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You ever look up at the lights during your favorite sporting event? If not you might be missing one of the most important aspects of the game.
A couple nights I went to a hockey game. One of my favorite things to do is watch sports live and to me there is nothing like watching a hockey game. There is something so awesome about the beauty and the force that you see on the ice. It’s a mix of toughness (both physical and mental), finesse, and luck all put together in a game that is played on the fastest sporting surface known to man.
Of course, none of this would be possible at a live setting without the commercial lighting at the arena. I know, I know, it’s a mundane thing to think about: lighting. We take it completely for granted at sporting events. But without expert lighting we wouldn’t be able to watch our favorite team go out there night after night to beat their hated rivals.
I know it’s obvious, but one must recognize lighting varies from sport to sport, and from arena to stadium. It’s not just about shining lights onto the playing field, it’s about expert planners, electricians and maintenance men and women making sure that the light shines in the right places at the right times and seamlessly melds into the playing area and crowd.
If you really look at the lighting the next time you go to your favorite sporting event you’ll notice that there are different lighting needs for the playing field and for the audience. For the playing field you have to find the perfect combination of lights to make sure the field of play is easily seen by both player and spectator alike without overwhelming them with unnecessary brightness or heat. There is an old phrase in baseball that says “He lost it in the lights on that fly ball”. That type of problem is unavoidable at times but as a lighting designer you have to make sure that that kind of issue is kept at a minimum.
For fans, different arenas and stadium have different levels of lighting for the spectator areas. Places like the Staples Center in Los Angeles like to darken the crowd during games so that the playing surface can be better seen. For football and baseball night games, stadiums have a tendency to keep the spectators in a slightly dimmer light then the playing surface, but still give them enough light to walk, eat and peruse comfortably.
Just a little something to think about the next time you go out to root on your favorite sports team.
Author Kimberly Green has experience with interior decorating and specializes in residential home lighting as well as some commercial lighting for businesses.
Everything about the Olympics is a big deal. This isn’t just true about the competitors but also for the behind the scenes works such as commercial lighting.
For the last four days I’ve done nothing but watch the Olympics. Day and night, the Olympics have dominated the television in my house. Get together’s have been canceled, dinners have been rearranged and my DVR has been cleaned out for the events that I miss. There is just something about the pageantry of it, and, more impressively for me, the entire massiveness of it. Just the commercial lighting that has to be utilized to light over a dozen venues for the fans is amazing. I know, I know, here are Olympic athletes giving there all for the chance at gold and I’m focusing on something as small as the “lighting”, but if you think about it its small stuff like this that has to be meticulously considered to put these games on.
Imagine that it’s your job to figure out how to light a venue at the Olympics. Sounds easy enough, but for anyone who has had to work on commercial lighting before (and I have, maybe that’s where this interest comes from) knows that there is a lot to consider when lighting something as important as an Olympic venue. Take, for example, the Richmond Olympic Oval, home of the Speed Skating events for the games. Whenever you’re dealing with ice you have to be careful with the lights you use. If it’s too bright or put at the wrong angle you could be dealing with massive glare off the ice. The trick is, though, you have to be able to light the venue for television while being considerate of the skaters. How do you do this? I don’t really know, I guess that’s why they are professionals and I’m just a blogger.
The Opening Ceremonies of the games was one of the most amazing lighting jobs I’ve ever seen. The director of the ceremonies (who has previously directed the Opening Ceremonies for the Sydney games in 2000) used over 70 projectors to create stunning visual moments that helped bring people an up-close look at Canadian Culture. One of the most striking moments were a pod of projected orca whales moving across the stadium floor. In all, by using the projection lighting, the director was able to make a lot out of a little. Very rarely were live props used, but instead by using the lighting projected onto white objects it looked as it the arena was covered in water or leaves or snow. It was definitely a sight to behold.
Author Kimberly Green recommends accessdiscounts.com for the best in commercial lighting and more!
Just like commercial lighting, concert lighting can run the gambit from simple white lights to complex colored lighting which can bring out the subtleties in a venue.
Lighting is one of the true unsung heroes of any concert performance. Just like commercial lighting, concert lighting can take many forms and can be used to bring out subtleties on stage. It’s not just about the spotlights anymore; lighting has taken a big step forward in the concert industry in recent years.
There are two concerts in recent years where lighting has stuck out to me. The first was Nine Inch Nails in 1999. While supporting their double album “The Fragile”, Nine Inch Nails took off for a North American tour visiting, in their words, “hockey arenas”. What made the lighting on this show so incredible was the fact that the band utilized LCD screens for their main lighting. These large screens were attached to machinery that allowed them to shift during the concert and take their place either above or behind the band. These screens could show either images or just color, which made them the primary lighting source for the band. This was the first time a major band had utilized LCD screens for their key lighting on tour, something that has been copied in recent years by some of the biggest bands in the world like U2 and Radiohead.
