Week 3: Autumn Leaves

 

Autumn is my favorite season. I love looking at the leaves and watching them change, and the chilly wind that forces me to run inside and grab my favorite sweater. I always thought trees were no big deal until I got glasses my sophomore year in high school. I was so surprised that you could see each individual leaf! When the wind blows through every leaf moves, and it seems as through the whole tree shifts. I always looked at the big picture but my eyes were open to the texture of the different colors and each individual piece becoming the whole. Even as you get closer and look at each leaf, they all have their own personality! I could literally spend all day looking at trees in fall, as simple as that seems. My Gramma has the hugest tree in her driveway in Fresno that I make her send me pictures of it because it has the biggest leaves I've ever seen and the prettiest colors! ( I didn't use that photo for this blog because in a couple of weeks it's going to look better and showing it now just wouldn't do it justice!) I can totally apply with to lighting because to convey one thing it isn't always the obvious choice that is the correct one! Lots of layering and different types of gobos or colors can be used in unusual ways to be even more effective. 

Week 4: Textures in the Sky

All week I’ve been taking pictures of shadows. Shadows are everywhere and I started to think that maybe I should give this whole gobo thing a shoot. And then -last night after work- I walked outside and saw this beautiful sky. The first thing I thought was “this is texture”. Even though the sky looked like a 2D backdrop, I saw so much texture.

The different colors from the night sky and the setting sun mixing together, in conjunction with the clouds on different planes, created this extremely textured image. This sky has made me realize how much more there is to texture than shadows. I suppose in some sense the clouds are making shadows, and probably refracting light, but there’s just something different about this particular manifestation of texture. I’m not really sure how to describe it.

Based off this, I would say texture adds dimension and character to light. I was skeptical at first about this whole “texture” thing, but now I’m interested to see where it can go.

Week 4: Compositions of Decomposition

I love nature and all it's amazing processes. I'm sure we've noticed from my pictures. Well, earlier this quarter, I stumbled across decomposition happening on our very own campus! I thought it was kind of amazing since UCI seems to think there shouldn't be any leaf out of place. I was very happy when I saw these leaves.

This picture seems hectic, yet focused. I couldn't help but notice that my eyes seem to go to the bottom right leaf- the one that is not completely decomposing yet. I believe this has a lot to do with the fact that it is solid and is the brightest leaf in the picture. This reminded me that no matter how busy or hectic a set or scene can get in a play, you can still bring focus by guiding the eye with a bright light, or a different light that doesn't necessarily match the others-just like this leaf is doing in the picture.

However, after my eye leaves that leaf (hah), it wanders to the leaves that are decomposing. First the big one coming down the center and then the bottom left one. These are cool leaves. They actually remind me of scrim, and I believe they are somewhat acting like that too. They light is coming from above me, and these leaves are concealing what's underneath. Of course, it could just be the texture of the leaves that is thicker and therefore we cant see through them; but I liked the idea of these leaves functioning as mini scrims in this little world. It seems very fantastical that nature creates scrims for the sun to play with.

Last, I take the whole picture in. The abundance of textures is absolutely amazing to me. Each shape has it's own shadow and high light, and leaves our eyes happily wandering through leaves of texture one step at a time.

-Erika

ps. I hope you enjoyed my puns.

Week 4: Spider Webs and Climbing Plants (YASMIN LOOK AWAY- SERIOUSLY.)

Saturday night after rehearsal I came outside of the studio and the most incredible sunset was gracing the sky. It had been a foggy day, and I'm not science-y enough to know if thats why the colors were so incredibly bright, but I figure it had something to do with it. It's that magical time of day when the street lights come on, although there is still natural light around. You get to bask in the sparkly artificial lights and the warm glowing natural light all at once for about 30 minutes.  My favorite. 

The colors is the spider photo are untouched, which is hard for me to believe. Basically I've got a pink and violet cyc and then warm downlight. The light source (which is artificial) is coming from directly above and then I have all this incredibly vibrant backlight that is really making the spider pop off the page. This little guy is hanging out on the lamp by the bike racks between the studios, and I've been watching him do his thing for the past week. I saw him again late Saturday night after Sabrina's show and I was with Yasmin, and she nearly had a panic attack. Hence the warning. 

The photo below is another comparison of the natural and artificial light, taken maybe 5 minutes after the photo above. In this photo however, the two sources are falling on different subjects and creating different textures instead of contributing to one 3 dimensional subject. I love the crisp and detailed texture of the leaves (under a harsh fluorescent foot light) compared with the soft and dreamy texture of the clouds, also lit from underneath but from our favorite natural light source, the setting sun. 

Week the Fourth: Olympus

This past weekend I went to a mansion party in the hills of West Hollywood for an early Halloween. I was extremely delighted to see that the mansion was in a residential area called "Mt. Olympus". Our mansion was on Hercules Dr and Apollo Ave. I love greek mythology so this was very pleasant. So when I saw this sign leaving the party (the cops shut it down shortly after we arrived at 10pm, not too exciting) I had to take a picture of it.

All the lines and that rustic broken stone look is just the design of the glass, the light is shining from the inside. This makes me think a lot of how light can work from the other side, not just shining onto something but through something. I felt like the design of this really captured my eyes as soon as I saw it. I'm not sure how they made the glass sign (or whatever material it is) but the way they colored it, drew the lines, and shaded certain areas, allowed the light to shine through it to achieve a wonderfully antique, stone look. Very appropriate for the theme of residential mansions in the area. The texture is revealed because the light is shining through it, from the inside, especially at night.

