With the indoors is the main focal point of lighting fixtures designed with luxurious chandeliers, sexy sconces, and beautiful pendant lights, the outdoor too can be just as glorious. Especially if you maintain a yard with great landscapes and gardening, you might be compelled to invest on garden or outdoor lighting. But take note that this is art. There are many elements which you can exploit. Here are some of them:

Uplighting Trees

Uplighting a tree means installing the right lighting fixture, usually a recessed light, just beneath the tree. This creates such drama that makes the tree’s figure look more astounding at night. This is different from the kind of lighting provided by the sun as it mainly highlights features and not the whole.

When uplighting a tree, you have to select from a range of coverage - this is the angle that the light beam will cover. Usually, you will find uplights with beam coverage of 60, 36, 24 and 12 degrees. So which one is the more appropriate to use?

For trees that are tall but narrow in structure, you need to use a narrower beam so as to concentrate most of the light on the tree itself. If you use a wide beam, say for example a 60 degrees uplight, most of the beam will just escape to the night sky. For wider trees of course, you will need a wider coverage.

Downlighting

Placement of downlight fixtures will probably be a lot trickier. For instance, uplights are installed on the ground

so it is easier to find a spot for them. For downlights, placement will be limited and hiding the fixture will be difficult. You will have to make use of trees, patios, facades, gazebos, trellises, and other high set structures to install these fixtures.

Often, downlighting is done on plants, trees, and other elements in the garden that would appear more beautiful when lighted from above. For example, it is done of flowering plants. It is also applied when the down side of the leaves does not light properly. One good example is the silver maple.

Lighting Shrub Borders

Lighting shrub borders not only makes the perimeter brighter but it also creates a beautiful and picturesque backdrop for the trees and other structures in the garden. And although it appears simpler than other garden lighting, this actually needs some strategy.

The placement for example is very important. As much as possible, the fixture itself must be hidden. To do this, it is best to install them near low set plants and shrubs. Also, the ideal spacing is about 3 meters. Any less and the backdrop will appear patchy with shadowy gaps between each light cast.

Also, pointing the fixture directly against the shrub at 90 degree angle is not advisable. It creates a very strong glare in one point. To avoid this, an angle of 45 degrees is usually allowed. Not only does it avoid glare but it also spreads out the beam coverage.

Spotlighting

Most lighting styles and techniques are focused on lighting a picture as a whole. But with spotlighting, you want to make one particular piece of attraction to stand out. It could be a particularly beautiful and rare plant, a striking piece of architecture, or a tree with fine features.

When you spotlight, you want to make it a bit brighter than other lightings which are spread or dimmed. When highlighting living things though such as plants and flora, make sure that the intensity of the light is not too much so as to overwhelm the plant with temperature.

Filtering

This can be done by installing an appropriate lens on the mount of a lighting fixture. Of course, you must know the right size of the lens and the right compatible product. So why is it done? It could be for many different reasons.

Generally, it is done to dim or spread the light so as to produce a more ambient look that is not glaring. It is also done to add color to the light in which case a tinted filter might be used. Another purpose is having a protecting barrier over the lighting fixture so it is not hot to the touch.

Landscape lighting or outdoor lighting can add a magical quality to an otherwise ordinary backyard. When considering the kind of lighting fr your area, there are many choices available. A great benefit to backyard lights, can help protect a home from burglary as well keeping your guests safe from falls and spills in the dark.

One should consider a low voltage solution if you are particularly interested in saving energy. A great choice for this is solar. Solar lights store energy captured during the day and then when it becomes dark enough, it switches on automatically.

The only problem with most solar lighting is that they tend to only give off a faint glow that lights a relatively small area. However, in terms of cost effectiveness and eco friendlyness, a solar solution is a great alternative.

If you are considering doing your own landscaping, remember that designing a beautiful space to most effectively use the effect of backyard lights can be hard work, so remember that there are professionals out there that specialise in this kind of thing for a living.

If you are using normal household voltage for your illumination solutions, you will need a qualified electrician anyway, so don't try and cut corners to save a buck when electricity is concerned.

Your safety and the safety of your family is at stake. Be careful. This is another good reason to use solar lights.

Landscape lighting can add beauty and charm to a home when it is done properly and safely.