F17 TA434 LIGHTING DESIGN

I don't know why, but I always see lights I would like to upload on this blog when I'm walking down the streets in Glendale. And it's a sunset again, but it tells me another story and shows so much about making choices in Lighting Design. I saw this nice sunset that lighted up the clouds in that beautiful red and orange colored light yesterday. The structure and the way how the clouds are lightened (just from one side) makes them look like they're absorbed by the sun and because of the sun beams it seems like they're spread all over the sky. It almost seems like they're travelling with the sun. It makes the sky more storytelling than it is anyway at anytime. Usually clouds support sad emotions because you connect them to rain and cold days, but the color and the structure that is created by the sun makes me feel warm and comfortable. The sky looks deep and like it is never ending. For me this picture is a great example of how one strong light from j...

Yesterday I went to see a play. On my way out, I saw  that many walls were completely covered with leafs and they were illuminated with lights but each wall had a different angles of light. The one that I like the most was this one because the lighting was coming from the top and that made it seem like if it was forming a heart. I really liked the idea and how different angles of light can create different shapes.

I really like the sharp sunlight coming in from huge windows. It looks like tinty blue / white and the contrast. The warm orange installation lighting looks good with woody interior elements. The contrast between warm light and sunlight separates the atmosphere inside and outside of the building.

I am a gymnastics instructor and usually these pictures would be used for correction. However, from doing these blogs I have been more aware lighting in everyday life, even when working. The giant window gave the gymnast a really nice glow from the first picture to her peel (fall) off of the bar. My favorite has to be the cloud of chalk left over in the last picture. The sunlight is hitting it perfectly letting the gymnast's presence linger after she had fallen. When she got up on the bar many people in the gym stopped because of her glow. It was funny because this is a skill she's been trying to get and then she steps up to the bar with this dramatic lighting and then she ends up eating it.

On Friday I went to a Linkin Park concert that was a tribute to their lead singer who past away not too long ago. It was a very emotional night for everyone. My sister and I loved this band growing up and always wanted to go to one of their concerts. The night was also very nostalgic since this is the band I listened to in middle school. It took place at the Hollywood Bowl and it was my first time there. I didn't know that they lit up the bowl there in the back so it was a really nice surprise. overall the lighting was what you would normally expect for a concert. Something that really stuck out to me about it was that for one specific song they set a decorated mic center stage and hit it with one white top light. The band played the song but no one got behind the mic so the audience sang the lyrics. That moment really stuck out because somehow everyone instantly what we had to do and the top light that highlighted the mic played a huge emotional role that we audience members pi...

I took this picture sometime last week, on my way back home from work. This is honestly the best picture I could've taken, it is just so beautiful. There are so many things I like about this composition, but my favorite one has to be how the palm trees get narrower down the street but the gold light from the sun is still visible. My second favorite is the blue sky just above it, the warm and cool colors look amazing next to each other. This picture almost made me feel like I was at the beach and not the corner of the street I live in. This picture gave me very good vibes, also my direct deposit had hit my bank account so I was in such a good mood.

This photo was taken around 6am as I was leaving for work. It was cold out, and quiet, and a very light fog. What I enjoy about this photo is the early morning sky.  As I look from the ground up, see a bit of an orange and brown mix in the sky, blending smoothly into a purple.  The bright yellow porch light is almost directly center in this photo, and adds to the creepy feel I get from this image. It glows, and has an orange outer rim that looks really neat. 

While I was hiking the Mount Hollywood in order to shoot the skyline of LA for one of my filmprojects, I experienced the impact of color, when it comes to lighting. When I arrived there and took the first photo of that beautiful view, it was around 3pm. The sun was still up and tinted the city in the natural blue-ish cold atmospherical color. I couldn't really connect any special emotion to it, because, well, it was just the skyline by normal afternoon-daylight. Then the sun began to set and although I was looking at the exact same view, it felt totally different. The late sun immersed the whole city view in gold and amber. That unbelievable view made me stop walking on and just embracing the moment.  It was overwhelming.

It was a hot evening while driving home from school, so my sister and i decided to drive with the sun roof open. At a red light i turned to look at her and became astounded by the lighting composition lighting her. The warm street light was coming down on her through the roof while the red brake lights from the vehicle ahead highlighted her face. To see the warm and red lighting actually woke me up from my weariness. It's funny the way these two colors were able to symbolize, whether in a good or bad way, how warm of a night it was and how tired we truly were.