Here is how the sign looks during the day (I just googled it) and it looks quite different. You can see the column structures a lot better, but we lose a lot of the detail that is revealed by the light at night. In fact, it looks like two different structures completely. What is really interesting is that those black lines we see at night, is actually not drawn or painted on at all. I'm guessing they were the parts that the light can not peak through the glass at all. But I'm not too sure. It's pretty fascinating though.

Week Four: "Wait! Let me touch this amazing wall..."

 

This photo was taken during a night on the town. My friend and I went out dancing in Encinitas, and as we were walking past a 7-Eleven I noticed this beautiful mural that was painted on the side of the building. What I found humorous was the fact that I had passed this building numerous times in the past and had never noticed it in it's full glory. It was only now that the lights were kissing the top of the walls and trickling down that I saw the beauty in the textured painting. The branches are 3-Dimensional, and the light only makes it pop out further. The highlights and shadows are exaggerated because of the lack of light in it's environment. I was fully aware of any passersby that may have thought I looked a little crazy standing at this wall, giggling while taking pictures of it. Yet it only made the giddiness inside of me grow, with once again living in this secret lighting world. 

Week 4: Constant Change

This is the fountain at the Los Angeles Music Center . I actually took a few pictures (and I may post the second also at some point, because it's similar in content/perspective but a little closer), but this one was the one that spoke most of texture to me.

Water is often something I associate with softness, trickling or rippling. But here it's forceful, catching the light as it arcs up, and that sharpness is something I found - find - very compelling.

There's also the element of shadow on the pavement that I found interesting. It changes with the water (obviously) and that is part of what makes the texture of this piece so interesting - constant change.

I was also interested in the way that the water appears to change the texture of the stone. There's roughness and it meets roughness to create something slippery. Force is creating texture and then taking it away (from the water). If I set my hand on one of those jets it would probably hurt, but not because the innate texture of the water is rough. And seeing the water on the slippery surface of the sculpture provides a contrast.

I'm over-explaining this. I just think that this, along with the way that the droplets catch the light at the top of their arc (and let the light through in some places while creating shadow in others) makes this fountain so interesting.

Week 4: Succulent Texture

I took approximately 72 pictures of this bed of succulents on my way from the costume shop up the stairs by the Claire-Trevor.  Ok, not 72, but a lot - until I found the perfect one.  What I love about this texture shot, is that there is such a play-on-play with light and shadow.  I think this is integral to texture in general.  Without shadow to delineate raised and lowered shapes, it is impossible to decipher texture. I have a distinct memory of a stucco-painted room in a friend's apartment.  The way a side light shone from another area of the room onto it, it looked completely flat, but when we switched on the overhead light, a mass of texture appeared.

This picture is so vivid!  I actually took it tuesday morning, and describes exactly how I have been feeling when I am starting my days this whole week.  I feel revitalized, fresh, succulent - and super vivid!  I love that it is very hard to tell where one plant ends and another starts - like they are all vastly inter-connected.  Our department feels like this - a great community of artists who are individual plants, but that connect and support each other to make a really beautiful succulent bed.  I especially love the different shades of green in the picture - the idea that source light effects how color is perceived.

This photo reminds me of so many things: the succulents themselves remind me of my new home in California, the light and darkness shows the duality of all things, the interconnectedness of the plants is a beautiful metaphor in itself, and the vivid green is a color representative of my feelings of joy and fullness during this week.

Week the Third: Fantastic + Orgasmic = Fantasmic

Disneyland's Fantasmic show has definitely grown since I saw it a couple years ago. AND I LOVE IT! Not only was I pretty much front row and center, I was sitting down to watch it and nothing obstructed my view. I'm pretty sure I screamed, ooh'd, and ahh'd throughout the whole show.

The lights were used in so many different ways and was coming from all over the place. There were huge structures of lights that were behind the audience, shining onto the "stage" and structures on the stage were shining out toward the audience.

Right from the beginning, all the lamppost and green tree lights shut off abruptly to signify the start of the show, and the structures on stage had white beams shining out into the audience in a magical way. I knew it was a distraction and a tactic to "blind" the audience from the appearance of Mickey on stage. The use of color on the water that spouts from the lake is beautiful and absolutely supports the story. I loved the fireworks being used as Mickey cast spells. There were just too many really creative and amazing ways they used light in this show. And it was one of those times where it was hard for me to watch it from a lighting perspective because I found myself caught up in the magic as an audience member. I will definitely need to go back and examine it again (maybe a few more times).

Week Three: Windows on the Water

A Sailor and a Wanderer

As I sat at the LAB in costa mesa editing pictures today I stumbled across this photo. I guess this is technically cheating because I took this photo prior to this class beginning- but I promise I took a bunch of pictures of light this week (spider webs, people, architecture) but I did not feel ultra inspired to write about the lighting in any of them like I did when I came across this one.

I was recently commissioned to do this couple's session on The Yankee Ferry docked on the south side of Brooklyn, with these two amazing young women. One is an actress and the other works on the ship, which is the only remaining boat from WWI that is still in the water. The ship itself is incredible- filled with strange old detail and warped wood that carries more stories than I ever will. The sun was setting on the water, and light was pouring in through the port hole windows like buckets of gold. The light from the window was coming directly from the sun, and also indirectly from bouncing beams off the bay.

