No peaking. Think about a penny. Any penny. Do you have a solid image forming in your mind about what it looks like? Then let me ask you a view questions about it. What side of the penny has the phrase "e pluribus unum"? Are the words "one cent" at the top or bottom of the building side? Where does the word Liberty appear? Which way is Lincoln facing, left or right? How'd you do? Are you missing your calling as the next engraver for the U.S. Mint, or did you miss a few details?
A friend of mine once said that one of the biggest problems most lighting designers face when talking about lighting is that everything thinks they know about light. While it's absolutely true that we have and all do experience light on a daily basis. Even as you read this blog, you're experiencing the light coming off the screen of whatever device you're using. But do you understand the qualities of that light, and whether or not that light is helpful or hurtful. Is it bright enough? Is it the correct color temperature for the time of day? Is there enough contrast between your screen and the surrounding environment to allow for sufficient visual acuity? What changes would need to be made to notice a marked improvement?
It's questions like these that lighting design professionals obsess over when deciding how best to light a space. Notice that none of the questions above had nothing to do with the fixture finish or where it was located (though those are considerations we do consider), but more had to do with the quality of that light as it relates to you the beneficiary. Just like the penny, we can make a lot of assumptions about light and lighting that may be in the ballpark, but ultimately are not correct. It takes a professional to know the difference between a real penny and a counterfeit. So too, a lighting designer can help you discover the difference between real lighting design and just another layout that throws light indiscriminately in all directions, but ultimately causes harm in the long run. Consider working with a design professional--now THAT is some advice worth a penny.
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