Akhil Sasidharan

Light gradients turn glass into sculpted, cinematic objects

Bold highlight: diffusion defines the shape

• Photographer sculpts a smooth gradient highlight on a glass vacuum tube using diffusion.

• A small flash head is fired through Lee 216 diffusion to create a long, soft reflection on the glass.

• The glass doesn’t show the bare light; it shows the reflected surface of the diffusion sheet.

• Precise placement of diffuser and light controls how the gradient wraps around curves.

Backlight: graduated background built with layers

• A second flash is aimed at the background, then softened with more 216 diffusion.

• Moving and dimming this light creates a clean, tonal gradation behind the subject.

• Color gel on the backlight adds subtle blue tone for separation and mood.

• The front highlight and back gradient are balanced so neither clips nor flattens detail.

Heater glow: continuous light plus long exposure

• The tube’s internal heater is powered from a lab supply at about 6 volts.

• Shutter is dragged from 1/125s to 10–20s so the dim filament glow burns in.

• Studio flashes still freeze the glass and background; the long exposure only lifts the heater’s orange tone.

• Result: a believable, controllable “self-lit” core inside the subject.

Workflow: controlled capture to clean composite

• Medium format camera (≈75mm FF equivalent macro) is tethered to Capture One for live view and exposure control.

• Lens hood and a simple card flag are used to kill flare and keep blacks clean.

• A “blank plate” frame of just the background is captured at flash sync speed.

• In Photoshop, the lit subject and blank plate are stacked; a mask reveals background to remove stands and supports.

Why it Matters
Mastering gradients on reflective surfaces lets visual leaders turn mundane glass and metal into premium-feeling, sculpted objects. This step-by-step control of diffusion, backlight, and tiny practical glows builds repeatable tabletop setups that elevate product, still life, and brand imagery from basic documentation to high-end visual storytelling.

Master architectural sketches by thinking in 3D boxes, not fancy lines

Visualize the room before you draw

• Start from a floor plan, then imagine the space in perspective.

• Block in a simple “box” of the room: four walls, floor, and ceiling.

• Use the horizon line as eye level to keep proportions believable.

• Think in squares, rectangles, and boxes, then place details inside them.

Build the drawing in deliberate layers

• First establish structure: walls, windows, ceiling, and major volumes.

• Then add architectural details: beams, crown molding, transoms, medallions.

• Next layer textures like stone, wood flooring, and area rugs.

• Finally drop in furniture, objects, and lighting to bring the room to life.

Let proportion and perspective do the heavy lifting

• Treat ceiling height, window tops, and bookcases as linked reference lines.

• Use diagonals across rectangles to quickly find exact centers in perspective.

• Indicate depth with shadows and shelf thickness, not complex rendering.

• Reuse simple rules (8 ft tops, 12–13 ft ceilings, 12–15 in books) for fast decisions.

Design sense matters as much as drawing skill

• Choose elements (fireplace, bookcases, lighting) to balance the composition.

• Mix books with objects, art, and lighting so shelves feel curated, not flat.

• Add indirect and built-in lighting to shape mood and depth.

• Sign and date sketches to track projects across thousands of designs.

Why it Matters
Architects and creative leaders don’t just “draw well”—they think spatially, systematize perspective, and layer design decisions. Teaching teams to see spaces as simple boxes with consistent rules turns intimidating sketches into a repeatable process for communicating ideas clearly and fast.

Light, Color, and Vision Are One Big Interdisciplinary Adventure

Big idea: Light explains color in nature and tech

• The talk explores how light underpins color in butterflies, beetles, peacocks, soap bubbles, and everyday objects.

• It frames color as a bridge between physics, biology, and chemistry, not a dry, isolated topic.

• Lasers, prisms, UV lamps, and infrared cameras show how invisible parts of the spectrum shape what we see.

• Structural effects (nano‑scale structures) can create intense colors without any pigment at all.

How light actually works

• White light from lamps or the sun contains many colors that can be separated with a prism into a spectrum.

