Landscape Architect Articles

Creating Lighting Portraits04-07-16 | Feature

Creating Lighting Portraits
Beyond Basic Lighting Design
Article and Photos by Unique Lighting Systems???(R)???AE????

A good strategy for preventing flat lighting is to use three different levels of light: a soft level for driveways and pathways, a medium level for the transitions and secondary focal points, and the brightest level for primary focal points and your visual objectives such as leading people to the front door.

Soft cohesive transition lighting from each focal point ties a good design concept together.

To change the level of light in a given area, vary the distance between fixtures, vary the distance between a fixture and an object, and use different wattages in the fixtures. A large tree that is a focal point could receive a minimum of two fixtures at its base with 7 watts in each fixture, while a walkway would receive path lights with 2 watts spaced at 15 feet.

Want to set your lighting project apart from your competition? It's easy; simply think of your design as a "lighting portrait." Basic lighting projects typically place one uplight on every tree and a string of path lights along a drive or pathway. This makes your design look and feel flat. Creating a lighting portrait involves four key rules.
1. Eliminate black holes.
2. Eliminate glare from the fixtures.
3. Use ambient lighting around the project.
4. Don't forget to light up the home/gazebo/outdoor kitchen.

The most difficult part of a lighting portrait is to know where to begin. Start your design process by asking yourself these four questions:
1. What are my viewpoints?
2. What is my visual objective?
3. Do I have proper transition of light?
4. Do I have different levels of light?

Viewpoints:
First, how is the portrait going to be viewed - from the front, the back, the street, from inside the home? The fact is, your portraits will have more than one viewpoint, so once they are identified, frame and establish the boundaries of your design and do not stretch too few fixtures over a large lighting portrait. Second, incorporate the home, patio and other structures into the portrait. Many great opportunities are missed by focusing too much on lighting just landscape features. You can achieve fantastic lighting effects by lighting other structures within your portraits.

Visual Objective:
Visual objectives are established by your viewpoints. Leading people to the front door can be an example of a visual objective. Creating a lighting scene from a window or even lighting a focal point in the landscape are great examples of visual objectives.

Proper Transition of Light:
The eye will always be drawn to the brightest object in your portrait. This is why uneven lighting and black holes are unnatural and cause the eye to bounce from object to object. Soft, cohesive transition lighting is the key. Don't just light up the focal points: transitioning from each focal point will tie your concept together.

Levels of Light:
To prevent your lighting portrait from feeling flat, utilize three different levels of light:
Level 1 is a soft level used for driveways and pathways.
Level 2 is a medium level used for the transitions and secondary focal points.
Level 3 is the brightest level used for focal points and your visual objectives.

Achieving Levels of Light:
Several strategies can be used to achieve the different levels of light. The main strategy is by fixture placement. By varying the distance between fixtures, the light levels can increase or decrease from one level to the next. Additionally, utilizing different wattages in the fixtures can change the level of light for the area.

For example, a large tree that is a focal point would receive a minimum of two fixtures at its base with 7 watts in each fixture, while a walkway would receive path lights with 2 watts spaced at 15 feet.

Level 1 is generally achieved from the primary light in Levels 2 and 3 reflecting off of surfaces and bouncing back to illuminate paths or walkways with the resulting "ambient" light. Additionally, depending on color and surface texture, this ambient light can also bounce to another surface.

Levels 2 and 3 are achieved through proper fixture placement and technique. The key here is to provide adequate contrast. This is the best way to distinguish between your visual fields and can be done by fixture placement to either the front, side or back.

Projects designed as lighting portraits will make your clients the pride of their neighborhood!

As seen in LC/DBM magazine, April 2016.