The light in the photo is picking up all their tiny little details. Individuals hairs are picked up, the texture of their clothing is detailed and obvious, (particularly the aging cotton of the blue and white shirt) and a lots of minute texture is exposed. The beam coming in from the left of the photograph has the stroke of a par can. In fact, with the size of the port hole, it just about is a par can. I have bright, raw natural light coming in at a high intensity.

And yet, the picture feels romantic and beautiful. The photograph juxtaposes raw intense light with gentle loving embrace, and it feels exposed and powerful. It seems that when a story or emotional element is clear, lighting can be used to make an additional comment on the scene, or juxtapose the emotion rather than outright re-iterate the mood or atmosphere of the piece. I'm trying to think of an example of this, and I am recalling a scene from The Dwarf. The moment where the Princess finally confesses her sins (all the lovers she has taken) instead of falling into intense darkness to perpetuate the sinful and dark elements of the intense scene, the deck opened up into a flood of white light, creating a stunning and unanticipated comparison- that the princess had nowhere to hide. She was exposed, and in raw, bright light and was exposed to The Dwarf's judgement. Instead of helping confirm something that is already clear, the light added another layer of complexity and comparison. I feel the same way in this picture. The light is reverent and revealing and raw, layered over something clearing soft and loving.

There is some additional intrigue to this photo for me. The blonde woman's face is the most lit part of the photograph, and yet due to the angle of her face is the most hidden. The other lover's face is exposed in angle, but softer and more diffused in light. Typically the lightest part of the photograph (or the stage) will be the central point of focus, or rather, point of interest for the viewer. Yet in this photo, I feel the central focus is in the smaller woman's face and expression. It's a photo of the smaller woman, looking at the blonde woman who is lit. Did that make any sense? We are looking at her, looking at her, and it's lovely.

Week Three: Observing Color Theatrical vs. Realistic

Almost the end of the sunset. You can see the color’s mixing

The more the sunsets the warm the warms become

I thought this picture was really interesting because it looked like a saturate I maybe wouldn’t want to use on stage because of the way it changes people’s skin tones, and yet this is a real moment of sunlight

Another example of a jaundice looking color I wouldn’t want to put on stage

After talking about color theory I was driving to my film acting class and saw the way the night sky and the day sky were blurring together to create the evening sky. The first picture is very similar to what I saw while driving. It made me think of a cyc. It also made me realize that not all realistic lighting is pretty. 

As the sun sets it can get some pretty crazy ambers in it. It reminds me of when I was designing a show last winter. I put a saturate orange in a window gobo. My mentor loved it, and thought it worked really well. My director thought it was too Halloweenish. I remember him asking me “so what do you think of that orange?” I picked it out so obviously I liked it, but in retrospect it’s interesting to think that there are these “Halloweenish” colors in nature. 

I also think it’s pretty interesting that the warmth of sun can change fairly drastically from one hour to the next.The second, third, and fourth picture were take with less than 2 hours in between each one. I didn’t realize how much the variation of color determines the time of day so much. 

Picking color is always a hard process. Just this weekend I experienced the situation where several of the colors I wanted were not in the space. Just moving up or down by 1 number in the gel swatch book can make such a  big different on your composition. 

Color. 

Week three: LED house lights

I just finished closing the show "Of Sound Mind" this weekend. The photo above was taken after a late night of teching. I laid on the floor of the Robert Cohen and turned my phone on, but accidentally opened my camera. Oddly enough this is how my camera took in the light, and I thought it was amazing. First of all, the LED lights are the coolest thing ever, I was pretty mystified when I first saw them... and to have it perceived through this lens made it even more interesting! It was like a hippy dream inside a kaleidoscope!  I was really inspired by the different colors in the picture as well, the reds, pinks, and purples and the black from beneath on the ceiling. I really think that this picture will be used by me later as a propeller for another piece of art I do later. I want to try looking at different lights through my camera lens to see if they turn out interesting too!

Week 3: real-life gobos:)

This is a picture from Saturday's rehearsal for my one act, "The Happy Journey."  The story follows Ma and her family as they travel to visit her married daughter Beulah.  The predominance of the piece takes place in a car, and in Thornton Wilder's style, the car is represented by 4 chairs.  You can probably imagine this makes for an interesting, but difficult, rehearsal process in that: though this is a realistic piece (in action, characters, and relationships), the scenery (aka the car) is representational and not realistic.

So, Saturday, we took a real trip.  In a real car.  And I let Joe drive (aaah).  I had them go through their lines while driving in a car.  What a joy it was to witness this happening!  All of a sudden things made sense.  The actors didn't have to work so hard, they were just living it.  Joe couldn't take his eyes off the road because there was really a road, for example.

But I had another trick up my sleeve.  While we were taking our "happy journey," I had my stage manager and other actors position themselves right around the corner from where we would return to surprise them.  In the play, they finally arrive at Beulah's, whom they haven't seen in some time.  We parked the car in the Mesa parking lot, and were walking back to return to the rehearsal space, having just finished running the lines that took place in the car.  When they rounded the corner and saw Beulah sitting there, they went right into the lines for the last scene!  What a special moment I was able to capture thanks to my good ole' Iphone.