I lost my pictures (when I threw my phone in the washing machine) and honestly I had something a bit better but I'm going to take this post to explain my annoyance with certain lighting.  I was driving up to Tehachapi, which is about a three hour drive in the high desert, from where I live. Most of this drive is one lane and more than half of the drive I was stuck behind this lovely hay truck. The picture doesn't do it justice but on the right mud flap the sun is reflecting. Since the flap moved it was flashing "off and on". It was very annoying, caused a headache and I had to drive with one had blocking it most of the time. Point of this post... very shiny things on cars are very dangerous and annoying when in the sun. I prefer night drives!!

I was on my way home last night. It was heavy traffic because USC is closed to my house and they had a game. I noticed all the people rushing trying to get home, some of them make traffic more difficult but what caught my attention was how can three different light colors can control us by maintain the order in the city. Also the light red of the cars when they had to stop every few seconds. I like how lights can helps us in a way of guidance. Also the dark night that cover all us but the city lights help maintain the city bright and flowing.

As i sat outside eating my ice cream in the heat I noticed this lighting composition.  The high intensity sun rays beaming down on everything made me feel like I was in the Bahamas. There was a bright blue sky with very warm and blue sun shine that washed over everything.  The wooden beams on the roof providing ridged shadows helped me feel not as deserted in the oasis of heat.

This week I decided to choose an image that I took of my sister. I loved the way the yellow-orange light wrapped around her from right to left. I also liked how it contrasted with the cool greyish blue behind her on the left. This was in her room with very little light coming through a window at almost sunset and a desk lamp that was lighting her. I imagined how this would be lit on stage or what purpose it would serve. This would obviously be created with a sidelight or front angle and with a saturated orange amber gel and cool blue gel front the back. The mood of the lighting is very tender and beautiful. It doesn't exactly represent love but this would be a very romantic scene. Like a sunset or a room the is lightly lit by a candle.

I took this photo last week on campus. The building behind the trees is La Kretz Hall. This image displays both coolness and warmth. The different colors and shapes in the photo give it many layers. The bush and lamppost as one. They fall along a similar color palette but the figures can be easily distinguished from each other. The small trees are another layer, and how the sunlight gradually reveals the green leaves looks nice. . The salmon colored building is very unappealing in my opinion, but the windows reflecting the light looks really cool. The top part of one tree can be seen reflected on one of the windows. I also see the clear blue sky as another layer.. I would like to see how this setting would look at night when the lamppost is on.

This shadow was created by the tree above me. I was daydreaming and thinking about life and stuff when I realized this shadow was over me. I laughed at myself because this looked like what was happening in  my brain. Thoughts going everywhere drawing complicated shape. I also realized how beautiful this shadow is. When I look at this picture, it still brings me back into the deep thoughts.

I went to the Halloween Horror Night at Universal Studio Hollywood. First location I chose is the entrance / New York street of the park. This is where everyone gets excited! The street and buildings were lit very well with the Halloween themed colors. Lighting designer used gobo to make it look interesting, and the moving lights made it look fun. People had just walked inside of the park and they see the colorful lights and patterns on the building. Those lights made me excited about this whole experience at the park. The movement of the light went with the rock music that was playing in the background. That helped audience to dance with the music and have a fun. The lighting design for the mazes were different compared to the lighting at the entrance. The picture was taken at the maze, Ash vs. Evil, the designer had steel blue and a gobo on the trailer. The gobo made the trailer look spooky and old. Steel blue made the trailer very cold. Trailer was the entrance of the maz...

I took this picture the other day when I went to Disneyland for the first time. It was a special day for me and seeing the entire park decorated in a spooky fashion was really rad. I took this picture as I was leaving because I didn’t notice it when I first entered the park. It was daytime so it wasn’t all lit up and I was so excited I really wasn’t paying any attention to detail. We walked out at the end of the night exhausted and saw this decoration, we stared at it for maybe 10 minutes. I am so amazed by all the different colors they manage to blend together and put in. The moon especially looks beautiful and I love how the purple from the column things bleeds over to the moon. The way they made the silhouettes was perfect and the pumpkins look awesome. Seeing this beautiful sight at the end of a long day was wonderful especially when I had overlooked it in the beginning because it didn’t have lights on.  