The second concert that stuck out in my mind in regards to lighting was a 2003 performance by a Long Island band named Brand New. What made this concert stand out was the fact that the band was entirely back lit for their performance. I had never seen a band do this before. Frankly, it was eye opening. There were no lights either above or in front of the band, just behind it. Because Brand New’s music is moody and, at points, intense, this lighting set up was perfect for the band and thoroughly enhanced their performance. I actually recently saw Brand New again recently and they had an entirely new set up featuring bright white lights were used in conjunction with black and white video.
I consider myself a bit of a concert nut. As someone who attends concerts as much as once a week, you tend to notice concert lighting a bit more than the average concert goer. You realize how lighting can really accent a bands performance. On two opposing ends of the spectrum are bands like U2 and a southern Florida band named Against Me! U2 has been crafting giant stage setups for 20 years and always find new and ingenious ways to light their performance may it be car headlights or giant spaceship like stages. On the other hand you have Brand New who have a tendency to have one lighting set up per show without ever changing it. I once saw a performance where the lighting guy went to his controls and brought up these intense bright white lights which never dimmed at all during the performance. It was intense, but matched the performance perfectly. That’s all you can ask for in a live show.
Author Kimberly Green has always gotten the best deals on commercial lighting@ accessdiscounts.com
Tips on how to show off your home to people passing by with a beautiful home lighting Christmas display. It is the season to show off your holiday style.
‘Tis the season of putting up those Christmas lights! And there are plenty of ways to have a lot of really nice lights and decorations up without it looking tacky and just being an eye sore to the public. You want to have cars slowly going by your home admiring the light display you have created and not slowing down because they cannot believe the light catastrophe you have made as though you were trying to contact people from outer space because it is so bright!
First you want to make a note of what kind of home you have. An old Victorian home should be decorates a little bit differently from a modern one story or 2 story home. If you have that older home then you want to think elegance and class. Do not just waste electricity blinding your neighbors putting lights up on every single fixture you have. And remember that too many things in the yard being clutter and are visually disturbing. In many cases less home lighting is more.
If you have that one story home then you may want to consider lights around the roof line and along your fence and walk way. If you have a 2 story home you may even want to put them along the porch railing as well. Search for pictures of decorated homes so that you have something to look at and refer too. You may even want to check out your neighborhood to see what they typically do if you are new to the area. Candles in the windows always make for nice home lighting decor as well as wreathes on the door.
When putting up the lights be sure to have a latter that is sturdy and someone else there to help you. It is really should be a 2 person job. Make sure that all the lights are working correctly before you put them up. Also be sure to check to make sure that the wires are not frayed and if they are replaced them rather than fixing them. Better to be safe in this case. Also you want to make sure that they secured on by a fastener. When you are completed get a second option to see if it looks nice.
If you have columns you may want to string lights with some holiday green garland and wrap them around the poll. These are also great for porch railings as well. For this peel and stick fasteners work great. Happy Holidays!
Kimberly Green always has the best when it comes to home lighting
Do you live in an apartment that lacks a personal garden space? Do you dream of growing roses but lack an outdoor space to do so? If so, you’ll be happy to know that grow lights can help you with your indoor growing needs.
Of all the flowers that one could grow in their garden, roses might be the most the most universally beloved and cherished. Unfortunately, not everyone lives in a location where having a garden or even growing live flowers is an option. Nary will an apartment let its occupants plant their own garden. How are these space-deprived individuals, then, supposed to experience the wonder of beauty of their own roses in an indoor setting? It’s a lot easier then you might think thanks to grow lights.
As the name might suggest, grow lights are specialized lights which allow plants to grow indoors. While it may seem like a strange concept, grow lights are utilized in many different areas where outdoor light is not always available. For example, Chase Field in Phoenix, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, utilizes grow lights to make sure that all parts of the grass field gets equal amounts of healthy light throughout the day. This is important because due to the roof casting shadows on the field at almost all times, not all of the grass gets an ample amount of light through the day. Many other stadiums around the world use grow lights to make sure the grass looks healthy every time the team hits the field.
On a smaller level, grow lights can work for your growing needs if you need healthy, natural light for an indoor gardening project. If you’re a fan of the hit animated TV series “King of The Hill” you’ve undoubtedly seem the episode where Bobby Hill hides the fact that he’s growing competitive roses in his bedroom closet. He finds that even without natural sunlight (his dad wouldn’t let him grow flowers in the garden) he is able to grow beautiful roses with grow lights.
While it might be a cartoon, there is nothing stopping you from trying the same thing at home. Essentially all roses need the same thing: nutrient rich soil, water and light. If a rose can get light from a grow light, as long as it gets the same vital nutrients for the soil and plenty of water it will grow just as well indoors.
The key to growing any flower to its full potential is knowing what you are doing. Besides reading the directions, make sure you check websites or books to find out what a rose needs to grow. Better yet, talk to a professional at a specialty flower shop; he’ll give you keen insights that others might not give you. You also have to make sure your using the correct wattage bulb on your grow lights. Different flowers need different types of light, so make sure you know what you’re giving your plant before you start growing it.
If you take care and take your time you’ll be sure to grow great roses. The key is knowing what your doing and it’s okay to try a little trial and error. By the end of the process you’ll have some great roses to show off at your next get together.
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