{"id":797,"date":"2014-04-17T12:12:27","date_gmt":"2014-04-17T18:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/night-scenes.com\/?p=797"},"modified":"2014-04-17T12:12:27","modified_gmt":"2014-04-17T18:12:27","slug":"down-lighting-dos-and-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/night-scenes.com\/2014\/04\/17\/down-lighting-dos-and-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"Down Lighting, Moon Lighting Do's and Don'ts"},"content":{"rendered":"
Down lighting is one of my favorite lighting techniques.\u00a0 I love creating a beautiful and soft full moon effect in the landscapes of the Austin and central Texas area.\u00a0 We have a lot of spectacular live oak trees which really lend themselves well for this lighting effect.\u00a0 So, what are some of the Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of down lighting?<\/p>\n
DO<\/strong> install the lighting fixtures at least 20\u2019 and preferably 30\u2019 up into the tree.\u00a0 Placing the fixtures this high in the canopy keeps them well out of the line of sight for those moving around the area below.\u00a0 It also allows the light to filter through many additional branches and limbs to create a stunning and more natural moon lighting effect.<\/p>\n DON\u2019T<\/strong> use a \u2018too bright\u2019 light source.\u00a0 I see a lot of people using 100-watt mercury vapor lights in trees and calling it \u201cmoonlighting\u201d.\u00a0 Natural moonlight is only .01 foot candles, and it has 4000K color temperature.\u00a0 A 100-watt mercury vapor light will put 2-3 foot candles on the ground or more, depending on how high the fixture is; and the color is usually closer to 5600K \u2013 much brighter and bluer in tint and looks nothing like natural moonlight.\u00a0 We use 4 or 6 watt LED lamps with 4000K color temperature<\/a> to more closely match the color of NATURAL moonlight.<\/p>\n