http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/photography/indoor-portrait-lighting-basics.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/photography/indoor-portrait-lighting-basics.html Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500
A portrait is a visual portrayal of a person, such as a photograph, but also entailing drawings, engravings, paintings and other representations of a person. Most people have had a portrait taken at some point in their lives, whether it was for a school yearbook photo, employee ID or a driver’s license photo.

To start, you will need some type of surface to serve as a backdrop to your portraits. Portrait backgrounds are often comprised of paper or cloth that covers the background of the portrait area and continues onto the floor for continuity. Feel free to be imaginative in determining the type of background you will use for your portraits, bearing in mind that an outrageous or busy backdrop can detract from the person as the focal point of the image.

Once your backdrop is in place, have the person you intend to photograph sit or stand in the position that has been determined for the portrait. Proper lighting adjustment is unique to the sizes of different individuals, which is why your subject should be present before the lighting is put into place. Make sure your subject is comfortable and understands his or her role in the picture taking process, especially if you are photographing a child. The three main lighting sources for the shoot are outlined below:

-Key Lighting: The key light is the main light for the subject. The key light should be located three feet away from and 45 degrees to the camera’s right, and be positioned barely above the height of the subject’s head.

-Fill light: As its name implies, this light fills in shadows appearing on the subject’s face which are caused by the key lighting. For optimal performance, fill lighting typically incorporates a reflective disc or umbrella to soften reflections. The fill light should be positioned about three feet from the subject to the left of the camera and be square with the person’s shoulders.

-Hair Light: The hair light illuminates the subject from above, accentuating hair and visually distinguishing the subject from the backdrop. This light should be suspended approximately 8.5 feet from the floor, slightly behind the subject.

The three lighting techniques above may be combined with the use of a background light, which is a small light placed on the floor behind the subject and aimed at the background, eliminating shadows and adding dimension to the image. Photography lighting is commonly controlled and softened through the use of umbrellas, lighting boxes and domes, and may require a bit of trial and error to obtain images in the quality you prefer.



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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/choosing-the-right-light-bulbs.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/choosing-the-right-light-bulbs.html Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500
First, you will probably notice that there seem to be a million options in home lighting. The heat emitting bulbs to which most people are accustomed are called incandescent light bulbs, which use heat to produce light and waste a majority of the energy they consume in the in the process. Compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs, are fluorescent bulbs for use in standard fixtures which represent the home lighting version of the long used fluorescent tube lights. CFLs are rapidly gaining a stronghold on the lighting industry due to their significant energy conservation compared to incandescent bulbs. Halogen lighting is similarly energy efficient and produces very bright light, but the great deal of heat it produces makes it less desirable than fluorescent bulbs for many consumers.

If you have ever purchased a light bulb, or any electrical gadget for that matter, you have probably come across the term watts. A watt is a measurement of electricity, or the amount of work that can be accomplished using a given amount of electric current at a certain voltage. If you are replacing a standard incandescent bulb and are satisfied with the intensity of the light it produced, you can simply purchase a bulb with the same wattage. However, if you are replacing standard incandescent bulbs with more energy efficient compact fluorescent lighting, you will not need to purchase the same wattage as your old bulb. Why? Fluorescent bulbs are multiple times more efficient at utilizing electricity, and therefore require fewer watts to produce the same amount of light as a higher wattage incandescent bulb. For instance, you can replace a 75 watt incandescent bulb with a 20 watt fluorescent bulb, and achieve the same level of light output. The packaging of most CFLs denotes the equivalent incandescent wattage for your reference. Bear in mind that many light fixtures and lamps specify the maximum wattage bulb they support, and adherence to this specification is important for your safety.

While brightness levels for different rooms are largely a matter of personal preference, it helps to consider what level of lighting you prefer for specific applications when purchasing light bulbs. Many consumers utilize bright lighting in the kitchen for visibility, but dimmer ambient lighting in the living room for the atmosphere. You can use the bulbs already in your home to determine the appropriate wattage to purchase, either adjusting up for more brightness, down for less or staying with the same level.

