Erika Clark | Week 10 | The Top Floor of the Parking Structure

I took this picture of my roommate on the top floor of the parking structure at our apartment complex. I like how even though it is nighttime, she is still pretty well lit on one side with shadows on the other side. It gives her some depth, as well as adding a sense of mystery. The light on her was just coming from the various street lamps all around us. I also like how in this picture, you can see the city lights in the distance, and because of those lights, instead of pitch black, the sky looks like a more brownish-black color with clouds arranged in vertical lines at the top. The sky looks a bit lighter around the more heavily populated areas too. I really like coming out here at night, because of the view and the peace it brings me.

Week 10- Forest Trail

I took this photo on a hike with my boyfriend through a little forested area. I was fascinated by the towering trees all around us, and it was so beautiful how it seemed dark on the trail but little rays of sunlight would show through the trees. I couldn't fully capture the beauty of this one my phone's camera, but I still like the contrast between the deeper colors in the forefront of the photo and the light coming from the sky up ahead. For me, this photo evokes serenity and joy.

Week 10: Shadow Castle - Kari Setlak

My picture this week was taken inside of my apartment, of one of the pieces of our Harry Potter Lego set that lives on the island between the living room and kitchen. My boyfriend loves candles, so we have one in pretty much every room of the house, including this one. And when we have all of the lights turned out, the warm light of the candle and the cool light of the bug zapper contrast to create a strangely natural artificial effect. The warm glow coming through the windows almost makes it look like there's actually a light source coming from inside, specifically actual candlelight. With the blue-purple light coming from across the room, the scene appears to be reflecting the glow of the night sky, with the yellow light cutting through as a contrasting source. Even though this set is Harry Potter inspired, this particular frame reminds me of the reveal of Frank-N-Furter's castle in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and much like that scene, this image makes me feel a certain apprehension. The lighting angles also cast deep shadows that conceal many of the components of the visual that would possibly reveal any information- which also serves this particularly mysterious sight.

On a related note, I've learned a lot this quarter in this class, and I feel a lot more confident discussing lighting now that I did ten weeks ago. I would like to thank everyone in the class for still taking the time to create this learning environment and work together, despite the odd circumstances that have come along with the pandemic. This was the most memorable last quarter and graduation I think I could possibly have, and I know I'll use everything I've learned during this time moving forward. I hope everyone has a good summer and stays safe!

Week 8: Fallen Flowers - Meghan Minguez-Marshall

Happy week 10 friends! I am here with yet another flower-related photo. I have still been social distancing so I only have pictures from the walks I have been taking. Lavender is my favorite color, so seeing all of these purple leaves inspired me to pull out my phone and snap a picture. I love how they almost completely cover the ground. I also love the pattern that the shadow of the tree branches forms on the ground. The little pockets of bright green grass surround the dark green from the shadow, which resembles gobos I have seen used in shows. I have noticed that I am drawn to shadows a lot and that is usually what inspires me to take a picture, sometimes without even realizing it. I also love the combination of purple and green and have a lot of purple and green clothing. I know they are not complementary colors but I think they look very good together. 

Week 10 - Tyler Garcia - Borrowed Light, Bright Light, Bright Light

Borrowed Light, Bright Light, Bright Light
For my final blog post, I've chosen a photo that I took outside my parents' house a few nights ago.  A couple weeks ago I moved back up here, and it's definitely been really weird adjusting, and living in my childhood room with a bunch of still-packed moving boxes.  But one of my favorite things about my hometown, if not my favorite thing about it, is the night sky.  If it isn't cloudy out, I can look out at the night sky and see hundreds and hundreds of stars, constellations, and sometimes even planets.  When I got out of my car and looked toward my house, I saw the moon shining overhead, beaming brightly and pouring moonlight over my house.  This picture is unedited, the moon really is that bright at our house, it's crazy.  I've always loved the night sky, and it's very comforting to be able to look into it and see the infinite possibilities that the universe could become.

Week 10: Stacey Manos

I took a walk around campus last week and came across these beautiful trees with flowers all over the ground. It was a cloudy and overcast day so it was lovely to see this burst of color. Even though the sky was gray, there was such light coming from the bright green of the bushes, which illuminated the purple trees even more. Even though this is a still image, it almost gives the illusion that the trees are swaying in the wind because of the grayness coming through the branches and the vibrant color contrasting the dreariness. This sight brought so much life to a dark day. 

Week 10 - Madi Smith

I was on a walk and had to take this photo because of how pretty the sky looked. It was just after sunset, before the sky got all the way dark, and I loved the varying shades of blue that were visible. That, paired with the yellow light from the parking stalls made for a very aesthetically pleasing photo. I also loved the way the trees were in silhouette, and the way the soft lights from the stalls washed the street in light.

A Warped Reflection

In this photo I really just wanted to share my appreciation for the way this cabinet door disperses light. The reflection of the light seems to soften as it reaches its edges, creating a kind of soft focus. I also wanted to comment on how the reflection kind of forms a sideways hourglass shape in the bright section. It's just a very interesting example of the physics of light in action.