In the picture, I love that Beulah (Kirsten) is in a patch of light in the center, and seems to be glowing.  She might as well have a spotlight on her!   In addition, the tree limbs and leaves are making a beautiful pattern on the ground, like a natural gobo.  To me, this is a great representation of how warms and cools work together.  Despite the bring sunlight coming through the trees and spilling on Kirsten, the picture seems to be just as cool, with the shadows helping to add dimension and balance.  This photo also evokes a feeling of comfort and safety, which blends beautifully with the actual text and circumstances of the scene.  Beulah very much needs the support of her family, and though we follow the family's journey for most of the play, we realize by the end that it is just as much about Beulah's journey to reunite with her family after a big loss, and be comforted and feel safe.  I am so happy to have captured this memory of part of the rehearsal process:)

Week Three: Good Vibes, Good Music, Great Lights

This was taken last night, at a Pinback concert (a band I listened to in high school)! I was embraced by the nostalgic feelings I was experiencing. The crowd was a melting pot of the widest range of individuals I have ever seen at a show. I was beautiful- they had LED lights that were changing from green/blue to purple/red. They also had a projection screen that showed amazing videos while they were performing. I took this picture with the added street lamp in the right corner because I felt that it showed the quick contrast between rock and roll lights and normal, every day illumination. All of my energy was focused on the lights. It was as if they were vacuum powered, completely mesmerizing! This is another example of how we have a "secret world" in lighting, I do not think half of the people who were at the show realized the importance of the design. Overall, it was a successful night, and I cannot wait for the next show!

Week 3: As Time Goes By...

I spent a good part of my week on the look out for good blog pics. But when I saw this, I just knew this was my picture for my blog this week. I walked past this house before the sun went down and noticed the clock and thought how cool it was that they had a huge clock outside their house; little did I know this clock lit up!

As I walked past this house again when the sun was just about to leave our sky, I saw the clock lit up in all it's glory. This particular picture captures a moment in time that is probably one of my favorites. I LOVE the twilight hour-when everything looks blue. And because of this lit up clock, I know what time I took this picture. I like the connection between time and the sun- I mean, after all, that is how we tell time. Before clocks and watches, there were sun dials. But this photo gives me a reference I can use- I can already picture a cyc like this that I can use for a production set in the fall. The colors in the sky are so strongly contrasted, and I love it. From this dark, night time blue to this bright almost whitish blue. Not to mention, the silhouettes are beautiful. Overall, this photo was very inspiring to me, not only because of the pretty colors, but also because it reminds me that while the sun serves as a light source, it also gives us a sense of time, and each time looks different. Oh, and one more thing-- this photo also gives me a very "time is running out, Cinderella" kind of feel. So I liked that too. :)

-Erika

Week 3: Brake Lights, Big City

Meet a brake-light. Tonight a friend and I realized that both of our cars had brake lights that were out.

At the same time.

The ensuing saga resulted in us getting new lights, but here's one of the things that happened along the way: someone mentioned that we shouldn't touch the bulb of the new lamp, and I had a moment of extreme pride when I remembered from 50C (and probably before, as I'm sure I was told it) why that was the case. Aside from that reason, I  also remember a story from Lonnie about many bulbs going out in a theme park somewhere?

Anyway, this made me think about our dependence on this kind of light, and the technical process that goes to create and maintain it. The qualities of that light, in darkness on the freeway late at night versus during the day, obviously serve a very important purpose. But looking at the glow of that light (which is just the light of a lamp diffused through a lens, really), it seems like it must be so much more complicated.

You can only see a little of the glow here, but it's there, and it feels very significant, especially living in a city, near and on roads where you see a lot of them. It's a reminder to pause, sometimes a stressful one, and I could do with this reminder sometimes.

Even if seeing too much of it when I'm running late makes me even more stressed.

Week Two: Love is in the Air... Very far away

My mom got married this Saturday and I was too busy with tech for "Of Sound Mind" (which you should all come see!) to be there, so I called her to wish her a happy day and good luck with the day. I was pretty upset that I couldn't be there but at the same time overjoyed to hear how happy she was. She literally cried over the phone, telling me repetitively how in love she was, and how she simply couldn't imagine spending her life with anyone else.

 

Walking back inside, we were in the middle of a really depressing scene about conformity and sacrifice. The picture above shows the moment at the end that's the climax of the song, with all the other stresses looming over the main character. The lights are from a pretty sharp angle, which makes it really creepy and gloomy. Though that's not the way I saw it! Due to the fact that I had just left the sweet heartwarming conversation with my mom, I came in lighthearted and this moment looked like love to me! The pink lighting felt like a valentine rather than a bloody deep tone.

 

 It's really interesting that what happens right before really changes the view of something as an audience member. I had just come from a happy scene so this lighting cue that would otherwise be very ominous and dark didn't seem that way at all. I think it's a good thing to keep in mind going from emotion to emotion as a lighting designer because the audience has to go on the journey with you, otherwise they get stuck in the last feeling. Every single color could be terrifying could also be lovey dovey if you convince the audience of it!

 

 

Week 2: Laguna Love Affair

So, I am smitten with California.  No, I'm serious.  It's a Laguna love affair.  California is so different from New York City, and anywhere on the east coast - and I feel in a lot of ways more "at home" than I ever have before.  It's easy for the people who were born and raised here to take what I find so marvelous for granted.  I can be on the beach and in the mountains in the same afternoon.  I can go to LA or San Diego for a bigger "scene," or drive up and down the cute beach towns.  It's love.  

