I took this picture in the backyard of a friends house. What I really like about this picture is the way the lighting in the upper right corner just near the hammock gives off such an ethereal glow. Moments before I took this picture I was laying in that hammock reading Sophie's world for Drama 120. I find that when doing homework, or any reading that isn't necessarily for pleasure, the lighting greatly affects my mood, and my ability to stay reading for longer than a few minutes. It's not just that there has to be enough light to read, but the light itself creates a quality or mood, that almost seems to generate the patience and willingness to sit down and read. I myself have no problem sitting down anywhere to read for pleasure, but when it comes to reading that is just something I have to do, the presence of this light, accompanied by the abundant amount of greenery around me, provided just the right mood for me to find the discipline and even pleasure to sit down and read.

Energy Saving lamps vs. Regular lamps

I have noticed that the light in my bedroom verses the light in my living space makes such a difference with visuals. My boyfriend has to paint small figurines where he needs the best type of lighting (daylight to be exact). At night he would rather paint by the energy saving bulb than the living room bulb because it is more similar to daylight. This is because the whiter light of the energy saving bulb won't change the color of the paint, whereas the orange light of the regular bulb changes the colors. So energy saving lamps are awesome! They save the environment and they allow you to see better.

Laguna Sunset

I took this picture when I was in Laguna Beach watching the sunset. The weird thing was that there were about 20 other people camping out waiting for the sun to set...and they clapped when it disappeared on the horizon. I thought that was odd...

I really loved this particular picture because of the concentration of the gold, red, yellow, and orange hues in the center. The contrasting blue below from the ocean and above from the sky really highlight those bright colors and really drew my eye towards it. The best source of light comes from the sun and the rocks and plants and trees in the picture become secondary to the beautiful landscape of colors presented. As the sun dipped further away, the colors slowly disappeared until all the yellows and oranges were gone, and all that was left was different shades of blue.

4th of July

This is a picture from my own nothing-too-fancy cannon digital camera. This is a picture of my friend and it was on July 3rd while we were waiting for the fireworks. The sun was mostly gone and my friends and I were goofing around by taking pictures. Actually my boyfriend took this shot. It was by a mere few seconds that he capture this really cool photo of my friend.

I think what makes this a nice photo is of course the lighting! I noticed that in the background you can see from top to the middle of the sky, it went from dark purple to light pink. How this moment was caught is just so amazing especially to be able to capture some of nature's beauty. Some how my boyfriend was able to aim the flash at the right place where you can also see the subject. From looking at the photo, I can see the flash had more of a flood, I believe, on my friend so that you can even see the exact details from his face to his jacket. You can even see the highlights on his face!

I think this is one of the best photos of the day that was caught on candid camera!

Fake Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

So in class today, I couldn't help but notice how much the Claire Trevor stage is so much more extravagant than any other place we could have chosen to have a class about lighting. Not only is the Claire extravagant as a performance space, but it makes things that are already pretty, even prettier! I looked down at my hand while taking notes today and noticed, in particular, the ring I was wearing on my right hand. I've had the ring for about a year, and my best friend has the same one so although it may not have cost much, it holds a place of sentimental value for me. The ring is simple: a small band of tiny sparkles is encased in a sterling silver border( I attached a picture of it; however, the photo does not capture its full potential as well as the Claire did.) My ring, although I still love it, has not been in the best of shape these days. I have worn it so often that it sometimes leaves a green mark on my skin, plus the silver has now become a copper color( talk about your cheap rings.) Nonetheless, I looked down in class today and noticed that it was sparkling as though it were made of real diamonds! I rotated my hand around for a few seconds, letting the lights and the sparkle of the jewels glimmer in the light. Here's something embarrassing: I even took it off my right hand and slipped it on my wedding finger, just to see how it would look! Call me a dork but it looked great!

Once class was over and I was outside again, the ring became its normal piece of sterling silver. I was amazed that the light on the Claire Trevor stage, even when not being used for a show, still had a way of producing something extra, something special. I don't know what kind of lighting is used for class, but it was most definitely something different. I already knew why the stage itself was magical, but now I know just a little bit more as to how lighting can make that magic happen.