Last weekend I had the privilege to go up to Big Bear and stay there for the weekend. On the way back it was around 3 pm and the sun was bright and shining. I was actually very upset that I had to leave the mountains and come back to the city, where there's chaos everywhere. We passed through a lake and it gave me very positive and calm vibes which made it feel like home. The sun was shining through the tree and it created a very beautiful shadow on the ground. The water looked very blue and clean, the sun was shining beautifully all over it making it stand out. On the way there we passed through it as well but it was night time and it looked very scary and dark, I didn't even want to look at it. It is amazing how the sun can light things and make you feel different ways.

I had the chance to take this photo during my visit in the Universal Studios last Thursday. I always was a big fan of Jurassic Park, since the movies accompanied me my whole childhood. They totally nailed the Jurassic Park ambience with their environmental design and I really felt like actually being there. Especially when fog came up, wrapping around trees, props and dinosaur heads peaking through the treetops, as the sun was about to set. These long shadows the sunlight shafts created kind of supported the prehistorical mood of  the whole scenery and I couldn't help but getting a little goosebump, while watching this natural play of lights and shadows.

 Last week in downtown. The sky looked dangerous and the city was surrounded by a muddy, gloomy atmosphere. There were clouds and the sun was on its way to set. It looked different than usual. You could not see the sun but the clouds were colored in orange and brown. But not that beautiful orange at a sunset...a dark, muddy orange. You could not see the sun because the sunbeams did not get through the  thick clouds and the dust. You just saw a harsh light of sunbeams where the smoke has not reached the sky. Somehow it looked dangerous. I heard a firetruck that was driving two blocks further which supported the atmosphere that something was not right. I felt restricted and small and was not sure what to think about it. When I came home I found out that the smoke of the big bushfire in Anaheim made all this dust. It is incredible how air particle can change the way lighting looks like. I am sure it would have been a beautiful romantic light without the dust. Later...

I was on my way home, when I saw this beautiful sky. The clouds looked so soft and they had different colors. The source of light was the sun passing through the clouds. The sun made some of the clouds looked so white and bright that could almost hurt my eyes when seeing it, while the other clouds looked gray. I thought of what we had learn in class about the combination of warm and cool colors which makes the lighting look more realistic.

This picture was taken at the Pop Up Performance played by Wind Ensemble at Cal State LA. All of the musicians had a music stand light and it looked like their spirits are floating in the evening.  The stand light for the conductor played as up light for her, and it helped to stand her out. She was glowing in the light and looked like she has all the power over the world.

These are two pictures of a bar in San Diego. Clearly because I was out and paying attention to lighting, the only good things about the bar. The picture on the right is of my drink on a table. There were Christmas lights hanging above reflecting off of the table. Also, my beer was glowing red from the candle in a jar it was sitting next to which I thought was groovy. The picture on the left is just the bar itself which was lit with red and yellow-ish back light. The bar was called Werewolf and the red lights really help with that theme for me however the Christmas aren't making sense but that's ok it made for cool pictures of tables. 

I took this picture one day, I strolled through the Americana at Brand in Glendale. It was late evening, so the sun was already gone and the plaza was only enlightend by the buildings and - of course - the fountain in the center. I've never seen the fountain playing at the evening before and I was amazed by the effect, the light created combined with the water. It was a very eyecatching color and felt like either molten gold or fire. For me, it was a perfect example of the illusions, light can create, since the cold water appeared like it was a totally different element.

This picture shows my "nightstand" in my room in my apartment. Because I am just here for a short time I decided I won't need a proper one and that I can use my suitcase. As a nightlamp I bought a light chain. When I woke up one day last week I turned on the lights to fill the room with just a little bit more warm light so that I can read. It always feels like the lights do not just lighting up the room for a tiny bit, it also looks like they're lighting up some countries on the world map. I really like the combination of the blue color of the suitcase and the yellow color of the LEDs. I like that they are all having a different angle. As you see, I just love them! That kind of makes me feel comfortable and home. My roommate was still sleeping so I didn't want to open the blinds but after a while I saw the reflection of daylight on my suitcase and it was interesting how the sunlight that got through the blinds reflect as different diagonal stripes on the case...