Walking home from another long day, It was the type of long day when you try and block out all emotions from the past 12 hours, because not many positive ones can be stirred up. Somehow, after "one of those days," the sight of my silly Irvine "living community" was able to give me comfort. Surely it wasn't the actual buildings, but rather the lighting. (look, lighting changed my mood.. power of lighting!) I have a weakness for sunsets in general, and the evening silhouettes that happen before it gets completely dark. But, in this instance, it was the artificial lighting (street lights) that really made the moment soothing. The contrast from the cool sky, blended with the red and yellow of the sun setting, which matched the street lights almost exactly, brought me back to another century, one in which I did not live. It felt like candle lights were illuminating the buildings, as if to emphasize to me the warmth of having a home. Further, the lights were literally illuminating the path to my apartment, which brought calmness to my tense fatigue because I knew I was almost home, the day was over, and the rest of the night will be mine and mine alone.
The more I look at this picture the more I realize how much I love what the lights are doing. As opposed to a complete silhouette, where the background and foreground would be split in two... the street lamps split the image into three layers: background light, middle silhouette, and foreground soft light. This would be super interesting to try and recreate on stage or in an installation. It definitely captures the feeling of comfort and warmth for me, with the sense of calmness as people are returning home after a long day at work/school/etc.
As a side not, I realized yesterday as I was looking through the pictures on my phone that I have been taking many photos that are inspirational in lighting. It is as if my brain is starting to look at light differently. Its quite enjoyable and fascinating to experience this shift..
I am so glad your eye is growing and shifting - really great ties to your emotional state and a really great study of foreground and background light :)
ReplyDeleteBoroka, this is a beautiful picture. I really like how the most inspirational and resonating part of it is the artificial light. Where my eyes might normally remain in the background with the sunset, your post took me to the foreground and focused in on the other illuminating lights. It's a great example of noting how something seemingly less prominent can change the eye and dominate the overall sensation of the photo.
ReplyDeleteYour description of the light is poetic! It's so interesting to see how light truly CAN change how you feel at that moment, especially we encounter such beauty. BEAUTIFUL photo!
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