars. Also we use color to show our emotions or simply create more details. Like a basic example is the color of red light to stop. We sometimes forget how much we are using light and color during day and night which we need to be aware of. A sun that create color, and gives us warmth and light... or simply a red light (and there is also an extra picture of lightening, enjoy) (SORRY for the order of pictures)

Week 6: Dressing Room Lighting

I did a show this weekend in a very old theatre in Bakersfield (where I'm from). It has been renovated since the early 20th century when it was opened, however I don't know just how recently. Specifically, I am referring to the dressing room lights surrounding the mirrors. I know very little about the particulars of modern technology for this type of lighting specifically, however I do know that they are fairly standard G type incandescent lamps, probably around 25W, and these particular ones were laid out 4 to a strip, one strip bordering the sides of each mirror. I also learned that these lamps often have cages on them to keep people from stealing them--the lamps in this dressing room did not have cages. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture to represent this, but I was surprised (not for the first time, now that I think back on many other occasions) but they way that amount of lighting can wash a person out. That's the best way I can think to describe it. My particular attention in this case was to my make up. I had already put most of my make up on at home in the bathroom. But as soon as I stepped up to the dressing room mirror I was amazing at how reduced my make up appeared, and I thought, "I thought I already put a ton on at home," but turns out it wasn't sufficient for this lighting. I figured that was fair enough because it helps give a closer representation of what stage lighting can do; so the dressing room lighting reinforces the fact that you have to put a lot of make up on in order to make it stand out enough on stage with all of the stage lighting.

This also reminds me of the subtler version of this comparison: the difference in doing my make up in different rooms of my apartment. The lighting changes my perspective as well as my opinion about my make up for the day depending on the room. My bedroom is different that the bathroom or the hallway. And all of those turn out to be vastly different from what I see in a mirror when I am outside in the daylight. (That's usually the most disappointing.)

Week Six: Church can be artsy and innovative!

People would not guess it but this picture was taken at a church in L.A. and it is called OASIS CHRISTIAN CENTER. As you can tell, my church is pretty modern and artistic. We have such an awesome creative arts staff who contribute to the innovative and creative layout of the Church. This is a picture of the stage where there is a material stretched out across the back of the stage where the light is hitting. The colors of the lights are very distinct and could be very intense to some people, especially when they are put together but I feel that because of the material that the light is hitting, the tension is subsided. It helps soften things up and make the two different hues come together, creating a nice combination of lighting throughout the rest of the stage. I feel that the design of lighting gives off a lot of energy, strength and vibrancy which I believe reflects my church very well!

Leah Joanino

Week 6 Underwater Lighting

I was taking my usual stress relieving stroll down Disneyland's themed pathways, paying better attention to the parks lighting, use, and function when I stumbled across the fairyland pond and its fountain. It immediately caught my attention as I noticed how well the water played with the lights as a reflector and with the mood of the area. The water helped the colors expand in the pond, filling out space and drawing more attention to softness of the liquid and its movement as the cool colors helped relax the scene as they pierced through the element in swirling shapes. It was very calming to stand in the ponds presence and just admire the beauty. The back lighting passing behind the stones helped frame the pond and continued filling the space with the same tranquility the lights underwater gave through. It has become one of my new favorite spots in the park all thanks to the beautiful lighting of the pond.

- Sandy Cisneros

Week 6/Post #3

Double Rainbow All The Way

What does it mean? There are a number of reasons this picture is special to me. First and foremost it represents a time in my life where things are happy, my family is together in one place, and we're on beautiful vacation in Maui. Rainbows, themselves, make everyone happy (I don't think I know a single person who doesn't like rainbows)! But two at the same time are rare and very exciting! Next, anyone who knows online jokes will understand right away why this picture makes me happy. I share this joke with so many friends, it's hard not to be happy. The colors are so bright and vivid, and it really stands out against the deep blues in the background, and the greens and whites in the foreground, creating a very serene balance in the picture.

It also makes me feel a bit of nostalgia; I really want to go back and enjoy myself again and hopefully catch another double rainbow. ;)

Tait's WEEK 6 Blog

This weekend I went up to Santa Barbara to visit some friends and family. The picture I used for our first lighting project was taken on the balcony at my parents house there, so when I was thinking about what do use for my blog this week, I thought I would revisit that location. I took the picture from the same balcony, but, as you can tell from the light it was during the later stages of the sunset. Although it is hard to tell from the photo, there were pinks and purples as well as the firey colors that appear in the photo. After all our work with colors, looking at all the different shades and hues in a sunset furthers the points about the complexity of the subject. It seems as if almost any color could have fit into the sunset, just like almost any color can fit a mood in the theatrical setting. Sunsets have to be one of the most impressive embodiments of natural light there is. In theater, turning the sunset into a tool for emotion or environment would be very useful, so how do we do it? A skilled lighting designer could definitely give a scene the feeling of a sunset fairly easily, it is then just a matter of how close they can get to the majesty of the actual thing.

