Lights

[buckry]

Ok, I'm totally disenchanted with the skippy filter concept. Waterbug was totally right, so for now I've got a couple hundred extra dollars in my pond fund, I'm going to put my lights in sooner rather than later.

I'm a photographer, and lighting is basically the whole job. Anyone can push the button and make what they see into a permanent image, but light it wrong and you're screwed. So, I'm going to be honest, putting lights into my pond terrifies me. I want it to look good, and I have a million things running through my head that seem like they will ruin it.

I think the main thing I want to know is, what is the general purpose of pond lights? Is it to see the fish? Is it to accent the pond itself. Are you supposed to illuminate certain features, like the waterfall? What is my end goal here?

So after that I guess what do you guys usually do? Put them on the side viewers will be, and point them away? Put them on the far wall and point them straight up? Put them around the perimeter and just shine them across the bottom?

Absolutely any advice here is appreciated, I don't know where to begin with this part of the build.

 

[ididntdoit99]

Well that kind of all depnds on what you want to do. I kind of said earlier in another thread, I have two spotlights, they light up the water a bit, if the fish come to the surface you can see them, but mainly it shines across the pond surface. Then I have path lights around the outside, which just give the whole are a little bit of light, light up the plants and paths to walk around the pond. All of my lights are cheap solar lights, just ones that were on sale, and dont cost me any additional money in electricty.

Underwater lights I think look really great, would make you water glow, be able to see the fish at night a little better. I just havent brought myself to purchase any.

It all preference really, people that have nice elaborate waterfalls might do spotlights on the waterfall, or underwater lights right under the falls. me, i just generally light up the whole area a bit, and then have the two spotslight to kind of make the surface glow a bit.

 

[Waterbug]

Waterbug was totally right

I seriously doubt that, but thanks.

I'm a photographer, and lighting is basically the whole job.

How come we're not seeing new beautiful photos of your pond in every post?

Or how about starting a thread on how you take pond photos. My photos suck and I've little clue what I'm doing. My camera is really old and don't even know what would be a good starting camera, if one would be better for pond pictures. I know there's been threads on this, but I'd rather learn from multiple sources.

I think the main thing I want to know is, what is the general purpose of pond lights? Is it to see the fish? Is it to accent the pond itself. Are you supposed to illuminate certain features, like the waterfall? What is my end goal here?

Accent the pond. IMO most lighting done in ponds is pretty tacky. Since you're a photographer I would trust your eye more than what's already been done to death.

 

[buckry]

I can probably come up witha few tips, but my pond isn't photo ready yet, no grass, and this horrible fence to keep the kids out, kind of ruin the aesthetics, so while I am taking lots of photos, not many of them rea really worthy of sharing.

 

[buckry]

Ok, so I bought the cheap set that Home Depot has just to play around with. I put them on the side of the pond that people will be standing and pointed them at the far edge at maybe 45 degree angle. Just got dark, looks really decent, they look like spotlights outside of a casino. I guess my water isn't near as clear as it looks in sunlight. I think it's pretty good I think I might get a similar set, maybe of higher quality, and put then in the skinny part of the pond with 2 lights pointed into the large part and 1 pointed into the smaller. It didn't really make my pond glow, but it's a really nice effect. The fish won't swim through the beams of light, I guess they must think this is Indiana Jones or something.

And as soon as I post this, I will post a pond photo tip.

 

[sissy]

I hope you sealed them with silicon as they leak water to them and ruin the bulb .

 

[buckry]

No of course I didn't. It said, submersible. That means they go in the water. It doesn't say submersible IF you spent more time and money make them so.

If they get ruined I will be back at Home Depot so fast... well not that fast, it's on the other side of town, but I'll do it the next time I am up there.

 

[j.w]

Buck that's where I bought mine and they will leak eventually unless you are very lucky. Course they won't stop working till your warranty runs out. I now have mine out of the pond laying up on the rock edge pointing down at the water. At least they still work but not in the water.

 

[buckry]

It just got a little darker and it does make the pond glow, it looks amazing. Well shoot, they just don't make em like they used to. All right, I guess tomorrow I'll pull them out and let them dry and them drown them in caulk.

 

[brandonsdad02]

My photos suck and I've little clue what I'm doing. My camera is really old and don't even know what would be a good starting camera, if one would be better for pond pictures. I know there's been threads on this, but I'd rather learn from multiple sources.

Its not the camera that you use, but its what you can see in your view finder. Its what you can see in your mind. There have been many times I'll be driving and wish that I had my camera with me. Fall is one of my favortie seasons. So many colors and so much activity in nature. I'm a photographer also, mainly to landscape and nature pictures. I have a Canon Power Shot SX10IS that I use for my pictures. I haven't taken college classes or edit any of my pictures except for the settings on my camera. My favorite things to shoot are old barns and black and white pictures.

 

[buckry]

Ahhh yes, old barns. You must be in the midwest too. Let me ask you this, when was the last time you took a picture of a train?

Yeah, honestly I only pull out my D300 when I'm getting paid, all other photos are on a little casio thing I've had for 3 years, and I can do 99% of the same things on that one as I can with the Nikon. Defintely the key is in your eye.

 

[brandonsdad02]

I have had great luck with LED pond lights. I have 2 sets that I bought last year and they are still going strong. I left them outside in the bottom of the pond last winter and they were encased in ice for part of the winter. I bought some of the halogen pond lights this year and they are junk. I had one set that the bulb burned out in 6 days. I returned them and got my money back. I want to get all LED lights and hopefully longer than 3 lights per string. I have 4 strings in my pond now.

 

[brandonsdad02]

I'm in central Iowa. Just 10 mins south of Des Moines. I spent most of my teen years in Marion County. Lake Red Rock area.
I haven't taken a picture of a train for a long time, but I love rail yards

This was a one room school house that kids burned to ground a few weeks after I took this

 

[buckry]

I try to avoid it, every photographer in town chases trains all over the state, but yeah empty tracks can be cool.

 

[brandonsdad02]

Sorry to hijack your thread.