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Lighting Techniques
There are three basic lighting techniques: downlighting, uplighting, and
transverse lighting. With down lighting the fixture is mounted above the
object to be lighted, such as in a tree or on the side of the house. Up
lighting, as the name suggest, is the placement of the fixture below the
object – mounted on a stake or buried in the ground. Transverse lighting
is aiming the light across the ground to the object.
Ask any landscape
lighting designer or homeowner what is the primary goal they are trying
to achieve with their design and the answer is likely to include
“natural” lighting. Since the sun and the moon are our primary natural
lights, you would think that down lighting would be the most used
lighting technique. Actually up lighting and transverse lighting is used
as much if not more than down lighting.
There are several
reasons for this. First, it is almost always easier to install up
lighting and transverse lighting. There’s no need for ladders or risky
climbing and there’s less likelihood of damage to trees and other high
mounting places. Also down lighting requires more power to place the
same amount of light on an object, because the light source typically is
further away than is necessary with the other techniques. Natural in
landscape lighting usually has more to do with the quantity and quality
of the light than where the source is relative to the object. Most, if
not all, of the commonly used lighting techniques occur in nature at one
time or another; however it is unlikely that they are found in the
combinations typically used in residential landscape lighting.
There are many
variations of downlighting, uplighting, and traverse lighting. Often the
same technique has been given several different names. Below is a chart
showing how Hadco Lighting, a major supplier of outdoor fixtures and
accessories, labels and describes their version of various lighting
techniques. Next to the description is an example of one type of fixture
that could be used to produce the effect. The designer should start with
the selection of lamp prior to selecting the fixture to ensure that the
right amount and quality of light reaches the subject.
HADCO LIGHTING TECHNIQUES
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Fixture Example
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Spot Lighting
Engaging architecture and statuary in and
around your landscape can be spotlighted with a focused beam
of light to set them off after dark. Best results are
achieved when the fixture is mounted overhead, thereby
minimizing glare and usually providing a direct light path
to the structure being accented.
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Silhouetting
Trees and plants having
unique branch structure create an engaging appearance when
silhouetted. Placing a fixture directly behind the subject
and pointing it at a vertical surface will produce this
technique. The dark image of the subject is displayed when
the observer is viewing from the foreground. Silhouetting is
good to show off the shape of an object, but not the color
or texture. |
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Shadowing
This technique casts a shadow on a
vertical surface by placing a fixture directly in front of
the subject and aiming the light through it. The shadow can
be enlarged by positioning the luminaire closer to the
subject. This is a great method of showing off the unique
branch structure of unusual greenery and adds security to
your home as well.
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Grazing
Accomplished by positioning
a
luminaire within six to
eight inches of a facade and aiming it 90 degrees
vertically. This approach works beautifully with the texture
of stone or brick retaining walls, privacy fences, building
facades, chimneys or anywhere else shadow and light may
enhance the surface quality of masonry materials.
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Moon Lighting
By placing a fixture in a
tree and aiming it downward, art imitates nature by creating
the tranquil appearance of light filtering through the
branches on a moonlit night. When using this technique,
fixtures should be hidden and positioned as high as
possible. A luminaire may be positioned on the ground as
well, pointed upward in order to illuminate the tree itself.
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Tree Lighting
Up lighting provides an
excellent way to highlight the beauty of trees, especially
flowering types. Place fixtures on outside of drip line if
the foliage is dense. Place fixture close to the trunk if
the flowers are spread throughout the canopy and/or the
foliage is light. Down-lighting can be used to light up
flower beds or other areas of interest around the base of a
tree.
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Path Lighting
This method is used
primarily to create a symmetrical pattern of light for
navigation. Fully shielded fixtures may be positioned along
landscape cutouts and pathways to add safety, security and
visibility at night. Partially shielded lights may be
positioned behind taller greenery, allowing light to filter
through onto paths and to distribute more illumination in
and around the landscape.
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Spread Lighting
Used to produce low-level,
evenly dispersed illumination for flowers, shrubs, and other
types of ground cover. Fully shielded luminaries work best
to reduce glare. However, partially shielded fixtures may be
positioned in deeper foliage landscapes where the additional
light will serve to backlight greenery. Spread lighting may
also be used underwater to enhance an ornamental pond.
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Step & Deck Lighting
Brightening up decks and
patios with fixtures that can be installed beneath benches,
as recessed lights in the risers of steps, and as surface
lights on vertical posts and underneath railings. These
applications contribute to safety as well as security by
illuminating changes in elevation and effectively lighting
up deck drop-offs or edges, allowing visitors to negotiate
stairways with ease.
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Security Lighting
An effective deterrent
against crime including theft and vandalism. Illumination
for areas where intruders can hide may be achieved, without
harsh glare, by positioning a combination of low-level
lighting or accent lighting in and around the landscape of
your home. This technique allows the surroundings of your
home to be enhanced as well as safe and secure.
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