Landscape lighting adds beauty, usage, and safety to your property. As goes with most projects, finding someone to help you plan correctly can mean the difference of whether it ends up as a good or bad experience, and whether you can enjoy it for years to come.
When considering your landscape lighting project, be sure to consult with an experienced landscape designer that can find out what your goals are for its usage and function as well as offer suggestions that you may not have thought of. A good landscape designer will use the following techniques while planning and installing your lighting project to accomplish your goals.
Up Lighting
This dramatic technique is used to highlight trees or other plants, or architectural elements.
Moon Lighting
This natural, soft lighting over large areas creates ideal transitions between more focal lighting techniques.
Cross Lighting
Often used to define focal points, this technique defines surface texture and shape instead of a flattening effect when using a single front light.
Mirror Lighting
Used to take advantage of reflective surfaces such as water, this technique helps to create a more compelling visual experience.
Wall Lighting
Retaining and free-standing walls and regions adjacent to them can be enhanced by this lighting technique.
Step Lighting
Steps can be a tripping hazard if not properly lit. This technique helps add safety to these areas.
Path/Area Lighting
This technique provides seamless transition between lighting scenes and also provides safety to prevent tripping hazards.
Grazing
Steeply angled lights accentuate texture on walls and tree trunks by creating broken shadows and irregular patterns.
Silhouetting
Lighting a backdrop can create a dramatic effect for areas with objects/plants nearby that have interesting shapes.
Wall Washing
This broad, even illumination across a house or wall produces a flattening effect for background lighting.
Backlighting
This technique provides illumination around the edges of an object emphasizing its interesting shape.
Shadowing
Shadows create visual interest on the structure, breaking up linear patterns.
As you can see, there is more to lighting a landscape than just throwing in a few dozen lights where you think they may look good. Be sure to take the extra time and spend the right amount of money for your investment and choose a landscape lighting company that knows the proper use and situations for these techniques. If you’d like to discuss what options exist for your property, we’d love to talk with you.
