Drama 50C - F20: Beginning Lighting Design

  This is a picture I took a couple of nights ago when the Dodgers won the World Series, everyone in the area was just so excited, when I heard the fireworks my dad and I decided to go to the roof to go and see them, since it’s a little tradition that we do for certain occasions such as the fourth of July. We stayed there until the fireworks died down, but there was a moment when I just started taking pictures randomly and right as I heard a firework being launched I quickly aimed my camera and just as it revealed it’s colors I took the picture and my dad was just standing there, but it made the picture so much better. This picture can be interpreted in many ways, from mystery to content. For me, it makes me feel amazing that I was able to capture a moment like that, the red is just beautiful, and it makes me want to explore every aspect of the picture from the red to the orange. Definitely one of my favorite pictures and makes me smile every time I look at it.

 I took this photo a few weeks ago while I was on a hike in the Bay Area. It was a truly beautiful day; the weather was perfect and it felt really good to enjoy some time outdoors safely. I love the way the treetops frame the bottom of the photo and lead your eyes right toward the beautiful bay. Additionally, I really enjoy the way the colors in the sky shift from the lighter blue, closer to the horizon and the bay, up slowly toward the richer, more saturated blue, at the top of the photo. This photo doesn't contain a very large variety of individual colors however it manages to still be full of life and excitement due to the contrast between the green and blue shades and the splashes of white that we see in the water. Overall, the lighting in this photo reminds me of beautiful and breezy days outside, and this outing was a lovely little excursion that I got to enjoy before the weather turns really cold. 

  It's hard to beat sunset from the beach. The way the sun sinks into the horizon reflecting across the ocean is so incredibly beautiful. This photo was taken from Coronado beach in San Diego and everything from the texture of the sand to the distant Point Loma makes in an amazing place. In this sunset specifically, there were some clouds covering up the sun, but in some ways that scattered the light and created a nice image. I like the gradient from the blue-gray sky to the orange sunset, back to the cooler ocean. There's a very nice reflection on the water from the sun too. And that light casts some neat shadows on the sand providing some depth. Also, there's enough activity from the people walking by the water and the boat in the distance to provide some life. All of that comes together to create a very pretty sunset. 

  This is just one of the elements of the little ofrenda I put up on the bookshelf in my room. While growing up, I was never particularly interested in this celebration. I am even ashamed to admit that I was very ignorant about how meaningful it is in my culture. I started to immerse myself in its beauty only after my grandmother passed away a few years ago, who by the way was very passionate about Dia de Muertos. Things are different now, I am far away from home, secluded in the dorm which although gives me much tranquility, it also gets lonely from time to time. I decided to put up my little own ofrenda, but I was soon sad that I could not really find what I needed for it, especially here in Irvine. I still did it, it is small, simple, and colorful. I am conflicted as to deciding if it is accurate or not, but I like to believe that the intention behind it is genuine. I used it as a background for a project, and I still have it up, I’ll leave it there until November 2nd. What I mo...

My apartment was too close for comfort to the fires that just happened in Orange County so I packed up some of my belongings and  my cat and went to stay in a hotel for a few nights. I felt discombobulated from my daily routine being interrupted and scared because I was in an unfamiliar city, alone in a hotel so I kept on the bathroom light as a night light when I went to bed. My phone didn’t pick up how warm the color actually was, it had more of an orange hue rather than a white one but the bathroom light, the glowing laptop, and shadows on the bed indicate some feelings of solitude and uncertainty.

  While I'm visiting California for these few months I'm staying at my partner's parents' house. They have a chandelier in the front of the house that is next to a window. The window is facing west so during late afternoon/early evening everyday the light comes through and creates a stunning array of rainbows all throughout the second floor. This week they were especially bright and distinct. I also just learned how to say rainbow in french so that's what my title is. Whenever I see a rainbow like this, that appears somewhere I didn't expect it, it always brings a huge smile to my face. I know there's a science to it but it really feels magical. I think that is something that lighting does in theatre that not many other design forms can do. Depending on how it's lit and what is lit, it can truly make the stage feel magical. I remember seeing Finding Neverland and there's a sad but beautiful moment at the end. If the lighting wasn't so soft and sp...

The other night I made a fort with my niece and nephew in my living room. They brought over this new toy that quite perfectly lit up. It completely transformed the space. The dragon changes hues while reading a book of classic fairy tales. This experience made me feel like a kid again. Words that come to mind are whimsical, intrigued and spooky.  The color underneath the canopied sheets, combined with the actual experience of playing with my niece and nephew, made me realize all of the opportunities we have as artists to create immersive theatre. Children's theatre would be a fun opportunity in terms of lighting design, specifically fairy tales because of the endless color possibilities. 