This week's assignment was more challenging for me, because I couldn't find exactly what I wanted to take a picture of.  There was a moment when I witnessed two people see each other after a little while had passed, and watched their long embrace and happy kiss (and felt too awkward to snap a pic).  And there were several moments in "The Last Goobye," the new musical version of Romeo and Juliet at the Old Globe, that I could have snapped a pic (but I'm a good theatre-goer).  

So in the end, I went with this photo: taken Saturday evening as the sun was setting in Laguna Beach.  I had a cocktail in one hand, and was discussing with my Directing cohorts the play we just saw - literally feet from the beach at this swanky hotel bar.  It's a great end-cap to week two, and does a good job to capture the love I feel for where I am right now.  Starting a new adventure in grad school, consumed (in a good way) in everything theatrical, and surrounded by interesting and inspiring people. Laguna love affair.  

In the picture, I love the soft, puffy clod cover - grey, but not in a dull or gloomy way at all.  Deep, grounding brown sand, speckled with footprints, at the bottom of the photo.  Supported from the top and grounded at the bottom.  Sandwiched in the middle is the brilliant ocean, whose water is always ebbing and flowing like life.  The pinks and oranges and yellows of the sun setting are captured in that space between water and air.   I love the reflective path of the sun through the water - seemingly straight towards me.  

I took a picture about a minute later that felt so different - it was fiery and full of passion - with orange spilling into every part of the picture.  But this one felt more like love.  I enjoy the mix of cool blues/greys with the warmer yellows and oranges.  It probably doesn't scream LOVE to anyone but me, and that's ok.  It says subtle passion and a strongly-lit path towards what I am to do, offering its soft but powerful way.  Just enough pink for me to be sure my heart is supposed to be right here, right now.

Week 2: Lemon Love and My Littlest Sister

I spent all week thinking about love, and how light can make someone feel love, or how light can look like love- and I had no luck, I wasn't compelled to photograph anything on the basis of love. I was beginning to get a little discouraged, as if I couldn't find love in any of the light I was living in on a daily basis. It also was a little cold and rainy this week which shattered my vision of a creamy, pink and warm photograph.

I finally took this photo this morning. My parents were in town visiting this weekend and I was woken up this morning by little mini Claire (my youngest sister of 8 siblings) jumping in bed with me, just like she does when I'm at home. She left the bedroom door wide open and pretty soon my roommate's cat Lemon followed her into bed. This cat has never liked me, and I'm really good with animals, like pre-veterinary-experience certified-dog-trainer-good with animals, but Lemon is spastic and odd and obsessed with drinking straws and beats at birds through the window. But this girl has a way with creatures. She is kind of an odd one herself and connects with every animal she has ever encountered. I was pretty amazed that he actually came in and got in bed, and as you can see, the sound of my shutter had him a little alarmed. But he loved her! And she loved him! And I loved her and him! There was so much love. I had to take a picture.

The morning light, probably 9:30 am or so, was coming through the blinds right above us when I took this unedited shot. A natural blend of cool and warm, nice and diffused, the beam very soft across her skin. It is also hitting her pillow and giving her a little halo-like glow around her head, making her jump of the paper and making her more three dimensional.

LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Week Two: Happy Shadows

 



If I can take anything from the past 26 years of my life, I have found that "life" as we know it will be forever changing. This is a picture of my new little brother, who used to be my nephew. My mother recently adopted him, and with that she removed him from a pretty bad home life. He is only 11 years old, and has been through so much. Since he has been a part of our immediate family, he has grown immensely. We have all come together as one family unit, in hopes that he has a shot at a great future. These past few years he has fallen in love with the game of soccer. He is incredible to watch, the passion that exudes from this kid is relentless. The love of this game keeps him going and smiling, day by day.
This picture was taken after his 6-0 win on Saturday. He scored two beautiful goals, and celebrated gracefully. I wanted to capture the excitement he was expressing after the game was over. I loved the way he threw his body into the air, it made an amazing shadow. The light from the sun that hits his whole right side only adds to his radiance.
My favorite part of this photo is the couple in the background (right corner)...this is my mother and her boyfriend. They are madly in love, and when I took the picture I thought it was lucky that I got to quickly catch them in the shot as they were exiting the park. Their shadows are actually cute. In a strange way, this picture tells a story. There is love all around, whether it be for my family, romance, or simply a sport. It definitely makes me happy.

Week the Second: Kiss the Girl

What says love more than a good Disney movie? Especially such a classic as the Little Mermaid. This is from the ride at Disney's California Adventure and is the infamous scene where Prince Eric and Ariel almost kiss.

This scene is a great depiction of love waiting to happen. The focus of light is on the couple which is a beautiful cool, white light. The source of which can easily be the moonlight shining right on them. The water surrounding them is lit by blue gobos that really accent the depth of the lake they are on. I especially love the dim lit moon behind the characters because it gives the illusion of distance. Which I notice now is inconsistent with the notion that the moonlight is shining on the couple from above. (Whoopsy Disney)

This image would be completely different without the blues surrounding the lit couple. It definitely makes me think of how lighting can set the mood/tone/feel of the situation. Because yes, you need the characters lit, but the subtleties in the lighting for the rest of the picture is what tells the story. Especially if it is a Disney story. This also confirms the idea that romantic situations are usually lit cool and dark (moonlight). Perhaps even by candlelight which is at first thought, you would think it is a warmer color to be romantic. But I suspect it will need a definite balance of cool lights to achieve the sense of romance.

