I need to get new lights for my booth. I've read and read, and am totally confused! I've got the daylight spiral bulbs. Last year at Boston Mills, so many people came up, and said my lighting was awful. I don't want to go through that again. Choices? Halogen, Halogena....GU10...Par 20...
You need to be a member of Art Fair Insiders to add comments!
We take the "1 light per display group" track, and use clip-on LED lamps from Target.com (clipping to gridwall & tabletops). Even though I am not totally thrilled with the "clip-on" part in some applications, we have gotten complements on the lighting from our customers and other vendors. Best of all, each lamp is only 3 watts! We get great lighting and with 20 lamps, use only 60 watts. LED's run so cool that I can change color temp with theatrical gels if needed
I've used Solux 3500 kelvin (temperature) bulbs. There are several beam angles available (10;17; 24; 36 degrees). I use the 35 watt version and get plenty of light.
Depends on how you want to light your work. You can take the "one image, one light" approach, or the "ambient light" approach. Using broad stroke lights, such as spiral fluorescents is approach #2, and two or three up high to bring the overall light up will work, especially if power is limited (batteries). The trick to doing this well is to create diffuse or indirect light. Light at the top of the canopy will naturally fall off as it gets closer to the ground, and the color temperature of fluorescents can be overly cool.
OTOH, to light each grouping, you may want a light bar closer to each wall, with several fixtures that you can aim towards the artwork. 5 or 6 per wall would mean you'd have about 15 bulbs x 35W, so you'd need about 600 watts of power, roughly equal to 5 Amps. You probably want wider beam lights rather than narrow, unless you are going for a really spotlit look. You want the beams to cross-light the walls and wash the walls with a fairly even light. Two lights per panel will work -- one to light the upper half, and one to catch the lower half.
But the spread will also be affected by how far the light is from the object of the light. If the lights are six feet away, the beam spreads more than if the lights are three feet away. Conversely, a closer beam won't light as wide an area, but it will light the center more brightly.
Ambient light is what I'd like. To me it seems to have a more natural home-like look. The link to your 'Booth Lighting Options' was actually one of the articles I had read. I went back to look at it again, very carefully. I thought the lights were attached to the regular crossbar. Now I can see there is a wooden support that is raised even higher.
Two lights per panel....all this is good information. Thanks for responding. I appreciate all the help I can get.
Halogens won't give you ambient light -- they are "task-specific" and more focussed than a broad soft light. Ambient light is what's in the booth before you start adding anything. If it's gray outside, then it's gray inside.
You might try putting three or four lights with reflectors on a central crossbar running from front to back, and aimed up at the canopy roof rather than at specific artwork if you want to increase the overall "glow" in the tent. Swing arm lamps with CFL bulbs aimed at the roof will give you a softer, bounced look. If you mount them on the panel pins and aim them at the roof, two per 10' side might be enough to raise the ambient light without being too obnoxious. Stronger wider lights will work best for this. Many artists will use high wattage CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lights) for this -- 100W equivalent. If you can find warmer bulbs it will help. Fluorescents are typically cooler in color temperature than halogen (an understatement).
I attach my halogen light bars to the panel braces now. I used to raise them 6" with additional pro-panel pins and 6" of aluminum conduit, but it wasn't really necessary. That's what the picture shows. Now we cable tie them to the braces. ProPanels sells higher braces for attaching lights -- you might want to look into these if you have standard 7' walls, to get the lights above head level. My panels are already 8 1/2' high, so I don't need the extra height.
All this helps a lot. I had the Compact Fluorescent Lights at BostonMills, but did not use a canopy to reflect into. So therefore, my lights, withought shades, (because I think they're ugly) just hung off the center bar...which was to low.
Now I see I had a double whammy. No shades...lights to low. So everyone who walked into my booth was obviously blinded. I've done this before, and it didn't seem to be a problem, but this time it was really horrible...or maybe nobody ever mentioned it before.
I'm still toying with the idea of the halogen lights....2 per panel. Like I said, I need all this information, and I do appreciate it. I think it shouldn't be a question of what I like, it should be a question of what looks the best. Also, I'v downsized to a Toyota Sienna, so I don't have a lot of extra space.
I do use the lights I recommended for task specific lighting. I illuminate every piece individually. I want all the attention to be on my work and I don't have my pieces (which are all 3D) grouped together very tightly. I display about 12 pieces at a time. So it should be noted that my display/requirements are quite different than yours. The bulbs I recommended were referred to me by a pretty high test designer of art lighting when I was at the Plaza quite a few years ago. His advice totally took my presentation to a new level. You're on the right track to be looking at your lighting requirements, this is arguably the biggest factor in any display and one which is not given enough attention by many artists. Good luck.
Maija Baynes > Jay McDougallApril 7, 2011 at 11:03am
Wow, thank you all for taking time to respond. I've had so many questions, and living alone, out here in the middle of no where, I've had nobody to ask. You all are a wealth of information.