I went online and found a few images of theatrical lighting that was trying to evoke sunset. See what you think about them. The first two are my photos, the next three are found online.

Week 6 - Umbrellas

I was walking through Aldrich Park after class the other day and passed the patio area of Phoenix Grill near the Social Sciences area. This is a normal route for me, but that day, the blue and yellow umbrellas of the outside patio tables really caught my attention. I started thinking if those had always been there and why I was only noticing it then. I didn't have my camera on me, but the sun was shining brightly and the blue and yellow just really stuck out. Maybe the umbrellas were new or it was just a really beautiful day, but it really drew me in. And it got me thinking about the designer/decorator's intentions. Yes they are our school colors, but it's also somewhat a form of advertising. Because they may just be insignificant umbrellas, but they catch your attention, even from a far and force you to look towards Phoenix Grill. And once you've noticed it, you just might decide to grab a bit to eat there.

Sun Rise!

Week 6: Blog #3

In my previous blog, I took a picture of a sun set and I have learned that its color are dim orange ish! However, for this week's blog, I have decided that I want to explore the color of the sun rising in the sky. It was on Thursday early in the morning as I was on my way to UCI from Walnut where I came from. Due to traffic and because my 1st class starts at 8:00 AM, I woke up at 5 AM: I showered, ate breakfast, and left the house at approximately about 5:40 AM. It took me about an hour to get to the 55 South freeway! As I was on the 55 South freeway, I noticed that the sun is rising bright in the sky! I took my phone camera as I did before and I took a snapshot! To my surprise, the color of a sun rise is also very intriguing to look at just as the color of a sun set! It is somewhat yellow red ish with a little orange at the very bottom and it is not too bright as I thought it would be. Looking at this picture, I was wrong when I thought that it would be difficult for me to imitate the color of a sun rise. Analyzing this picture and giving some thoughts about it, if I was to imitate this color in lighting, I would use the par can in the back as a source to recreate the imitation of a sun setting! I am so glad that I have been given the opportunity to witness the sun rising in the sky! Thank you Lonnie for encouraging me to continue to study sunlight!

Week 6: The Queen Mary's Dark Harbor

This past month I worked at The Queen Mary for the Halloween event called "Dark Harbor". Full of scary mazes on and off the haunted ship, I was a monster who had free roam of the street. As the month grew on while working on this project I became more and more aware of the lights that surrounded me and how important it was to have these lights create the exact ambience needed for a haunted harbor. Plenty of fog machines were used along with the warm colored lights to create the eery feel. Orange was a popular color used for the lights. The placement of the lights were extremely important too because in certain spots it created shadows that could confuse the maze goers and in other places it created good hiding spots for the monsters as well as good places to strengthen the monster's makeup and features. Without the lights the atmosphere would not be the same. All the design aspects contributed cohesively together to create the perfect eery Halloween I'm sure many will not forget.

Light, it's Good for your Health

Three quarters of U.S. teens and adults are deficient in Vitamin D. Possible reasons for this deficiency are traced to skin-cancer preventing care: long sleeves, sunscreen, staying inside. Our diets also do us a disservice with most of us consuming little amounts of vitamin D fortified products like: milk, salmon, mackerel, and tuna. Even those who have sun-exposure should still take a supplement of 5,000 IU/day. The basic idea here is, the further away you live from the equator and the darker your skin pigment the more vitamin D you should be taking. However, artificial light sources are now being incorporated for people that are deficient in the vitamin D intake. This way, you can control the amount of UVA/UVB exposure you have and still be exposed to the vitamin D benefits like: more serotonin production (better mood quality), healthy skin, and white blood cell production. Pictured is a tanning bed that only emits UVB light that provides the benefits of the sun without the tan. Perhaps the future of lighting design lies in this possible collaboration with your health. Not only can the show be entertaining, but also therapeutic harnessed with the benefits of artificial light!

santa barbara

Since we've started this class i've been really interested in how people create natural light on stage. I can easily get lost in a a show but I've realized that what snaps me out of it is usually something really artificial looking with the lights. We've learned about different angles and intensities that create a realistic feel and when I uploaded this picture to my computer I started thinking about how this natural, beautiful, contrast of green and blue could be re-created. I was driving back from Santa Barbara on Halloween weekend and was able to capture this and it definitely felt nice to be surrounded by genuine color as opposed to the foggy, pollution coated mountains of Los Angeles.

Week 6: Green Garage

Walking down the street in Carson, I attracted to this gross looking florescent light. At the time, it looked more yellowish and dirty. After taking the picture, I was surprised to see it came out green. I guess that's what made it dirty looking. Now it seems more eerie and standoffish, not that it was inviting to begin with. I saw this right around Halloween too, so I hope they used it to compliment their decorations. The light definitely illuminated the entire driveway when it was dark out and serves a very practical function. It's harsh and intimidating glare would be complete with a scary dog to ward off possible intruders.