You will also notice when purchasing light bulbs that the options span a wide range of prices. Compact fluorescent lights have a higher purchase price than incandescent bulbs, but are probably a better value when you consider the energy savings and longer life. Also, check to see if your utility company is offering a rebate or other incentive for switching to fluorescent lighting, as many are. Being educated on the pros and cons of different types of lighting that are available will help you make an educated decision for your household.



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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/smart-lighting-tips-to-save-money.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/smart-lighting-tips-to-save-money.html Mon, 04 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500 home lighting, you can reduce your monthly obligation to the utility company as well as your negative contribution to the environment.

-Turn out the lights. Turning off lights may seem like an obvious step to reducing energy consumed by lighting, but still most people are inconsistent when it comes to turning off lights that are not in use. Getting into the habit of turning off all lights when you leave a room, and especially when you leave home, is an excellent way to start saving money on electricity. Do not forget the details. A closet light left on is just as bad as any other, and what about leaving that row of four lights on in the bathroom? Quadruple wasted energy.

-Modify your home lighting for efficiency. If your home consists of incandescent light bulbs, which are the traditional type, you may want to consider a complete crossover to compact fluorescent bulbs. Buzzing, flickering schoolhouse fluorescent tubes are a thing of the past. Today, compact fluorescent bulbs are available with various colors and wattage levels, making them a versatile and energy efficient option in home lighting. Fluorescent light bulbs use and waste magnitudes less energy than incandescent bulbs. Consider the initial investment worth it when replacing all of the light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent bulbs, bearing in mind that fluorescent bulbs last much longer than incandescent bulbs and cost much less in energy consumption.

-Embrace Mother Nature. Daylight provides mass amounts of free lighting, but remains an underutilized resource in most homes. Why not open the curtains during the day and light your home the way nature intended?

-Consider motion sensors. If the prospect of remembering to turn lights on and off all the time makes your head hurt, motion sensor lighting is a practical, energy efficient home lighting option. Motion sensors detect whether someone is present or not, and controls the lights accordingly.

Along with applying these smart lighting tips, using appliances and other electronics in your home wisely can also have a great impact on your energy consumption thus reducing your utility bill.



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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/interior-design/recessed-lighting-applications.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/interior-design/recessed-lighting-applications.html Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500
What is recessed lighting? Recessed light fixtures illuminate from just above the ceiling surface, rather than protruding down in full view. This flexible style of home lighting gives designers the opportunity to incorporate specific levels of lighting to achieve the desired ambiance while directing focus to the intended highlights of a room. Recessed lighting can be implemented as the sole light source for rooms and hallways, or can produce a broad spectrum ambience throughout an area that serves as a “backdrop” to other, more targeted sources of light.

Many decorative lighting arrangements, such as wall sconces and chandeliers, are artistically striking but often do not produce practical, functional lighting to meet the needs of a household or business. Recessed lighting can be used in combination with such lighting fixtures to provide a sheath of light throughout the room while highlighting intricate details of a decorative chandelier or sconce. Recessed lighting can also be used to illuminate an eye-catching design element of a room, such as wall art, an accent wall, a china cabinet or other piece of furniture.

Using the appropriate bulbs in a recessed lighting fixture is as important as the fixture itself. The size and voltage of a bulb will affect the amount and intensity of light that it produces. Recessed fixtures in a fairly small bathroom would not need to be the same diameter as fixtures designed to illuminate a larger room. On the other hand, a bathroom would likely necessitate a brighter (higher voltage) bulb to produce the desired level of visibility than a hallway whose primary purpose is to provide ambient, dim lighting to impart a softer effect.

Whether recessed lighting will be used in a bedroom for reading or in a kitchen to supply optimal illumination for cooking, the intended purpose of a room is a significant consideration in determining the type of lighting that should be implemented.