I took this photo at Laguna Beach a few weeks ago, the day before we went back to school. It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of the summer, and the sunset that day was beautiful. I loved seeing the golden sun reflecting off the ripples in the waves and mirrored on the glassy surface of the wet sand. The light all around was deep golden, and gave me a peaceful, yet also melancholy feeling knowing this was the last beach sunset of the season for me.

      Recently I went to Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco with my friends for his birthday. We stopped to look at the sea lions that were there. It was really funny to watch them as they were all fighting for spots and arguing with each other. Then there was the biggest one and they were all by themselves on the raft. They seemed perfectly content just lounging away in the sun away from all the drama that was happening a few feet behind them. The sun was just starting to set and it made the water sparkle like there was glitter in it.  The water was so dark it almost looks like glass when it's calm and it makes me feel quite peaceful looking at the picture. The light hitting the water in this picture reminds me of embers from a firework or some sort of fire shooting off towards the ground. In fact, the more I look at the picture the more it looks like fireworks which is quite spectacular looking.  It was quite beautiful and would have been quite serene if not fo...

     This is a picture of a dance performance I took at Anime Expo in 2013. I chose this picture because I really like the use of darkness and the projection on the wall. You can see everything is kept in darkness except for the area on stage, which is washed in a blue glow. Red LED fixtures also flank each side of the stage, providing contrast to the blue wash. This lighting allowed the dancer to be barely seen, giving an almost dream-like effect to the performance. The darkness also helped the projection on the wall stand out very well. This is the only time I have gone to this live event, and I really hope to go back some day.

The Above picture is my high school. Recently, I was luck to go back to my home country and visited my high school while it celebrated its 60-year anniversary. Upon my entry to the school, I found this red, vivid gate stood up on me, and the tree shadowed on the gate to form bubble-like light traces. I personally was fascinated by the beautiful view, for me it was really cute and comforting (somehow) to see the shadow of trees. In my native languages, these are called "光斑" meaning "light speckles". It especially expressed a feeling of staining from the phrase. Sometimes I can also see the rainbow edge around the spot, and the shape of the branches of the trees. When the wind comes, the spots also moved, and echo with the wind.

       I took this photo when I went to the beach with some of my friends about a month ago. I love all of the colors present in this picture. Natural light is the best in my opinion, and I feel that it really helped bring out the vibrant blues of the ocean, the earthy browns and greens in the rocks and trees, and the hazy sky. You can also see the contrast between each color pretty well. The lighting makes this scenery feel warm and relaxing, and it looks like the kind of imagery I would expect to see outside of my window on a vacation. 

Woaah it's me, whoops.  I've always really enjoyed the way light filters through tree leaves. This particular instance is casting onto my right arm, creating patches of shadows. The patterns it casts are so common that we usually look past them in pictures, but I like to draw attention to them and as an artist am alwaus eager to draw them in. I haven't worked up the confidence in my own skills to actually paint them yet, but I've learned perhaps the best way to learn is to just try. The light also illuminates spots to the point where they are almost white, but our eyes can still tell what color it is. Pretty neat. This photo is from earlier in October when I was inspired to dress more autumnal for the spooky season. It reminds of the smell in the air just after summer and the warmth of the colors one might knit into a sweater. 

  This picture was taken last summer when I was on Balboa Island watching the sunset with my parents. I thought that the way the warm light cast a shadow and silhouette on the trees made for an effervescent and breathtaking atmosphere. I have had a passion for photography since I was in the 8th grade, and I have had some experience playing with light/shadow in photos. I love seeing how I can darken or lighten a photo and manipulate the light to match the feel of the photo that I desire. This photo very clearly captures the glow of the sun setting and the contrast the light creates against the trees, houses, sidewalk, and other objects in the photo. The colors in the sky present during sunsets is also one of my favorite things to look forward too, as each sunset casts and creates a different ombre and shades of colors.    

  This photo of my record player set up was taken in my apartment a few nights ago. I find listening to some of my favorite albums while I cook, study, or clean helps ground me and make anything I do feel more enjoyable. I recently bought the lantern next to it, and since then I have loved the warmth it brings to my living room. I am often finding myself with the lights off and just the lantern on because it makes the house feel like the holidays. I have always been a fan of the warm yellows and hints of orange from a light could make a room feel cozier. Quarantine has made me reevaluate my home and environment more and I absolutely adore the way a lamp that I bought for $12 has made me spend more time in my living room. 