Week 2: For the Love of it All

Okay, so I warned a few of you that I would post this lovely picture of Gilly in a blog, and sure enough, here it is. Last weekend, I went to the beach with Gilly and Leota. It was a hot, beautiful day-perfect for the beach. Now I LOVE the beach, so it's no wonder I want to talk about this picture in our Love themed blog. But there are many reasons I chose this picture.

First off, like I said, I love the beach, but I also love spending time with my friends at the beach, and this day encapsulated that. There's nothing quite like eatin' tacos, laying out on the beach for hours, jumping and diving through waves with friends, and topping a day off with a delicious milk shake. YUM. So the day was truly lovely.

But this picture-- this is our lovely Gilly, doing a beautiful passé on the reflective, wet sand. I love how bright the sun is, and that it's casting two shadows--how cool is that? I was pretty confused by it, but thinking about how large the sun is and the amount of light coming from it, it's not hard too hard to understand (though I am still a bit baffled...). More importantly, this sun is flaring up my iPhones camera lens, and I LOVE it. I know sun flares are not ideal, but I truly love when you can see the suns rays pouring down in a picture. Not to mention, you can actually see the sun's warm and cool tones at work in this picture. Those rays, coupled with Gilly's  beautiful pose and the reflective water, makes the energy in this picture pour out. It's very warm and happy, and quite relaxed actually; there's an energetic serenity that comes out of this picture, and I love that contradiction. 

I love the beach, I love my friends, I love the sun, I love dance, I love this picture. SO. MUCH. LOVE. SO much that I can overlook the crooked horizon... -_- 

Week 2: Love and Other Footprints

I took quite a few pictures over the last few weeks - some with the assignment in mind, some just because I saw something I liked. Many of them were objectively more romantic than this photo, warmer; sunsets and the sky, and a couple of them may surface later. But when it came to it this week, this was the photo I wanted to write about when it came to love.

I took it last weekend, on my first trip to the beach  down here since I moved over a year ago. Three of us (including Erika, whose footprints may be here too!) spent a few hours there, and I took quite a few photos.

What strikes me here, and what connects this picture to love for me in a strong but abstract way, is the number of footprints. All these people connected by place, spending a day with friends, family, strangers, or by themselves, taking in the ocean and shore. These are the footprints of everyone and their relationships, the imprints of everything they have seen and felt, all the connections and love they hold.

Not only was I there spending time with friends - something that I love to do - but it felt like part of something bigger.

I'm not sure it's visible here, but one of the things I liked about this was the way that the sun glinted on pieces of shell (and particles of sand). There's a warmth, to the image, obviously, but there are little fragments of dark shells (cool) mixed in with the light and shadow, and every footprint sheds light on something new. There are little twinkles, almost like stars, and somehow it all feels very connected.

Week 2 (Love): Light Against the Clouds

All week I’ve been trying to find love in lighting. I’ve taken a lot of pictures. Whenever I would take a picture trying to capture love I would think “Ok, it’s warm. It’s not shadowy. So, I guess it’s what I would put on stage during a romantic scene”. But none of the pictures I took really screamed love to me. They were all me applying ideas of theatrical lighting to the concept of love.

Then one day I was driving home from school. It was Thursday, the day after the rainstorm. I was on my way back home (I don’t live in Irvine so there’s actually trees in my city) looking at the same scenery I’ve been looking at for as long as I can remember.

Then I looked at a pine tree I’ve seen countless times in my life. It was lit by the warm setting sun, against a cool lavender raincloud background.

And it suddenly hit me.

This is love.

I was driving so I didn’t get a picture of the first tree I saw. I pulled over, and with my blinkers on captured a tree that had a similar look. I did this about 4 times on my way home to make sure I captured exactly what I wanted. People probably thought I was some idiot wanting a picture for Instagram. But I had to make sure I didn’t miss it. The setting sun would completely change what I saw.

To me love- whether romantic, familial, or friendship- is being there for someone through hard times. Love is being there for someone when they’ve made bad choices or when you’re angry at them. Love is forgiving someone when they’ve hurt you. Love is showing support for someone no matter the situation, no matter how wrong they are.

In this case, love is a warm ray of light that makes this one tree radiate in the midst of bad weather.

It’s funny because I was searching and searching for what I thought love was, but the moment I saw the   warm tree against the clouds I immediately thought “this is love”. Apparently I think love is standing by someone know matter what they’ve done, who they’ve become, or how hopeless your relationship with them may seem. Love is warmth, but it is also darkness. Without pain and suffering, there cannot be love.

Week 1: Perfectly Perched

Every once in a while... well more often than you would think actually, I walk past something that catches my eye--whether it be because it's unique, beautiful, or perhaps the light is hitting it just right. This photo embodies all three of those aspects. 

As I walked past this archway leading into the front yard of some persons, I literally did a double take to look at these flowers. I pulled out my trusty ole iphone and snapped a picture. Personally, I love how random and determined nature can be. There weren't many other flowers sneaking out of the garden, and this was a cluster of FOUR. They all made it out. Their perseverance made me happy. But, of course, I owe a lot of that emotion to the light and focus in this photo as well.  These four flowers were perfectly perched in a spot of sunlight, giving off a very warm and at home feeling. The focus of light on one particular flower created a glow around them that felt so pure and almost kind of heavenly, which sounds corny, I know. But really. Look at how beautiful and simple this moment is. I still find myself mesmerized while looking at this photo. And I hope you all do too. :)

-Erika Quintana

Week One: Catalina at Night

For the Fourth of July I went to Catalina with my friend and her family. This building is called the Casino, and inside is a 20's era movie theatre and a concert hall on the above floor. They chose the lights and the flags in spirit of the holiday when usually they'e just white. My friends mother commented on how the blues weren't as bright, and due to my lighting experience I knew that it was because the transfusion is a much lower percent. They should have chosen a lighter blue to make it seem just as bright as the rest! Then they would have to sacrifice the deep blue color, so I guess it's the prerogative of the Casino owner. 