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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-improvement/lighting-as-an-element-of-landscaping.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-improvement/lighting-as-an-element-of-landscaping.html Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500 outdoor lighting scheme serves purposes beyond the functional aspects of illuminating a path for night time navigation and providing a level of security for homeowners. Lighting continues to establish itself as an artistic element that can be incorporated into the aesthetics of a home’s design, and outdoor landscaping is no exception. While functionality remains a major objective of outdoor lighting, many homeowners also seek to present an elegant and uniform image through the incorporation of decorative and creatively planned lighting into the landscape design of their homes.

Factors such as the homeowner’s intentions and preferences, existing home architecture, desired brightness of lighting as well as community enforced lighting restrictions must be taken into account at the inception of any outdoor lighting design project. Modern lighting techniques are becoming increasingly prevalent in landscaping as homeowners realize the benefits of taking advantage of outdoor space, day and night.

Uplighting and downlighting are popular, modern lighting techniques that present alternatives to the traditional sidewalk runway lighting common in the past. Uplighting is a method of emphasizing a landscape design feature such as a tree, bush, interesting architectural element or statue by illuminating the structure from beneath. Strategically implemented uplighting adds an element of texture, depth and definition to visually pleasing features of a landscape, enhancing the artistic quality of the landscape as a whole. Similarly, downlighting is created by a suspended light which highlights an interesting feature below, with the similar effect of emphasizing prominent artistic features of the landscape. Downlighting serves the additional purpose of providing extra security lighting for the home.

Shadowing is another lighting technique that is becoming increasingly common for use in landscape design. Shadowing is the illumination of an object or feature by a spot light or flood light at ground level, with the shadow of the object projected onto another surface, such as an exterior wall, for the artistic visual appeal of the contrast between the lighting and the shadow.

Homeowners are driven by different objectives in landscape lighting design. Some incorporate intricate lighting patterns into their landscape strictly for the artistic ambience, while others simply seek traditional, functional lighting for night time visibility. Designers in general are aiming away from traditional runway style lighting in favor of more aesthetically pleasing, natural looking illumination. Outdoor lighting now serves a dual purpose, offering endless design options while upholding its traditional lighting function.




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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of outdoor lighting, home lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/environment/what-the-future-holds-for-incandescent-light-bulbs.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/environment/what-the-future-holds-for-incandescent-light-bulbs.html Tue, 22 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500 home lighting. To achieve success with the light bulb, Edison played a critical role in overcoming challenges that were hindering the innovation of the electric light bulb by developing such electrical breakthroughs as the parallel circuit, an underground conductor framework and light sockets with switches.

Today, electrical lighting is a commodity and is considered an indispensable component of life and business. Alongside widespread consumer use of incandescent light bulbs has come a realization of the environmental and economical drawbacks of the once coveted technology. As more advanced technology such as fluorescent lighting began to provide consumers with an alternative to incandescent bulbs, it became clear that incandescent bulbs produce an excessive amount of energy waste as compared to their more energy efficient counterparts. Only about 5 percent of the energy consumed by an incandescent light bulb is used to produce light, while 95 percent is released as waste in the form of heat. Prevalent awareness and activism concerning the environmental repercussions of electrical waste, such as greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, perpetuate the urgency of reducing energy consumption and thus waste.

Energy conservation leaders such as Australia, Ontario and California have taken ground-breaking steps toward elimination of the use of incandescent lighting altogether. New regulations push consumers to replace energy wasting incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs. With goals aimed at reducing hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide emissions and banning incandescent bulbs in just a few years, other communities are sure to follow in these leaders’ environmentally conscious footsteps.

There is concern about the economic cost that aggressive lighting regulations will pass on to consumers, as incandescent bulbs are sold at a much lower cost than compact fluorescent bulbs. While initially a higher investment, fluorescent bulbs prove their worth in saved energy costs and a much longer useful life than incandescent bulbs. Additionally, as more governments institute energy conservation legislation favoring fluorescent bulbs, their consumption volume will increase and prices are sure to drop as a result.

Electric incandescent lighting technology has changed little to none in the over 125 years since its inception. As the world becomes more aware and concerned about human effects on the environment, innovative regulations are certain to have an enormous and increasing impact on lighting use and energy consumption. While the future does not look bright for incandescent light bulbs, modern fluorescent lighting and rapidly progressing LED lighting technology are gaining a stronghold on the lighting industry and consumer preference.