  This picture was taken at the beginning of September at Yosemite. It was my first time there and on this particular day we went to visit the giant Sequoia trees that were deep within the forests. Compared to some Sequoias I saw that day, this one was relatively small. I was playing around with my camera and the only way I could capture the full tree was with a panoramic photo and I really liked how it came out. It was sunset which made it the perfect tome to take the picture because the light hitting the middle of the trees brought out more of the reddish color of the trunks just at the bottom. With the shadow casted on the trees, they get darker as you look higher on the trees which really brings out how small I was compared to this beautiful Sequoia.

  I took this picture back in the beginning of September when California was having an abundance of wild fires. As a result of a large amount of smoke in the air the sun was bright red for a period of a few weeks. I remember walking into my bathroom on this particular day and noticing the eerie shadow created on my sink. Usually we associate a warm glow of sunlight with a calm and peaceful sunset closing out the day. However, on this particular afternoon seeing a bright red glow come from my window in the middle of the day made me feel uneasy and as if there was a malicious presence looming in the air. I don't usually take the time to document small moments from my day to day life but something about this creepy shadow made me feel as though I needed to take a picture of it. 

 I took this photo around a year ago when my dad and I went on a cruise to Alaska. The blues of the glaciers really poped to me and even though the glaciers are melting it is still a sight for eyes, this specific photo was taken in Glacier Bay. The black ice is the dirt of the mountain as the glacier recedes further up brings a little bit of sadness to me since I know that possibly in another century the entire glacier could possibly disappear. While I know the skies are grey there is still the light blue of the glacier that sort of brings joy to me and helps calm me down. Even in other parts of the state were insanely beautiful from the mountain ranges to moments where the water looked as blue as the sky. I wish I could add one more photo but I felt this one evoked more emotion from me from just the simple color palette. 

  The Poetry of the Unseen      This was a picture I took a few months ago, when winter was nearing its end one hail-covered afternoon. I am fascinated with the abstract in art; how can the blurry mingle with the concrete? It is not just the words love, hate, desire, apathy, justice, injustice, that strike a chord within us, but what they represent. In the same way, it is not just the trees that are what made this scene stand out to me, but their blockage of the vivid winter sky behind them. The pale yellow creeping from the horizon. The saturated, heavy blue of the sky. The turquoise-gray clouds whispering upward and outward. When I remember the day, the most detailed piece I can remember is the feeling. Hail snow falling in chunks the size of beach pebbles. Now they are frozen in time, caught by a snapping of the shutter.      The modern man in me knew the science behind the hail, how they formed in the clouds, but the poet in me wondered, perhaps ev...

  I took this picture towards the beginning of quarantine--April, I believe--while my family and I were out for an evening stroll at a nearby field. I chose this picture for a few different reasons. Firstly, I like how the branch is shadowed, since the photo is backlit by the setting sun. I think it creates an interesting line for our eyes to follow and that the sun beams peaking through the leaves look pretty. But mostly I chose this photo because it momentarily made me feel soothed, like I felt while on this walk. When the quarantine first hit, though I was scared of the uncertainty ahead, I was more inspired to work on art and improve my performing ability. I had made lists of things I wanted to accomplish, new skills I wanted to learn, books I wanted to read. I went on two or three walks a week with my family, and I was remaining as optimistic as possible. Now that we are in month 7 of quarantine, a lot of my goals that I had set for myself have fallen away and I feel as though...

  I took this picture about a year and a half ago at the Muir Woods National Monument in San Francisco. It was my brother and I's 18th birthday and we took a trip to San Francisco to celebrate, as it is one of our favorite places in California to visit. I remember waking up really early in the morning that day, drowsy and cold. It was the middle of February and the winter breeze refused to let up. We put on multiple layers of clothes and drove out to the monument, stopping at McDonald's for breakfast on the way there. When we got into the park and began one of it many winding trails, I snapped this picture on my phone. I remember finding so much comfort in the sunlight that escaped through the looming red woods. I was now an adult and would be attending college in the fall. I was scared, but excited for the next chapter of my life to begin. It was a new beginning, where I could start over and change myself for the better. Like that sudden warmth of sunlight, a new world of hope...

  This photo was taken on the rooftop bar of a steakhouse in San Diego called Born & Raised. My fiancé and I had been to this restaurant several times and have always wanted to sit upstairs because of their beautiful bar and lounge. This night was the first time we were able to grab a seat up there and I was totally in awe of these floral pillars with lights shooting up the sides of them. They probably had 8 or 9 of these scattered upstairs, and looking at it now, I am realizing it was one of the few sources of light that created the romantic and dimmed atmosphere. Of course you see the yellow lights above and the bulb light in the back, but as I remember, the majority of the light cam from these stunning floral pieces. They were absolutely gorgeous and I joked how I wanted one in my backyard. It just shows how creative you can be with light placement, and how you can turn this already stunning piece into even more of a statement by drawing more attention with lighting. 