• Infrared and ultraviolet sit beyond what our eyes see, but cameras and sensors can reveal them.

• Infrared shows heat patterns: car engines, human skin, and even heat loss from a balding head.

• UV light can excite fluorescent pigments to glow in vivid visible colors.

How our eyes and brains see color

• The eye uses rods for low light and three kinds of cones tuned to red, green, and blue.

• The pupil is a biological adaptation that shrinks and expands to protect the retina from excessive light.

• Infrared cameras and close‑up imaging of the retina reveal living cells converting light into electrical signals.

• Genetic tweaks in cone photoreceptors create “color‑alternative” vision, commonly called color blindness, changing how people distinguish numbers and patterns in standard tests.

Pigments vs. structural color

• Pigments like melanin, chlorophyll, and hemoglobin create color by absorbing parts of the spectrum and reflecting the rest.

• Mixing pigments is subtractive: combining primaries leads toward black as more wavelengths are absorbed.

• Structural colors arise from nano‑scale layers and interfaces that reflect and interfere with light, not from dyes.

• Soap bubbles, peacock feathers, and certain butterfly wings get their intense blues and greens from structure, not blue or green pigment.

Why it Matters

• Understanding color at the level of light, biology, and structure unlocks better cameras, displays, sensors, and materials.

• It shows leaders that innovation often sits at the intersection of disciplines, not within one silo.

• The same physics that explains a soap bubble’s shimmer drives real‑world tech in imaging, security, medicine, and design.

• Seeing color as an interdisciplinary system encourages more integrated thinking in science, engineering, and product strategy.

Architecture’s A–Z cheat sheet decodes the field’s most confusing jargon.

Key Point 1: Architecture has its own language — and you must learn it to keep up

• The video defines 26 widely used terms from aesthetic to zeitgeist.

• Jargon exists because translating complex spatial and structural ideas into words is hard.

• Without this vocabulary, both students and enthusiasts get lost in lectures, critiques and texts.

• The goal: give you a working glossary so “architect-speak” becomes intelligible, not intimidating.

Key Point 2: Core concepts describe how buildings look, feel and guide people

• Aesthetic, legibility, hierarchy, iconic explain how a building’s form, vibe and clarity are perceived.

• Circulation, enfilade, node, program describe how people move, gather and use spaces.

• Fenestration, jamb, buttress, geodesic cover openings and structural support, from windows to flying buttresses.

• Together, they explain why some buildings feel intuitive and memorable while others feel confusing.

Key Point 3: Other terms reveal how buildings are made and age over time

• Stereotomy, tectonics, morphology focus on cutting, joining and organizing structure and volumes.

• Rustication, quoin, ornament, kitsch describe strategies for visual weight, detail and “good” vs. “fake” decoration.

• Weathering and patina track how materials record time and environment on the building’s surface.

• Vernacular and yurt show how local climate, culture and tradition shape enduring solutions.

Key Point 4: Architecture tracks culture’s “spirit of the age”

• Zeitgeist captures the dominant ideas and values shaping architecture in a given era.

• Shifts in taste (from ornament to minimalism to diagrams) mirror broader social and technological changes.

• Urbanism zooms out to how people, streets and districts interact as living systems.

• Knowing these terms lets you see buildings as cultural artifacts, not just objects.

Why it Matters
For leaders in design, cities and the built environment, this vocabulary is a thinking toolkit. Understanding these concepts sharpens how you interpret plans, critique projects and talk with architects — turning vague impressions (“I like this building”) into precise, strategic feedback about form, function, culture and long-term performance.

MW.S

1. Every project is a case study.

2. Money is a byproduct of excellence,

not a goal.

3. Our work reflects our skills, not

our identity.

4. It's more fun to be creative in a

group.

5. Innovation is a product of

collaboration

6. Get used to making mistakes.

7. Input equals output.

8. Urgency isn't always useful-pause,

think, then act.

9. Keep it simple. Say more with less

10. Treat the end product as your own.

11. Respectful disagreement is healthy.

12. A shared vision is our compass.