Landscape lighting glare controls
Although the topic of landscape lighting glare comes up frequently when discussing good outdoor lighting, it has been awhile since I addressed it specifically. Glare is described as lighting that harsh, bright and often blinding, which is never good. In truth, glare can actually create a hazard if a step, or worse yet — a criminal, should be on the other side of that glare bomb that places you in harm’s way.
Glare is the single biggest problem to overcome as an outdoor lighting designer. How do you accent or highlight something without showing the source of the light? Landscape lighting glare can also add the most negative impact on a landscape lighting design because nothing is quite as distracting as having a bright light shining directly in your eyes at night.
The very first thing we must do to avoid glare is determine the viewing angles of the area we want to accent. If we know the effect we are trying to achieve, and we know the angle it will be viewed from, we can then choose the proper “illuminator” and glare protection for that area. A quality designer will walk the entire area before proposing a design to ensure that all glare opportunities have been minimized.
Well educated landscape lighting designers operate from the rule: See the light, but never the source. The source of the light – the fixture itself producing the glare – should be hidden, preferably using the physical surroundings. One of my favorite ways is to make sure there is a plant that can block the fixture. This works very well when there are only one or two viewing angles. Another thing I look for is a large rock to block the view of the fixture. Sometimes the object that we are accenting works as a glare shield itself, if we are lighting it from behind, creating a silhouette or back lighting effect.
It is critical when working in a landscape that the setting look completely natural when we are trying to hide a light source. I’ve actually added a piece of yard art to hide a fixture that was washing a wall with an excellent and unexpected result: It created a wonderful silhouetted effect! I just love it when things come together and make me look good.
There are a number of other fixture and accessory options available to eliminate or reduce glare. Maybe we can use a fixture with a small eyebrow glare shield; or perhaps we need a long shroud if the area is viewed from a higher level. If the scene is viewed from all angles, there could be need of a fixture with a 360° glare guard. It’s also possible no glare shield is needed at all because the fixture is just not viewable from any angle. We can also use hex louvers to help eliminate glare. Being familiar with high quality glare-fighting resources, and knowing how to use them is one of the hallmarks of an excellent outdoor lighting designer.
The best lighting designers know how light fills a space, and how to go about eliminating harsh and crippling glare so the scene can be enjoyed in safety without distractions. Contact us here if you would like us to create a glare-free outdoor environment for you.