Regardless, the festivity of the lights was a wonderful touch. We stayed on my friend's father's boat and the reflection of the red white and blue off of the water at night created a beautiful scene to overlook our dinners together on the deck where we bonded and played games deep into the night. The entire trip was an amazing experience to get to know the entire family closer, and a lot of laughs were shared as we opened up and jived into each others life. We spent over a week there so it was a lot of time to talk! It was a time that I'll never trade for anything else, and I was so lucky to go. This picture brings back all of those memories!

Week 1: Awe-Inspiring Beams of Magic Over a Dangerous Looming Castle

Prague Castle, from the Charles Bridge. July 2013.

[I took this photograph in Czech a couple months ago. I was standing on the famed Charles Bridge. Here's some context on the perspective: if you look carefully you can see the head of a saint with a star studded halo around his head- that statue stands of the edge of the bridge. Along the horizon on the right you can see the peaks and towers of the Prague castle cathedral far in the distance, as well as a tiny flag, perhaps on one of the embassies surrounding it. The structure on the left is the gateway arch where the bridge meets the land.

It has just rained, and Prague was shimmering wet, the clouds were parting as we (for those of you who know him, Ben Ridge and myself) were crossing back into the town square after feeding swans or something else ridiculously picturesque- and I had to stop to try and capture it. I kid you not, I thought to myself: this is going to be my first blog in Lonnie's class. And here we are.]

There are two halves to this image. One is a structure- a shape. Words that come to mind: sharp, darkness, danger, power, dominant, overwhelming, ancient, immovable.The other half is this explosion of beams from the sky- a flood of light pouring onto the horizon, revealing the smallest speck of an expanse of blue sky, concealed behind it.

This image overall to me feels dangerous and majestic, and very religious. It feel religious in a lot of ways, the structure and dominance of religion, but also the spiritual and enlightening element of religion.  We have the power of religious government looming over the city, and somehow, the power of light pouring over it. The "conceal" of the castle and the "reveal" of the light coming through the clouds make for an image of overwhelming power.

I wanted to write about it because it made me feel small. It was light that made me feel small- and I think that's incredible. The beams are so penetrating and unapologetic- they, unlike us, are unafraid of the powerful man-made structure before them. The structure was created to put the fear and love of a God in the people, and yet, when up against the sky, the castle in impenetrable yes, but also feels less alive, and less powerful than the powers of light from above. The power of the cathedral can look over the people of Prague but the power of the light can reach them wherever they may be.

Week the First: Sunset in Kauai

This sunset was in Kauai, an island of Hawaii, late August.

I have always loved the sky when the sun is setting, but what I have noticed is that when there are clouds, the sky is exceedingly more beautiful with an array of colors. In this photo particularly, you see the beginning of warm orange tones that dissolve into green as it continues on to the part of the sky that's still blue. Warm and cool colors working together in nature.

Immediately your eyes want to go to the center of the picture where the sun is. But what is even more captivating are the clouds. How the sun rays reflect on and through them. The dark of the cloud suggests that the source (sun) is behind it. The brightest yellow on the cloud shows the source being under and shining through the less dense parts of the cloud.

How amazing it is to watch this work of art happen every evening. And every evening it is never the same show twice. I'm always filled with awe, and sometimes too much so, that I almost get into car accidents watching them. It is a vision that can make you forget what you're doing and drop your surroundings. Indeed, a vision if an accident were to happen, would be worth dying for.

Week 1: Adventure Day



Oh, this glorious day. So my best friend (since 8th grade) and I tend to experience cabin fever way too easily...it could be a matter of hours before one of us whines, "let's get OUT of here...let's just GO somewhere!" This is where our adventure days come into play (hashtag, awesome). About two weeks ago, we decided to head to the beach to catch the sunset. I have to admit that we aren't very interesting to watch (if you are a creeper or innocent spectator), we don't really talk on account of how mesmerized we are by the waves and sunlight.

On this adventure day, we were staring in silence for a very long time, breathing in the salt water and feeling the invasive breeze that had us completely covered by a blanket. The sun was slowly setting, and it's reflection on the water was becoming warmer and more golden. The clouds were in such a beautiful resting place, they were "set up" in a way that made us know the colors were going to be epic. Suddenly, something inside of me said, "you better do a cartwheel down by that water, don't miss this" (I am fully aware of the fact that my subconscious is just as strange as I am). So, I grasped the opportunity to feel youthful. It was so freeing, gleeful, giddy- all of those words that bring you back to a time when you didn't know the intensity of stress or responsibility that weighs you down.

My best friend shouted at me, "I'm taking a picture, do it again!" So I did. Over and over, until I was seeing stars, until she got the best shot that was possible with my Droid. Looking through the shots, I noticed how breathtaking the sunlight was- in all of it's entirety. I also noticed the weird orb that was moving around in each photo. What is that? Is it, as we say in the Midwestern country, a Spook (aka spirit)?  Or something weird with my lens? Anyhow, this day was magical. I am glad I can share it with all of you!!