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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/environment/energy-efficient-home-lighting.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/environment/energy-efficient-home-lighting.html Wed, 16 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500 home lighting.

Standard incandescent light bulbs, while initially cheap, have high lifetime operation costs and produce excessive energy waste. Incandescent bulbs only use a small fraction of the energy they consume to produce light, and give off heat that wastes a majority of the consumed energy. The easiest and most affordable action you can take to save energy and money is replacing all incandescent bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs. Fluorescent tube lights have long been used for commercial and industrial applications, but their miniature counterparts are revolutionizing our ability to reap the benefits of energy efficient lighting in standard light fixtures. While initially priced higher than incandescent bulbs, CFLs consume only about a third of the electricity used by incandescent bulbs and can last up to ten times longer! New technology also gives us the option between a CFL in cool white, which appears like the fluorescent lighting to which we are accustomed, or in a warm white, which looks the same as the light produced by an incandescent bulb.

Installing light fixtures with dimming capability is a more involved way to conserve the energy your home uses for lighting. The ability to adjust the level of light in a room gives you the flexibility of using only necessary energy, thus reducing your negative contributions to the environment. Fluorescent lights are now available with three level dimming capabilities, so you can optimize your energy conservation by instituting both fluorescent lighting technology and light dimming elements into your home.

Using smart, energy efficient lighting in your home will save more than money. By consuming less energy, you will reduce the amount of harmful carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and nuclear waste that you would otherwise contribute to the atmosphere. Regardless of the extent of modifications you undertake in your home, every small effort is a part of a vast paradigm shift that will enable us to leave behind a cleaner, safer environment for future generations.



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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/title-24-lighting.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/title-24-lighting.html Thu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500 home lighting must comply. With the peak demand for energy rising, conservation standards aim to evade blackouts, decrease peak demand and avoid the need for additional energy creation. Unprecedented reform in 2005 of Title 24 of The Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings requires developers to adhere to stricter energy conservation requirements, with major changes affecting the implementation of indoor and outdoor lighting.

The 2005 modification of Title 24 imposes innovative regulations on indoor lighting, including day lighting specifications and dimming control requirements, as well as adding provisions for outdoor lighting. New code also adds conventions for residential lighting and electronic signs and removes the exemption for unconditioned space.

One major change to Title 24 involves the basis for calculating the value of saved energy. Previously, energy standards hinged on the use of a flat kilowatt value, with the same value applicable regardless of the time the energy was used. The more advanced time-dependent valuation formula accounts for the fluctuation of energy value throughout a time period, assigning hour by hour values to energy consumption. As a result, energy use during peak demand time is now weighted more heavily than use during non-peak times, giving a more accurate calculation of consumption and an incentive to reduce peak demand.

With new residential lighting requirements enacted, major changes in home building are imminent. High efficiency lighting, such as fluorescent lighting, is now required in all permanent fixtures in residential buildings. High efficacy lighting is required in kitchens, and may be combined with motion sensor or dimming capable lighting in bathrooms, garages, laundry and utility rooms. Provisions also mandate efficient or motion sensor lighting outdoors, with additional residential restrictions applying to pipe and duct insulation, sealant and windows.

Further mandates incorporate a balanced use of natural daylight in low rise buildings that meet specific square footage and lighting density requirements. For qualifying buildings, at least half of the floor space must be lighted by skylights that utilize diffusers to ensure even natural lighting. These skylights are required to include controls that turn off electric lighting when adequate natural lighting is available.

For outdoor lighting, power limits are assigned based on four newly defined lighting zones, with zone one designating “dark” areas such as parks and wildlife preserves, zone two indicating low light such as rural areas, zone three specifying medium lighting like urban areas, and zone four being highly illuminated areas. New provisions also outline outdoor lighting restrictions for parking areas, lighted walkways, entryways, service stations, covered lots (sales or non-sales), and decorative lighting.

