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.

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

Most homeowners are worried about the security of their homes and the family and possessions they house in them. A flood light can be an essential security tool to minimize your risk and ensure your house doesn’t get broken into.It’s a well accepted fact that most robberies and crimes tend to happen during the night. Criminals quite like operating under the veil of darkness as they are easier to detect and therefore foil. A homeowner should always keep this in mind and try to ensure that gardens and house fronts are well lit. Street lighting can suffice in most circumstances, but for areas that don’t have enough light, one should consider purchasing and installing a flood light.

Different varieties of flood light exist, but the ones commonly used on domestic premises tend to be 250 or 500 watt tungsten. It’s common for a flood light to include a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor) for the light to come on when movement is detected. Flood lights should be mounted to make sure that they shed light into areas where a robber may hide and remain undetected in normal circumstance. It is important to pay heed and attention to where a spot light may be mounted. For example, the light should never shine into neighboring homes or onto neighboring property and this may be perceived as breaching their privacy. Also, a flood light should always be pointing downwards as this max most use of the light it generates. The ideal angle for a flood light is an angle of 22 degrees. In this position it illuminates walls without blinding an observer who may not be able to witness the intrusion otherwise.

There are a few things you need to keep in mind when using a flood light. If used incorrectly they will not provide any security, but instead pose a risk to your property and your visitors. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Make sure the flood light is not in a position where it can distract drivers. They can be a source of accidents by temporarily blinding someone in charge of a car. 2. If a floodlight is incorrectly installed it can actually help a robber by blinding onlookers or providing shadows for criminals to hide in. 3. PIR sensors can be triggered by cats, dogs or things moving in the wind. This can cause false alarms and desensitize your neighbors to the flood light coming on. 4. A 500W flood light can be quite expensive to run (and has a large impact on the environment). Sometimes, just an ordinary 60W light bulb is enough for your needs.

Keep these points in mind when purchasing and installing a flood light as the only thing worse than no security is a false sense of security.