personal photo: sunset

I took this photo driving on the highway at dusk. The sunset created such a warm glow on the horizon, I had to capture the moment. The colors make me feel soothed.

personal photo: spotlight

I appreciate how the natural sunlight shining through the tree limbs offers a spotlight effect. The background is in the shade so we are even more highlighted in comparison.

Personal Photo: Cave

For my daylight picture, I included another picture of a cave (don't worry it's a different cave). I like that rather the cave being dark except for the light at the center, that there was some front lighting to light my subject. This way it felt less ominous and more hopeful. I also really like how the warm light at the center gives the rocks texture and how it just barely lights the tips of his hair. 

Personal Photo: Red Light

For my night example, I've included a picture my friends and I took at an art festival. Because of the harsh, red LED lighting and the blurriness of the picture we nicknamed it the "hell picture." I love that it lights us from the bottom and how it completely floods the picture with red light. I typically associate red with anger, but because of our poses I don't think it reads that way.

Personal Photo: Garden

I took this photo at the Japanese Tea Garden. I really like how I was able to capture the shadows casted on the plants by the sun. I also like how the sun illuminates the water and makes it look like there are shades of blue and green within the water. Overall, the plants and the natural light invoke a sense of serenity.

Personal Photo: Concert

This is a photo that I took at a Lorde concert in 2018. The lighting of this show was phenomenal. In this photo, I like that I was able to capture the spotlights covering the singer. These lights made her dress look as if it were glowing. Additionally, I like the green light and blue fog that created an ethereal mood. The bright stage highly contrasted the darkness near the audience.

Vibrant Sky at Dusk

I really love how in this picture, the trees are so devoid of light that they just look like shadows in the sky. I found the colors of this sunset/post-sunset to be quite fascinating as well, with the cooler colors of purple and magenta, with still a bright white light in the corner to signal where the sun was setting.

Moon Through a Tree

I took this picture years ago in California when it was a clear night sky with a full moon. I was on a  run and I loved how the moon shone perfectly through the branches and even flared a little bit when the picture was taken. Often when you try to take a picture of the moon, it just ends up as a white dot with not much else to it, but I found it interesting that the moon on this night actually was bright enough to avoid that effect.

Personal Photo - Trinity Campus

I took this photo of a campus cat late last semester. I didn’t notice it at the time, but I think I captured some interesting lighting effects. It was a rainy afternoon, so the light filtered very subtly through the clouds. I am mostly struck by the reflections of light on the sidewalk, where you can tell where it had rained. You can see a shine in the puddles of water behind the cat, and a reflection of bright light in front of the cat, too. I think the reflections are very calming to look at.

Personal Photo - Mystic, CT

I took this photo of the famous “Mystic Pizza'' restaurant in Mystic, Connecticut this past winter break. I’m very interested in how the lower half of the image is in shadow, and the top half is hit by bright rays of winter sun. I recall that this happened as the sun was setting, and that the restaurant was located in a hilly area. I think these two facts worked together to create this split effect. The mix of shadows and light on the roof of the restaurant and the reflection of light in the windows create an interesting texture for the light in this image. I think these effects work to define the lines of the picture in a unique way, highlighting how it was winter at the time but strangely, the sun was shining bright.

Fox

I like the lighting of this photo a lot it was taken up in the mountains in Arkansas and the background being pitch black coincides with the idea of foxes being a timid and skittish animal. The fox leaning away from the bright light shows how the oppressively bright light at night is so foreign to the fox.

Anole

This was an anole I saw that was just wondering about the campus. I like this photo as it was well light by the sun really showing off its scales. The light also shines through its dewlap making him have a splash of color.

Cast of a Tree's Shadow

I took this photo on campus as the sun was going down. I really like how the light is a warm, golden light that highlights what it falls on. The colors are brighter and more vivid in areas where the sun is shining, such as sections of the grass and bricks. The tree in the front is a great example of this as it demonstrates most clearly the contrast between the sunlight and shadows. The shadows created by the light cast on the trees creates lines and movement. The branches of the tree are dark and are dispersed among the bright blue sky. The shadows evoke a peaceful feeling as they hint at the sun setting, but also contrast the happier mood created by the sunlight and bright colors.

Sunset at National Harbor

I took this photo in National Harbor, just outside of D.C. at sunset. I really like how the light emphasizes the horizon as the warm light contrasts the blue of the sky and water. The water is clear and you can see the light reflected in the water. I like that the colors of the sky and water are more pale in direct contrast to the land, boats and trees that are dark as a result of the back lighting. The sunset gives the photo a somber and peaceful mood. The light allows you to see ripples in the water and the curved shape of the water, which creates movement and draws your eye throughout the photo.

Tree Tops

This picture I took at a ranch in Mason, Texas. It was around 6:00 PM when I started to notice how the sunlight was hitting the trees. All the trees had orange tops where the sun would hit, while the bottoms were blocked off from the light. The divide and difference between the two colors looked cool and just reminded me of a peaceful sunset, which it was. I had never seen this work of nature before so I thought I would get a picture of it to remember.

Rain and Shine

I took this picture this past summer during a football practice. These clouds were moving super fast towards us and it started pouring after we got out. I thought it looked cool because the sky to the right was clear and sunny with no indication that it was gonna rain. However, you can see that from the left side the clouds had blocked out the sun and began to rain. The middle area reminded me of god rays in the shape of rain, which divided the dark unknown from the lighter, unaware side.

Personal photo

I took this photo at the famous "Avenue of Oaks" at Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina. I like the lighting in this photo because the sun shines intensely from an angle that allows the oak tree branches to cast beautiful shadows on the ground below. This filtered sunlight creates a walkway of shade which was what the designers intended when they planted the oak trees centuries ago. The brilliant intensity of the sun with the rays glowing outward adds grandness to the overall regal and glorious Southern environment. 

Personal Photo

I took this picture of a beautiful sunset over a field in western Pennsylvania waiting for the start of a movie at the drive-in movie theatre. The lighting in this picture reminds me of relaxing summer nights because of all the brilliant orange colors. I love how the angle of the sun at this time filled the top of the sky with less intense light and the bottom with very intense orange hues. I appreciate how the clouds act as a natural filter for the sunlight. I also like how the darkness of the land and trees foreshadow the coming darkness of night. 

Personal Photos

I love the way that light is captured in this photo. The light makes the bush look more jagged and pointy thanks to the sharpness that the light is able to create in had with the shadows that are also created. Yet, this same light appears to be soft and gentle off the bird, highlighting the softness of its feathers. 

Personal Photos

I took this photograph in Sydney Australia, over this last summer. At first, it my seem as though light is not at play in this photo, but it is actually the very thing that makes this photo. The tiles used to cover the outside of the Sydney Opera house is actually made of two different tiles, each reflecting differently from the sun to mimic the look of a seashell. Another interesting thing that was captured in this picture is you can see where the sunlight is actually hitting the Opera House as there is a clear spotlight, while those in the shadows almost have a blue haze over it.