Water pieces can be a stunning addition to any yard or garden. The sound of running water from a fountain can soothe the soul, a pond can create the perfect outdoor picnic area, and a pool can complete your favorite hangout spot. However, no matter what kind of water features you have in your backyard, you will want to ensure that they are lighted properly. This is not only to enhance aesthetics but to also enhance safety. Here are some pro-techniques to light an outdoor water feature:
Submersible Lights
If you have ever been swimming in an outdoor pool and were captivated by the underwater lights, then you already know the impressive power of submersible lighting. Submersible lights help create a whimsical aesthetic for your pool or backyard pond while ensuring that there is enough light to keep swimmers and viewers safe. Submersible lights do this by emphasizing aquatic life in a pond or helping highlight swimmers in the water.
Things to Keep in Mind
While submersible lights help emphasize and bring attention to aquatic life in your backyard pond, you want to ensure you are not harming your fish. Some fish are light-sensitive, as light is what helps them know when to sleep and when to go about their daily activities. If you keep lights that are too bright in your pond, you can disrupt this cycle and harm your fish.
Another thing to keep in mind is to ensure that the lights you are planning to use are waterproof. Electrocution is a huge risk for submersible lights that do not have a watertight sealant around the wires of the lights.
Downlighting
Water features such as ponds, natural fountains, and creeks can be highlighted with downlighting. Downlighting is a neat effect where you imitate moonlight by placing a light fixture in a tree and aim the fixture down towards the water’s surface. This helps create a beautiful golden or silvery sheen over the water, which then reflects some of that light onto the nearby plant life. This creates a mythical and gorgeous effect perfect for any garden.
This can also be used to help light up pools as well, which is a great option for homeowners who do not want to install lights inside of their pool.
Lighting Aesthetics to Consider
There are a few different things you will want to keep in mind when planning where to set up lighting for your outdoor water feature. For example, if you are using spotlights or downlighting to illuminate a fountain, you want to take into consideration from what angle and where the fountain will be viewed the most. Odds are, it will be from a lounging area such as your patio, inside of your home, or even a nice bench out in the middle of your garden. Wherever that spot is, you will want to play with the lighting so that the area where it is being viewed has the most effect.
Beams and angles need to be taken into consideration as well. If it is a fountain or waterfall the light is trying to focus on, you will want to use a smaller beam. This will help play with the juxtaposition of light and darkness, creating a beautiful 3D effect. If it is a larger body of water, such as a pool or a pond, there is more to focus on so using a wider beam to help wash over the water will give it a more dazzling effect.
Water Element Lighting Design
When it comes to helping homeowners find the perfect designs for lighting their outdoor elements, no one does it better than Enhanced Outdoor Lighting & Design, Inc. Our team has an incredible eye for detail, ensuring that your lights are placed perfectly to bring out the hidden beauty of your water and garden features. For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact Enhanced Outdoor Lighting today!
