When looking for a way to bring certain outdoor elements into sharper focus, lighting can help add dramatic appeal and heightened visibility. With the right lighting solutions in place, creating a beautiful outcome for your landscaping goals has never been easier. When it comes to statue and monument lighting, there are a few tips you need to keep in mind to master this aspect of a landscape setting.
1. Decide the focus
The most important aspect of statue and monument lighting is to decide where you want the eye to focus to in regard to light fall. Light naturally directs the eye where to look and can be used to highlight select aspects on purpose to achieve the desired result. For example, lighting can be placed to help create shadows behind the statute itself for a moody, dramatic ambiance, or a mix of lighting directions can be used to eliminate shadows to create a friendly appearance. You also want to consider whether to use primarily uplight or downlight. With downlight, you cast the light from fixtures placed overhead which can create gentle shadows on the ground. Uplight can help reduce shadows on the ground, but it can make certain statues look too harsh. The type of directional light spread that is best for your statue will depend on the lines of the statue itself. For instance, a statue with mostly rounded or softer lines can use both types of lighting direction, but a statue with stark or sharp lines throughout may appear too harsh or foreboding with the wrong directional lighting choice.
2. Check ratings
Aside from figuring out where the focus should fall, statue and monument lighting is only as successful as the ratings of the application. For any type of outdoor lighting solution, you need to check to make sure they are durable enough to withstand the elements of the outdoors such as rain, snow, wind, and extreme temperatures. You should only choose outdoor lights for outdoor areas to ensure the best results. Lights should be UL listed for damp/wet locations to ensure they stay protected against water damage, as well as carrying a standard 12V to 24V operation as opposed to interior lighting voltage which tends to be 120V. This will protect the light fixture and prevent any electrical dangers.
3. Consider light pollution
Whether you are lighting an individual statue in your backyard or a larger statue in a park for public enjoyment, the matter of light pollution is crucial to success. Light pollution can be a big concern for neighbors since it can disrupt their sleep by shining into their windows. The best way to reduce light pollution is to make sure the scope of illumination doesn’t spread to nearby windows. You should also pay attention to the surfaces where light spread falls since a reflective surface has the potential to create light pollution despite the direct light scope being cast away from windows.
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