My decision is to go with the 3500K Solux bulbs, on the raised tracks. I'll attach those to wood as Jim suggested. I like the idea of a 10% coupon from USA lights. All of this is falling into place.
Next time you'll see me at a show needing lights, come by and say hello. If you see I need more improvement....please tell me.
Thanks again.
Barbara Poole > Maija BaynesApril 18, 2011 at 1:55pm
Thank you Thank you I am new here and have been borrowing all my gear and am just now going to buy. So this info was real helpful for me also
Replies
I've used Solux 3500 kelvin (temperature) bulbs. There are several beam angles available (10;17; 24; 36 degrees). I use the 35 watt version and get plenty of light.
https://www.solux.net/cgi-bin/tlistore/soluxbulbs.html
Excellent art lighting, and as a bonus I've only burned out 1 bulb in 5 years.
Hi Jay, Thanks.
OK, I understand the 35 watt/3500K. Since these bulbs come in different beam angles...10;17; 24; 36 degrees. Which one would you recommend?
Also, do you hang these off a center bar, or do you have more than one bar.
How many bulbs? Is to many...to many?
I'm an oil painter. I think this is taking me in the right direction. Thanks for your response.
Depends on how you want to light your work. You can take the "one image, one light" approach, or the "ambient light" approach. Using broad stroke lights, such as spiral fluorescents is approach #2, and two or three up high to bring the overall light up will work, especially if power is limited (batteries). The trick to doing this well is to create diffuse or indirect light. Light at the top of the canopy will naturally fall off as it gets closer to the ground, and the color temperature of fluorescents can be overly cool.
OTOH, to light each grouping, you may want a light bar closer to each wall, with several fixtures that you can aim towards the artwork. 5 or 6 per wall would mean you'd have about 15 bulbs x 35W, so you'd need about 600 watts of power, roughly equal to 5 Amps. You probably want wider beam lights rather than narrow, unless you are going for a really spotlit look. You want the beams to cross-light the walls and wash the walls with a fairly even light. Two lights per panel will work -- one to light the upper half, and one to catch the lower half.
But the spread will also be affected by how far the light is from the object of the light. If the lights are six feet away, the beam spreads more than if the lights are three feet away. Conversely, a closer beam won't light as wide an area, but it will light the center more brightly.
There's a picture on my blog from an older light setup: Booth Lighting Options
Hi Jim,
Ambient light is what I'd like. To me it seems to have a more natural home-like look. The link to your 'Booth Lighting Options' was actually one of the articles I had read. I went back to look at it again, very carefully. I thought the lights were attached to the regular crossbar. Now I can see there is a wooden support that is raised even higher.
Two lights per panel....all this is good information. Thanks for responding. I appreciate all the help I can get.
Halogens won't give you ambient light -- they are "task-specific" and more focussed than a broad soft light. Ambient light is what's in the booth before you start adding anything. If it's gray outside, then it's gray inside.
You might try putting three or four lights with reflectors on a central crossbar running from front to back, and aimed up at the canopy roof rather than at specific artwork if you want to increase the overall "glow" in the tent. Swing arm lamps with CFL bulbs aimed at the roof will give you a softer, bounced look. If you mount them on the panel pins and aim them at the roof, two per 10' side might be enough to raise the ambient light without being too obnoxious. Stronger wider lights will work best for this. Many artists will use high wattage CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lights) for this -- 100W equivalent. If you can find warmer bulbs it will help. Fluorescents are typically cooler in color temperature than halogen (an understatement).
I attach my halogen light bars to the panel braces now. I used to raise them 6" with additional pro-panel pins and 6" of aluminum conduit, but it wasn't really necessary. That's what the picture shows. Now we cable tie them to the braces. ProPanels sells higher braces for attaching lights -- you might want to look into these if you have standard 7' walls, to get the lights above head level. My panels are already 8 1/2' high, so I don't need the extra height.
Thanks Jim,
All this helps a lot. I had the Compact Fluorescent Lights at BostonMills, but did not use a canopy to reflect into. So therefore, my lights, withought shades, (because I think they're ugly) just hung off the center bar...which was to low.
Now I see I had a double whammy. No shades...lights to low. So everyone who walked into my booth was obviously blinded. I've done this before, and it didn't seem to be a problem, but this time it was really horrible...or maybe nobody ever mentioned it before.
I'm still toying with the idea of the halogen lights....2 per panel. Like I said, I need all this information, and I do appreciate it. I think it shouldn't be a question of what I like, it should be a question of what looks the best. Also, I'v downsized to a Toyota Sienna, so I don't have a lot of extra space.
Wow, thank you all for taking time to respond. I've had so many questions, and living alone, out here in the middle of no where, I've had nobody to ask. You all are a wealth of information.
My decision is to go with the 3500K Solux bulbs, on the raised tracks. I'll attach those to wood as Jim suggested. I like the idea of a 10% coupon from USA lights. All of this is falling into place.
Next time you'll see me at a show needing lights, come by and say hello. If you see I need more improvement....please tell me.
Thanks again.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next