  I took this picture about 4 years ago during spring break of my senior year in high school. This is the beach in La Jolla. I'm from San Diego so I love going to the beach and have so many fond memories of La Jolla. This picture was taken about mid afternoon and it wasn't as bright and sunny as when I had first got there hours prior and thought it looked beautiful. Since the pandemic has started, I haven't visited the beach at all due to the crowds. As much as I love this picture, I can't help but feel sad to think about the fact that I took simple outings with friends for granted. During this time in quarantine, I've realized that I can't take moments with my loved ones for granted and cannot wait to be able to spend time with them in person. 

This is a picture I took a couple years ago when I was leaving Quintana Roo after visiting family. I have always loved taking pictures of the scenery around me, especially when I go to Mexico during the summer. Unfortunately, I don’t have any recent pictures since I wasn’t able to travel this year because of covid. However, this picture has always been significant to me, I can’t explain it, but when I look at it, it makes me remember how beautiful nature’s colors can be, since it was the beginning of sunrise. It’s an image that I don’t get tired of looking at, the blues, purples, pinks, and oranges are amazing, the reflections of the buildings and lights in the water. Everything about it is just pleasing to the eye. You can even feel the calmness of the picture, and just admire the view.

  This is my dog, Snickers. She is a 12 year old Schnauzer Rottweiler (probably) and is the most wonderful dog ever. This was taken the other night, when we had to take her out to the vet (for a routine visit, don't worry). We were parked, and the lights in the lot had this very distinct yellow glow. I loved the way it shown through the window casting diagonal shadows across the backseat, and on my dog. The way she was laying down, facing away from the light makes it an interesting photo as well. Her body and paw are very visible but her face is hidden by darkness. I also love the contrast in window colors. The rear window shares the same distinct yellow as the back seat, but the side window is almost blue, from some other source of light. I think the color of the light, combined with the harshness of the shadows creates an image that is warm and very stylized. It almost reminds me of a film noir or something with a mysterious aura. It's certainly a unique view of my dog. 

My cat is the subject of most, if not all, the pictures on my phone. This particular picture was taken about two weeks after the pandemic had begun. So much was unknown and it was an incredibly scary time. I live alone and while I do have the ability to drive a couple of hours north and be home, it felt too risky at the time so I stayed at my apartment in Irvine. My cat, Sawyer, being my only companion. He had just woken up from a nap and the light was hitting his face in such a dramatic way, I thought it looked quite silly for a cat of his nature. He’s very playful, not so much the melodramatic type. It made me laugh and I posted it on Instagram hoping it might make someone else smile. It was the small moments like this that got me through that really big rough patch of time.   I’m sure we all have particular images, songs, or tv shows that will always be tied to that very specific time in our lives when everything we had known suddenly went out the door and we had to surrender to...

  I took this picture as soon as I woke up the next morning after I moved to Irvine, just a couple weeks ago. I have never had any trouble waking up early, but I barely had any sleep that night so I actually saw the sunrise. I saw the colors of the sky changing only through the thin openings between the blinds. Soon I noticed that the morning was slightly darker than usual, so I looked through the window and found out there was a little bit of fog in the air. I took a picture of the view and I immediately sent it to my mom. I had a feeling she had also struggled with sleep the night before, and I confirmed it when, of course, she replied to me very soon. I told her that I spent a pretty restful night, which was a lie, but I was hoping she would believe it because I did not want to worry her. The blue-ish color floating in the air along with the fog, reminded me of the evenings in the town I grew up in, which I have not visited in about six years. The sparks of yellow light provide...

  I just came home to visit California after being in New York for years. Thinking back on it, the everyday lighting in New York is veeeeery different than in California. At least in Burbank.  New York has very tall buildings so I often find it difficult to find direct sunlight, unless it's noon. During the summer, it's nice because it makes it easy to find shade, but when it's winter time I am just dying for the sun to beam it's light upon my cold skin. Here in California, I need just step into my backyard or go on a walk and I can feel the sunlight. It feels amazing. Also, dry weather is so much better than humid weather, but I digress. I was sitting on my parent's front porch this week and doing some homework when I noticed the sun coming through the trees across from our house. We don't have houses across from us, just large trees because we live next to a movie studio. It's great because it provides a sense of privacy as well as a lot of shade. While si...