32. Play With Fire

Play with fire: an idiomatic expression meaning to meddle in dangerous situations, as well as the title of the Boston Ballet production I saw this Sunday. Playing with fire is dramatic, seductive, and risky, though there is no greater thrill than reaping its rewards. However, “Play With Fire” flickered and sputtered, leaving only a dull flame in its wake.

The performance consisted of three contemporary works– Sharper Side of Dark, Bella Figura, and Rooster. Each boasted some good moments, but there were few elements that were truly memorable.

Sharper Side of Dark featured massive sets with dozens of mounted lights that lit up as the dancers passed them. Most of the group work was aesthetically pleasing, but watching the piece felt like being in a trance. With the impressive set, I was expecting something much more dynamic to juxtapose with the minimalist costumes.

Bella Figura bills itself as promoting “adoration and reverence towards the human body.” This supposedly controversial piece contains partial nudity, as the dancers wear only long red skirts. While I understand the premise of celebrating the human body, having semi-nude dancers seemed like a decision for the sake of a shock factor rather than an artistic decision. It didn’t add to the choreography, and the message could have been clearer.

The third piece was Rooster, which was set to eight classic Rolling Stones songs. This work was the most dynamic, however some of the costume decisions were baffling. The women wore black and red dresses that resembled a cross between a cheerleader’s uniform and pleated schoolgirl skirt. Of the eight dances, the best were “Ruby Tuesday,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” and “Paint It Black,” in that order. “Ruby Tuesday” made the show, with its wild lifts and partnering. Though the show wasn’t necessarily as beautiful as previous performances I’ve seen, it was still worth the experience.

Firsts This Week:

• Saw “Play With Fire” as performed by Boston Ballet at the Boston Opera House
• After the show, my friends and I went to the Thinking Cup, a little coffee bar across from Boston Common.

27. Using a DSLR Camera: The Exposure Triangle

While many people are accustomed to using a point-and-shoot camera for quick images, using a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera is another story, as I learned this week. My father explained the basics of the “Exposure Triangle”– aperture/F-stop, ISO, and shutter speed– that are essential to producing high quality images. By controlling these features of the camera, which are effectively digitized versions of traditional camera parts, one can change the depth of field of an image, the amount of light the camera takes in, and the speed with which the camera takes the picture, respectively. Below are my first attempts at manipulating the aperture and ISO:

About the set-up: This is a statue that my grandfather carved. In the background is a curtain that my mother was ironing. I thought the folds in the fabric complemented the folds in the dress, adding just enough visual interest without overwhelming the composition.

This image is “underexposed,” meaning there is not enough light. This can be fixed by using a higher ISO or a wider aperture/F-stop (lower number). However, note that lowering the aperture/F-stop number also changes the depth of field, and can make the background blurry. Using too high of an ISO lets in too much light, so the image becomes grainy, like pictures from a cellphone camera. Even though this image is dark, the effect is dramatic.

The image above is “overexposed,” so the colors are washed out.

Firsts this Week:

• Played around with a DSLR camera and learned about the “Exposure Triangle”

21. Artsy Photo Shoot Continued, Plus Toothaches

This week I got a tooth implant, so for the past few days I’ve been in quite a bit of pain. This  has made me very distracted. In lieu of my typical long post, I’ve uploaded the pictures my friend took of me a few weeks ago, detailed in this post.

Ballet on a Boulder

In a Field

Atop a Dying Tree

Firsts This Week:

• Got a tooth implant (aka, a metal screw in my bone). Ouch!
• Got accepted to college!

Piranha

This is a rough draft of a design for a t-shirt. I started out by drawing the piranha in pencil and then going over the drawing with ink. After scanning, I quickly filled the ink lines in Photoshop and did minimal cleaning. Since I haven’t fully cleaned up the design, I am not quite ready to print it onto a t-shirt. Stay tuned to see how the process comes along!

Portraits of My Monkey Friends

I was inspired by photographs in Ernest P. Walker’s Portraits of My Monkey Friends. My interpretation:

Close-up Monkey

We all have those days.

Bashful Boy

Based off of Snowflake, a nineteen-month-old albino gorilla.

Peek-a-boo

Baby orangutan.

The Library

Because it's not the size of the book in relation to the mouse that matters.

Note: Double-click for full sized image