Week 10 - Building

For my final blog post, I am sharing this photo I took during a filming at the Pasadena City Hall. After a long day of filming, the sun began to set and lit the beautiful architecture of the building from behind. The artificial lights lighting the building from the inside as well as the details on the outside made the whole building look so beautiful. The contrast between the natural light from behind and the artificial light from within created a beautiful lighting that was only possible during the time of day I took the photo. If anyone has a chance to go to Pasadena around the end of the day, I would definitely recommend it! The architecture of the building is so beautiful.

I really enjoyed sharing my photos with you all this quarter! I really enjoyed seeing everyone's photos as well. Thank you for a great quarter!!!!!

Week 10 - Hope for the Future - Andrew Landeros

Me and my family were celebrating my cousins graduation and we were all taking photos with him in his cap and gown at around the same time the sun was setting. In the distance you could see the rays of the sun shinning through the clouds. In the midst of such hard times we are facing, it reminded me that there is still hope. Looking at this lighting i felt hopeful and determined. That even in times of darkness, the light will continue to shine through.

Week 10 - Beautiful Morning - Hector Hernandez

Hello everyone!

In this picture I am demonstrating the light shining from the window in the morning, which really caught my attention. This indoor scene shows a dark and unlit indoor lighting in a scene, bringing a theme of resting and calming atmosphere to the room. However, the window brings an outside source of light that begins to light up the room, giving the idea that it is dawn and a new day begins. I thought it was pretty soothing how the warm colors from the items in the room along with the blue-white cool light coming from the window brings a contrasting but soothing source to see in this picture. These two contrasting colors brought my attention and it brings a perfect type of lighting to a scene, by including warm colored items with a cool colored lighting. This lighting in the picture brings a feeling of waking up to a new day as dawn is now here and it's time to wake up to a wonderful new morning.

Week 10-Side Light-Lissette Garrido

Since the quarantine has started my grandma has been staying with us and she is sleeping in my room. Since I don't really have a bed I've been sleeping on an air mattress in my brother's room. Him and I have been spending a lot of time together and today we were watching the walking dead and loved the lighting in his room at this time. The blinds were barely open and the only light that was shining was on his trophies and his baseball caps. This almost reminds me of when using a spotlight shining with some lowly lit lights around it. There is also some light on the lampshade that looks like it has a design on it as well. It looks like when only the side lights are only lit on one side of the stage.

Week 10 - Context - Matthew Byrd

As my town sets up now for the second protest this week. I sit here among the barricades and chain link fences that are sure to hear angry voices and racial slurs full of hatred. I can't help but think about context. Normally a photo of this nature minus the fence would be seen as hopeful, patriotic, optimistic even. The beautiful golden being cast by the sun the rich greens and blues of the sky and tree. The uplifting feeling of looking up to the sky. Now I see this setting and its changed. I feel this deep groaning pain, the greens and blues are no longer hopful or rich but hot and oppressive. The flag no longer optimistic but torn dominating ominous, I'm no longer looking hopefully up at the sky but feel as if it is looking down upon me and everyone else that passes by casting judgement waiting for them to give it an excuse. Context, context means everything.

Week 10 - Summer

I went to school yesterday because my best friend wanted to take graduation photos at school. And this is a picture I took near the Winifred Smith Hall at Claire Trevor school of the Art. I often rest here alone when I wait for the next class, but I have never seen such a beautiful scenery before. There had been sunny days before, but the flowers had not blossomed. 

The pink flowers and the warm colors of the building behind are comfortable to look at, and the blue sky is like the background color of this photo. This image has a high saturation and light level, mainly due to the dim light of my position. In general, I like the color and angle of this photo very much, which makes me feel relaxed.

Week 10: New Beginnings -Alyssa Mendoza

Happy Week 10 everyone!

I recently moved in with my cousin, who is lucky enough to have a pool in her backyard. I noticed the flowers floating and thought it looked lovely, so I decided to take a picture of it for this final blog post. I love how the color of the water and the flowers look together. The reflection of the world and the sky on the water is really cool. The shadows on the pool floor are very interesting. It looks very cool and refreshing. I'm very excited to spend lots of time here when the weather warms up again.

 This picture is very hopeful to me. The last few months of school were difficult, but I'm very lucky and thankful for the people who got me through it (shoutout to my roommates, love you Erika!). Now, as I graduate, I look forward to whatever new opportunities come my way, and hopefully, the world starts becoming a better place to live in. Thank you all for a great quarter, it was an honor to learn alongside you and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Lots of love,
Alyssa :)

Week 10- Make It Blue - Rachel Stinger

Happy week 10 everyone! I can't believe that this is my last week of undergrad. I took this photograph on my friend's balcony in November of 2019. I was admiring the sunset and was enraptured by the blue gradient of the sky before the sky turned to black. I love that the sky is a lush indigo/royal blue at the top of the photograph and shifts into the pale lavender and then finally a soft yellow right where the sky meets the shadowed city silhouettes. You can faintly see the powerline cables, but they look as fragile as spiderwebs. Most of the shadow is concentrated at the bottom of the picture, but there are thin trees and powerline supports extend upwards towards the dark blue. I love the contrast between light and shadow and the balance between the two. The emotion I get from this photograph is a sense of serenity and calmness. Blue is commonly associated with these feelings so it is only fitting that I felt those in that moment. I also feel melancholy while looking at this photo. So much has changed between November and June and the only way we can move is forward.