Week 1: Stasis / Intrusion

This picture was taken outside my new apartment in Verano Place at the end of a very long day at the end of a very long week...Week 0, which I am now sure they named such so that it can be filled with as much craziness as they want.   It's like it never happened!  (And no, I don't know who "they" are)

What a pretty picture, huh?  I love the different colors and the sunset that almost seems to be happening from left to right.  I really love the dark sillouette of the trees and buildings in the foreground, and the colorful sky in the background - it feels wide open, freeing, and full of variety - like the world is my oyster!  The lights of the houses seem really warm and inviting.  My favorite part is the halo of lighter colors around the edges where the trees and buildings meet the sky.  I'm not even sure how this happened, it's just how my Iphone took the picture, but I get the distinct impression of something bigger than myself - that idea that there is something greater than myself (universal consciousness, God, the infinite, whatever you want to call it).  It is just stunning, and even looking at the picture as I am writing this, I get chills.  It's like when I took the picture I noticed the halo quality of the picture, innately understood that for me it was symbolic of the inter-connectedness of all things and representative of something bigger than myself, but didn't fully realize I got all that in that moment, until I am typing this RIGHT NOW!

I love yoga and self-growth, and I love the idea of living in the present moment.  I don't want to take things for granted, and want to strive to always be grateful.  But I'll be honest...sometimes I can't help but get wrapped up in my busy schedule and forget to take the time to appreciate the now.  In the craziness of Week 0, I was consumed.  This picture was taken when I was walking home from a long day, and for no reason at all, stopped and turned around to look at the sun set over the trees.  It's like I knew it was there before I even saw it.  And I took the time to stop where I was and be grateful for the here and now.  I will always remember what Gary said in my MFA meeting about being "all in" and remembering that a lot of people want(ed) to be sitting in the seats that we all were - I never want to take my time at UCI for granted.

I titled this week "Stasis / Intrusion" because this picture marks the beginning of my new life as a busy MFA grad student in a whole new world (did anyone else begin humming the song from "Aladdin?" Just me? Great...).  In Script Analysis we learned that in a play, we begin in Stasis - almost like the given circumstances of the play, the world in which the characters go on living in.  Then, some big event interuputs (the Intrusion) and changes the stasis and sets the play into motion.  For me, this picture is representative of my Week 0 Stasis (of being consumed and forgetting to appreciate and time time to be grateful), and that moment when I had the guttural instinct to stop, turn around, and be grateful for all the beauty in my life.  

Week 1: As the Sun Sets on Summer

This was taken from the air on the brief trip I made North to see my family at the beginning of the summer. I was in classes and working on the New Swan for the entirety of the summer sessions, so I didn't get to spend much time there, but it was a beautiful kind of punctuation to the end of my first year in Irvine. As well as loving the colors of sunsets, I've always felt calmed by them - perhaps by the idea that wherever you are in the world, whatever stressful things are happening, the sun will rise and set, bathe everything in light. It was a picturesque beginning to a much needed (albeit short) break. And I'm still completely fascinated reflection, especially of sunlight on water (I'm pretty certain I've written about it in blogs more than once before). All the different colors that sunlight is and makes hold a fascination for me. 

And not just that - this is cloud and sunlight and water and land, combining, mixing, and blurring. There's a little lens flare, as this was taken through the window, but I love that it captures the scope of the light, showing everything it touches (it's so difficult to not make a Lion King reference here. I just want to note that and add that I'm not sure if I've ever seen that movie all the way through, or if I have how long it has been. But I digress). The illumination of the clouds from behind, just a little, is something I also appreciate.

The title of this post is, I confess, stolen from the title of one of my 9th grade literature assignments. We had to write a poem with the title/prompt As the Sun Sets on Summer, and being someone who remembers the oddest things, I can still quote mine from memory (Oh, the things that stick). Being thirteen, it tended to focus on the sudden, sharp transition from summer vacation to high school, but there's a lot of feelings there that still apply. And the image still feels very much like it is something close to - or a reminder of - home.  

Week 1: Open Subject/ Light Through the Smoke

One time during the summer our oven started smoking. Of course, my mom, brother, and I went into a panic mode (well, I actually handle emergency situations really well and ran to get the fire extinguisher). When I was a kid half of our house burnt down. Unexpected smoke is something that can freak out any family. We were standing in the half of the house that didn’t burn down, and really didn’t want to turn the phrase “half our house burned down once” to “our house burned down. Just on two separate occasions”.

We were able to contain the situation, and as our anxiety slowly began to creep away from us my asthmatic lungs began to close up in reaction to the smoke.

And then I noticed the sunlight.

It was so beautiful. It distracted me from everything that happened. I just stopped a stared. Within the mist of panic, partial suffocation, and unwanted nostalgia I had to stop and just look. It was like those rays of light that cut through the smoke cut through my anxiety.

Suddenly, oxygen wasn’t priority. It was like everything was just ok. Everything was fine. And everything was beautiful. Panic and emergency turned into unexpected beauty. It was as if some sort of peaceful, almost angelic force just swept over me and said “everything’s fine”. The light said that to me.

I pointed it out to my family and they also stopped to take a moment to look. Rather than getting my inhaler and I decided to take out my phone and capture this calming, natural force that flooded me with calm.

It was a relaxed mesmerization, as if slipping into a warm tub. In retrospect it reminds me of my grandma.