A new inspection requirement accompanies the 2005 modifications to Title 24. Detailed information about energy standards as related to Title 24 can be found on the California Energy Commission website.

About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.




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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/creativity/stained-glass-journey-through-history.html http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/creativity/stained-glass-journey-through-history.html Mon, 07 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500
A surge in stained glass popularity accompanied the Gothic age, alongside the construction of Europe’s great cathedrals. Stained glass windows portraying naturally illuminated, intensely colored images not only fashioned an artistic, visually rich atmosphere, but introduced a means of conveying biblical tales to the widely illiterate audience of the time. The depiction of God in stained glass was thought to bestow a spiritual experience rather than a mere interpretation of a story.

With the creation of new coloring methods and artistry, stained glass became an art form more similar to artistic painting in the 15th century. Focus shifted to emphasize the visual image rather than the atmosphere created, and stained glass craftsmen instead became glass painters. The Renaissance marked a time period when the grandeur of stained glass seemed to be crawling toward obsolescence, with designs becoming simpler illustrations on transparent backgrounds. Stained glass became common in homes, churches and other public buildings in plainer form. Stained glass windows even began to be removed from churches and destroyed.

The diminishing interest and phasing out of stained glass was short lived, with England showing a revived interest in Gothic architecture in the 1800s. Artists revisited and unfolded the stained glass techniques of the past, and soon the first stained glass studios were established in America by English immigrants.

Two American painters, John LaFarge and Louis Comfort Tiffany, separately became interested in the art of stained glass. The two men soon became competitors, with LaFarge copywriting opalescent glass and Tiffany becoming the frontrunner in its popularity. More advanced techniques were established, such as layering glass to depict depth and utilizing copper instead of lead to enable the creation of more detailed images.

Exploiting the emergence of electric lighting, Tiffany began adapting his technique to produce intricate lamp shades to be used in the homes of the wealthy. After the deaths of LaFarge in 1910 and Tiffany in 1933, stained glass suffered decreased popularity in the United States, aside from common use in church windows.

Stained glass art has seen a recent surge in popularity in the United States, being incorporated into the décor of new homes, church windows and lampshades reminiscent of those created by Louis Comfort Tiffany many years before.

About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.




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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/halogen-lighting-explained.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/halogen-lighting-explained.html Mon, 07 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Incandescent lamps in general produce light by utilizing the energy from electricity to heat and excite a tungsten filament, releasing photons, which are the basic units that make up all forms of light. A filament is a thin wire inside a bulb that gives off light when heat is introduced. When an incandescent light is turned on, tungsten evaporates from the filament and becomes affixed to the inside surface of the bulb wall. When there is no longer enough tungsten in the filament to conduct electricity, the filament gradually becomes more delicate and breaks, which is indicated by the bulb burning out.

Unlike standard incandescent light bulbs, halogen lamps contain a halogen gas, often iodine, within them. The shells of the bulbs are most often composed of quartz or a heat resistant hard glass rather than thin glass because of a high heat requirement for use. The halogen gas serves to return evaporated tungsten to the filament, instead of allowing it to permanently deposit itself onto the inside wall of the bulb. Fewer deposits inside the bulb result in a cleaner wall for light to penetrate, thus improving the luminance. Additionally, the process which allows tungsten to return to the filament increases the time it takes for the filament to break down, thus giving halogen bulbs a longer life than standard incandescent light bulbs. Like standard bulbs, halogen bulbs do burn out, but provide a longer useful life due to the slower dissipation of tungsten.

Halogen lights are popular for use in homes as well as industrial applications such as stadiums and medical facilities. Dimming capabilities make halogen light bulbs an attractive and versatile option for homes, but high heat can pose a hazard in certain situations.

Just as halogen lighting evolved from standard incandescent light bulbs for extended life and reduced energy consumption, viable alternative lighting solutions continue to be developed for the lighting industry. Fluorescent lights, which provide long life and low energy consumption, are widely available but require a higher initial investment than incandescent bulbs. Researching the positive and negative aspects of different lighting options will enable you to make an informed and appropriate lighting choice for your application.

About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

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About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>