Drama 157 Lighting Journal Example

Hello everyone!


The photo I’ve chosen to share with you is of a statue of the Greek god Jupiter located at the Getty Villa. Upon walking into the large room filled with ancient statues and busts, my eye was immediately drawn to this one. It wasn’t in the center of the gallery, nor was it even the largest statue on display; it was the only one primarily lit by natural sunlight. Beneath the central skylight of the room and viewed at midday, it was in the perfect position for the sun to create a sense of majesty and providence that my phone camera wasn’t quite able to capture. 


I believe this effect was produced by a combination of a difference of intensity as well as of color temperature between Jupiter and the other statues in the gallery. The warm museum lighting on the surrounding statues was certainly enough for easy viewing, but when compared to sunlight, it will always lose in a battle for dominance. Even the statues touched by both bounced sunlight and museum lighting didn’t evoke quite the same feeling of awe as Jupiter under the skylight. It really felt as though he was the most prominent figure in the room, even all these years later.

 

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