I decided that it would be a good idea to take a lighting class and I learned that Kichler Lighting was offering a course at their headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. I signed up, booked my flight and off I went. That experience was great in that I learned about fixtures, Lamps (light bulbs) and design techniques.
Our class participated in a full hands-on lighting installation that is pictured here.
We learned that dark leaves absorb light and therefore require much brighter light. It can be seen in the red trees near the home. They need a lot more light to bring them out in the landscape. Another thing I learned here is that photography is VERY important. I brought my little Cannon A-80 point and shoot with me on the trip but I forgot to bring a tripod. I decided to set the camera on the roof of a pick-up truck to keep it steady. The result is what appears to be a pond in the landscape instead of a roof of a truck. This actually showed me a lighting technique called “mirror effect”. This works great when lighting trees or structures around pools and ponds.
One more very important thing that I learned in Ohio is that little things learned are very big things. I now find that no matter how simple a class is whether it be for beginners or experts, there is something to be learned by all. I try to go to any class that I know of in hopes that I may pick up some small tidbit of knowledge.
Next stop, another lighting project. Thanks for coming along.
