There's a myth going around that all of California is like Los Angeles, largely because that's what people who live outside the state see from TV shows set in California. From this, one makes the logical deduction that therefore there are no seasons in the entire state of California...

The idea of making light that's brighter than the sun is a source of constant amusement whenever I use it. If I wanted to do this sort of stunt with video, we'd be talking the sort of lighting gear that they used in the days of Technicolor that left actors and actresses complaining about eye damage from the bright lights...

So I told Mimu that I'd tell everybody she went on a rampage and broke all my gear, because after our shoot, I was down one flash, one lightstand, and one tripod....

A battle between two sides of color, with a woman in the middle

A pair of legs and a lightpainting with purple and blue lights

A pair of legs and blue illumination

Ella making arch forms

The version on top preserves the entire captured dynamic range mapped fairly linearly. The version in the middle makes the skin tones be about where they should be with higher contrast, but you can see how the skies are totally blown out. The version on the bottom has the sky dodged, so that it isn't blown out, but still keeps the woman at the sort of contrast level you'd expect.

Ella making arch forms

Kitten in a science fiction glittery costume with the moon in the background

Ursula with her back turned to the camera and a water bottle.

Kitten against the Port of Oakland and the setting sun.

Mimu in a red dress with the moon in the background.

Ella lying on the ground near a creek

Ursula with a chain