Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Outdoor Spot Lights

Every home or business establishment can benefit from the installation of outdoor spot lights. Although historically only for commercial purposes, outdoor spot lights are now used for residential or community purposes. Outdoor spotlights have a number of different purposes ranging from providing extra safety lighting, providing extra security by illuminating dark corners, high-lighting pathways or food and drink areas, providing various forms of ambiance or special effects. These lights can be a terrific addition to any outdoor lighting scheme.

Initially, when we think of spot lights we conjure up images of figure skating competitions or rock concerts. At least I used to. These days spot lights have branched out from the traditional historical uses. These days you can find spot lights in an assortment of diverse locations. Today spot lights are regularly used in industrial spaces, urban spaces, athletic spaces, commercial spaces, and residential spaces. Spot light are also a welcome addition to rural or woodland places.

Spotlights can be but should not be confused with flood lights. Although they posses some overlapping similarities these lights serve wildly different purposes. These lights are both generally installed at a fair distance from the subject matter they are intended to illuminate. For example at a skating competition spot lights are installed from the ceiling over the rink. At a football game, flood lights are installed on tall post around the field or from the score board. In both cases the lights are installed 20-50 metres away from the intended subject of illumination. The biggest difference between spot lights and flood lights is the focus of illumination. Flood lights give off a disperse light and are intended to light up a large area such as a football field. Spot lights target the focus of illumination and focus on a small area of illumination such as a skater.