|
NightscapingŪ Newsletter |
Shadows
Create lighting designs with a third dimension
On a recent trip to the Grand Canyon, I was able to observe the relationship between the sun and the contours of the canyon as the day got shorter and shorter. At midday, the high sun created very few shadows, leaving a vast, flat palette of bright canyon in front of me. Standing on the south rim it was hard to visually comprehend the canyon's depth both horizontally and vertically. Although a nearby sign told me the north rim was more than 5 miles away, and the Colorado River was 1.2 miles below me, I had no depth perception without shadows or a perspective of scale.
It wasn't until my frame became a long shadow on the ground that the depth of the canyon began to reveal itself. The contrasting light levels outlined edges, crevasses, ridges, peaks, tributaries, etc. I no longer had to squint my eyes under the harsh reflection of bright sunlight to observe detail. The shadows gave the Grand Canyon its third dimension, allowing me to effortlessly perceive its vastness. And how appropriate of a name for such a unique stretch of land.
Without shadows and a variety of light intensity when lighting the landscape, it is hard to perceive the depth of objects. Plants and trees that are evenly and consistently lit from the front will not create shadows or contrasting values from the viewers perspective. Instead, by interspersing light throughout the landscape, the unlit objects will become silhouetted by lit objects behind it, thus creating depth and variation. Using a range of lamp intensities will also help in achieving the contrast that creates interest.
Create shadows within trees of all sizes by using multiple light sources. If you use only one uplight per tree, the shadow will be lost on the ground behind the tree. The exception to this is if the tree or large shrub is in front of a wall catching the shadow.
By using more than one uplight per tree, thus cross lighting, you can create shadows within the tree which gives it a three-dimensional look rather than a flat two-dimensional look.
If you use a variety of lighting techniques, lamp intensities, shadows, etc, your lighting designs will be considered more custom than that other person who uses only pathlights and uplights with little observation of the effect.
On your next design or installation job, focus on shadows and light variation to create depth. Shadows can be created by any type of lighting when done so intentionally. Evaluate each tree independently, deciding if it would look best lit from the front, back, side, canopy, or not at all. Then evaluate all the trees and large shrubs as a compilation, making sure they work well together and create interest.
Studying the effect of light and shadows throughout the day can give you great insight into what will work with your lighting designs at night. Observe the details as you go about your day, and try to apply one new observation to each project. You can't develop your own style without trying new things.
Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Fault Line in shadow
Need Winter Reading Material?
NightscapingŪ has a new e-book that might be just what you are looking for
Nightscaping'sŪ eBook, A Guide to Starting Your Own 12-Volt Outdoor Lighting Business, was developed and created by William J Locklin as a teaching manual for those entering the landscape lighting field, or for those that want to refresh their business practices. The teachings include technical, design, fundamentals, advanced concepts, business, customer service, and more.
An e-book is one that is sold on-line in a computerized format rather than printed and binded in hard copy. Our NightscapingŪ E-book is supplied in a Pdf format and can be saved on your computer and/or printed. If you don't already have Adobe Acrobat on your computer, it can be downloaded at this Adobe Products link.
You may receive any one of the following sessions free if you are interested in developing your lighting knowledge. Thereafter, you may purchase the entire book for one flat rate.
Session 1
- Is 12-Volt lighting the Business for You?
- Why Light?
- What is Light?
- Introduction to 12-Volt Lighting
- Basic Design
- The Six Components of 12-Volt Lighting
- Developing A Lighting Design
- Major Concepts
- Installing the System
- Maintaining the System
- Troubleshooting
- Advanced Lighting Concepts
- Building Your Lighting Business
- Incorporating Lighting into Landscape Construction
- Maintaining A Lighting Business
- Course Review
Find out if A Guide to Starting Your Own 12-Volt Outdoor Lighting Business is for you by requesting the free session of your choice. Email Rebekah@nightscaping.com the following required information to receive your first session via email.
- Name
- Mailing address
- Phone number
- Company name
- Current profession
- Professional license(s) held and license number(s)
- Number of previously installed lighting jobs (estimate)
- Preferred brand of lighting
- Session # requesting
You will receive an email in response with an attachment of the NightscapingŪ E-book session of your choice.
Clayliter-Closed versus Clayliter-Open ...what's the difference?
The Open and Closed Clayliters each have their advantages and disadvantages. When working on projects where budget is a concern, this in-ground uplight fixture may be a good choice. In hot alkaline soils, the bottom cap on the Closed Clayliter tends to corrode. In areas where the ground freezes in the winter, it is impossible to remove the fixture to change the lamp in either one. The Closed Clayliter can be useful in areas where you have large colonies of ants which might want to nest inside the Open Clayliter.
The Open Clayliter is convenient when changing the lamp, without having to open a cap. With both fixtures, you are able to pull back on the socket and lamp , allowing the body of the fixture to act as a light shield. They can also both be ordered with a removable top (-RT) for ease of lamp changing capability. You should always use Ace Connectors inside the fixtures and gravel around it as water can build up when the soil is saturated.
Grand Canyon in the afternoon
Question of the Week...conversation between NightscapingŪ representative and homeowner
Q: Some of my light fixtures stopped working. I looked inside the Powercenter(TM) but it looked high-voltage and I didn't want to touch anything. What do I do?
A: Once you open the front panel of your Powercenter(TM), everything exposed to you is low-voltage and not dangerous. That being said, it is always a good idea to unplug your Powercenter(TM) when working on it. The components behind the timer are line-voltage and should NEVER be worked on with the power-cord plugged in.
Q: Now you said a portion of your lights aren't working, have you made any recent changes to your system or landscape?
A: Yes, I replaced all the lamps that were burnt out. But that can't be the problem since I bought the same type of lamp.
It is quite common for homeowners to change lamps in their lighting systems without paying attention to the wattage of the lamps. This detail is very important to avoid creating a problem. The wire runs are designed to hold a certain wattage load, and when exceeded, will blow a fuse, thus preventing the lights on that circuit from working. Replacing the fuse isn't the solution until the cause of the problem has been fixed.
A similar situation exists when dealing with the left-to-right position switch that changes the voltage output from low to medium to high. When the system is designed, it is done so with the switch in a specific position. If you move the switch from a lower position to a higher position, you may be supplying excess voltage to your fixtures, thus creating early lamp burnout. If you are unsure where the position switch should be, it is always best to choose the low position, all the way to the left.
(easy to save and print)
1705 E. Colton Avenue, Redlands CA 92374
ph:909-794-2121 toll free:800-544-4840 fax:909-794-7292 email:info@nightscaping.com