Blue Streak Week 10

I must say that this course has really made me much more aware of lighting, especially natural occurring phenomena. Once again, I was driving at dusk in the O.C. when I noticed the amazing multi-hued sky. The pinkish/orange from the horizon that develops into ambers then there is almost a lavender hue that melts into the vastness of the blue. What I find most intriguing with this picture is the sweeping blue line that is direct towards a steam cloud that is on the UCI campus. I am guessing the blue streak is from a jet. Below is a definition I found interesting because of its reference to the blue color and Kelvin temp.

Contrails

The condensation trail left behind jet aircrafts are called contrails. Contrails form when hot humid air from jet exhaust mixes with environmental air of low vapor pressure and low temperature. The mixing is a result of turbulence generated by the engine exhaust. Cloud formation by a mixing process is similar to the cloud you see when you exhale and "see your breath". The figure below represents how saturation vapor pressure varies as a function of temperature. The blue line is the saturation vapor pressure for ice as a function of temperature (in degrees Kelvin).

Week 10

I took this picture of my friend Darcy during the last few days of summer before I flew out for school from my home in Indiana. It was one of those really lovely summer days where the sun shines, the air is clean, and everything is just so pleasant and slow. What I like about the lighting in this photos is how the sun seems to illuminates every where around my friend. I get this feeling that she is surrounded by light as she takes a moment of contemplation. There is this cove that her hair creates that seems to give her a place for such a pause. The light is beautiful and soft. I really enjoy how the softness and clarity that hits her face blends into an overexposed outline of her face. The light glows with an amber. The amber is warm and calm. The light in this photo really takes me back to those last days of summer. The lighting just feels so natural. This is not just because this picture was taken outside, but because it captures Darcy's face in a refreshingly organic way that communicates something of real human experience on a day that is full of brightness and reflection. There is this hint of over exposure from how the light hits the hair, but the combination of how the light wraps around the face in such a smooth way really creates a cohesive moment.

Week 10-Arena in France

I took this picture when I went on a trip through the Southern Part of France. This picture is of an ancient arena where they used to have gladiator type games. I choose this picture this week because I thought the light on the arch ways brought out some beautiful texture. Additionally, I thought the light coming through the bars looks a lot like an effect a gobo would have. Because Kelsey and I decided to use gobos in her final project, I thought this picture was especially relevant. The texture of the archways and the patterns created by the bars gives me this feeling of severity and almost brutality. The lighting of this picture seems almost to capture the history of this place.

Week 10: It began in 1100 and it ends in 1100

Last night, after the final performance of New Slate I was helping Julia Cost carry some of the film equipment to store in 1100. When I walked in and looked at the studio I started chuckling because the lighting was stunning. In the corner on the mirror and barre side of the studio just one of the lamps was on. It had this beautiful amber glow to it and lit up one of the large circular vents. There was also a chair randomly placed in the center of the room and it was wonderfully silhouetted. First of all I have to say that after I showed Julia and we laughed at the absurdity that something so beautiful was produced and we had the fortune of finding it. I realized how much I have learned and grown in this class. 10 weeks ago I am not sure I would have even noticed the lighting in the studio. I mean I may have seen that the room was dark but thats about all. That said, what spoke to me about this lighting compositionally was the isolation. What was engaging to me about this was that there was a lot of focus on the chair just because of where it was placed in the space. It was interesting to see how a light source could support that without being directional purposefully. It was almost an accidental focus which sounds like it might be fun to play around with in some way. Could a lighting designer play with not directly shining light on the figure they want lit. What if you saw an entire solo where the light purposely missed the mark every Que? I am sorry the photo is a little dark.

Week 10 - Theater in Seoul, Korea

In 2008, I toured to Seoul, Korea with some classmates, and we performed in this spectacular theater. After revisiting this picture, I have taken the audience's role to a new perspective. I've realized how important it is to also give attention to how your audience is situated, lighting-wise. This venue is successful in providing a feeling of spacious, clean, line with its lighting and architecture. In other venues, the design can be elaborate or very simple, and designing lighting accordingly for those spaces can provide a proper feeling for your audience---whether they are in an intimate black-box theater, or a historical castle-like theatre. Knowing that, I think that knowing your venue, as a director/choreographer/etc. can assist you in bringing forth your performance.

Week 9 Site Specific: Spectrum

Like many in our class, I observed the Irvine Spectrum. It is a very different experience when you go with the task of observing the light. I noticed a lot of warm amber being used (or warm incandescent looking) light. There are occasional blue or pink accents in the overall space as well. The space is lit by several smaller lights and the architecture is showcased (such as the arches or things connecting the alleys of stores. I feel the light contributes to an inviting, joyful, and intimate feel. Things feel bright because of the contrast, but overall it is soft low intensity lighting that is warm. I also think the collection of little soft light sources which creates depth in the space that connects me to the intimate feeling. I can't take credit for the above photos, my attempt at photographic the outdoor location was unsuccessful.



I want to start with the store that was less successful with their lighting. This is inside Foreign Exchange. Their mission is to "unify different cultures and diversities through fashion" and it values "attention to detail, comfort, and quality". I don't think the lighting is terrible, but its what I would call, "whatever lighting". The best word to describe the lighting design is that it is unfocused. In this photo alone, there are seven different fixtures that say different things. In their defense however, you could say they were being "diverse" with their lighting choice. (Laughs). When I think diversity, I think vibrant with life. This store is shades of gray at best. I don't think the lighting does a very good job at focuing the eye towards the clothing either.


This is a photo inside the Levi's store. Whenever there is track lighting in homes on HGTV, there are always critiques of it being "so 90's", but this design is more successful than the latter. The design supports the rugged and timeless feel. There lighting is less diffused as well, so you can better appreciate the texture and dimension of the clothing. The lighting is also closer to how a home or art gallery might be lit. So in that sense it is more inviting.

Week 9: Site Specific Blog Irvine Spectrum

This is a picture of the overall environment of the Irvine Spectrum. I felt that the lighting designers were trying to achieve a feeling of old Hollywood glamour. I think this is what the environment is supposed to feel like because they used these lamp posts that resemble the style of Art Deco. Also, these lamps create dramatic pools of light almost like spot lights. In this picture you can also see that the palm trees are covered in white Christmas lights (I'm not sure if this is seasonal or is always a part of the design) which creates these gigantic pillars of light. These pillars create a statement of grandeur and majesty. I feel like they do succeed in creating a glamourous and glitzy atmosphere because of the stylized lamp posts and the lights on the trees.

The picture on the right is the store that I found had the most successful lighting. This picture shows one side of the restaurant called Javier's. I felt that the restaurant was going for a mysterious, alluring, and sensual atmosphere. As seen in the picture, light is being directed upwards against the building which shows off the interesting patterns and shapes of the architecture. This light has an amber color to it with helps create a sensual and alluring feeling. Also, there is a small window with four candles inside. The motif of candle light is prevalent with this restaurant and it adds the feeling of warmth and intrigue.

The picture to the left was a store that I thought had the least successful lighting. It was a shoe store called Eilatan. All they had for lighting was florescent lighting from the ceiling and long florescent lights against the walls to bring some attention to the merchandise they were selling. I felt that there was only one objective to this design: create a hip and industrial atmosphere and put extra light on the shoes. But this extra light was jarring and harsh. There was nothing hip or exciting about the lighting. They did not play with angles which would have drawn attention to the shoes without overpowering the store.