Outdoor Lighting

There are many advantages in outdoor lighting, one is that creating a fantasy and magical environment is fun. Landscape lighting allows for an extended use of the outdoors well into the night as well as an increase in safety and one’s sense of security. With the correct outdoor lighting the outdoors can become part of the indoors in the way of a backdrop. Lighting outside the windows creates depth and is a lot like hanging a beautiful three-dimensional picture on the wall that is rich and dramatic.

There are many techniques that can be utilized for outdoor lighting and the one that is used most often is up lighting. This type of lighting provides the most dramatic results and because the human eye is used to seeing lighting coming from above, reminiscent of the sun, up lighting creates a fresh and unexpected look. In most cases it also complements trees and shrubs, enhancing their attributes and often making them look “better”. Up lighting is especially great in planters under a roof and in interiors when irregular patterns of light and shadow are created on the ceiling.

Another technique is “moonlighting,” which is created by hanging or mounting sources of light within trees. The lights are placed higher in the trees and angled downward so that the light dances through the branches resulting in enchanting patterns of light and shadow on the ground. This attractive and captivating technique also allows for area lighting that gives way to a soft and magical atmosphere.

When it comes to illuminating wide areas like walls or fences, floodlights are very practical because the light beam is wide and a larger area of coverage can be achieved. For path lighting there are many fixtures to select from. For pathways that are 6 feet or wider I like using path lights that allow me to direct the beam of light to the center of the path. This will result in more coverage and at the same time it can create interesting patterns of light that help in orientation. Path lighting is important not only for the light they provide to the surface but also as visual cues. They lead the eye and provide more comfort for walking or driving by signifying the border of the path and indicating direction.