Lighting Questions

How Many Uplights Do I Need For My Event?

February 11, 2014 By Brian King Leave a Comment

Thompson/Hamlin wedding April 7th, 2013 Atlanta, GA. NFL player Kenneth Hamlin. Featured on Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta — Before and after uplighting. Always think of specific room features like columns that may need more lights.

Determine exactly how many uplights you need using our easy to use calculators below.

You have three different ways to determine how many uplights you’ll need for your event.

Room Dimensions
Total Square Feet
Number of Guests

How many uplights you’ll need will generally be more accurate when based off of room dimensions than off your total guest count.

Many venues will provide you the exact dimensions of a space usually given in ft x ft. With this calculation we use the following method to determine how many uplights you’ll need. This is widely viewed as the most accurate way to estimate how many lights you’ll need.

Most venues provide you with the total square footage of the space(s) you’re renting. Based off the square footage you can get fairly accurate approximation of how many uplights you’ll need using the following formula. This method does not account for specific room features you might want to highlight like columns, alcoves, stages, or other architectural elements you might need to highlight with additional lights.

Generally this is the least accurate of all the ways to estimate uplighting. It doesn’t take into account specific room features that may impact the overall lighting effect.

Example of how many uplights you'll need in a room. — Example of how many uplights you’ll need in a room using the formulas on this page.

How many uplights? Look at the big picture.

There are differences in each way of determining the number of lights needed for a space. Every space is unique and ultimately we can help you figure out exactly what you need.

Think about the space you’ll be in. Look for photos of the space online or take photos on your visits to the space.

Are there columns in the room?
Are there alcoves or other abnormalities that might need more lights to make the room feel balanced?
Are there multiple levels to the space?
Are there stage areas or bumpouts in the room that would need more lighting?
Do you want lighting for an exit, under table lighting, or other focal areas you want uplighting?
Are there multiple rooms you need to light?
Can you move or reuse lights between spaces?

When uplighting columns generally you’ll need one uplight for smaller columns (columns you can hug) or columns up against a wall. You’ll need 2-4 lights for columns you can half hug or for larger columns you’ll need 4 or more uplights. This is because columns are round and multiple sides are exposed to guests. To get an even look around the column you might need to have lights on either side of a column or all around the entire column.

Bottom Line

Using the methods above you should be able to get a good idea of how many uplights you’ll need for your event and the approximate cost of uplighting. Contact us using the form on the right to get in touch about specifics of your space and what types of uplighting might be a good fit for your event.

How to Choose a Gobo Size

February 10, 2014 By Brian King Leave a Comment

side by side comparison of different gobo sizes — Side by side differences in gobo sizes.

The gobo size that you need is based on the light fixture that will project that gobo. Many traditional theater style lights like a Source 4 ellipsoidal light or LEKO light will use a size B gobo (about the diameter of a coke can). Cheap DJ effect lights like the Chauvet Zoom or American DJ LED gobo projector use a custom gobo size that is about the size of a dime.

Why different gobo sizes?

It’s based on the the power of the light source.

More powerful light sources use bigger gobo sizes because there is more light to shoot through a larger template and the template needs more surface area to dissipate heat. Stronger light sources result in a brighter, bigger image but often comes at the expense of a larger sized light fixture.

Small cheap effect lights like the Chauvet Zoom, American DJ Gobo Projector LED are not recommended. These lights use teeny-tiny gobo templates to project with limiting detail and brightness. These lights may look good in a small dark bedroom or living room but don’t hold up to real life events of more than 30 people.

monogram wedding reception lighting mount ida farm — Example of a D-sized transparency gobo used at an event results in an extremely clear image.

Smaller gobo sizes mean there is less physical space to print detailed images. Smaller gobos are better suited for blockier, less detailed designs like the cross shape used in the smallest gobo in our example photo. More detailed designs like those used for weddings are better suited to larger gobo sizes (E-size or bigger).

When considering a gobo light this is what we recommend:

E-Size or bigger gobo
A light fixture that supports multiple lenses
At least a 30w (LED) light source

Common gobo sizes

Here is a table of some popular standardized gobo sizes and common light fixtures that use those gobo sizes:

Letter Size	O.D. (mm)	I.A. (mm)	Notes
A Size	100	75
B Size	86	64.5	Standard Size for Ellipsoidal lights (Source 4, Source 4 Zoom)
M Size	66	48	Source 4 Jr.
G Size	65.5	48	For Clay Paky Goldenscans
D Size	53.3	38	Martin PR-1, LEDSpot 40
E Size	37.5	28	LEDSpot 25, LEDSpot 30
O.D = Outside Diameter; I.A. = Image Area

The OD (Outer Diameter) number is the diameter of the actual template itself. The IA (Image Area) number is the useable are that can be used to print the image used for the gobo. It’s important to know these numbers when ordering a gobo, especially the IA. The IA can change from light fixture to light fixture even for commonly used gobo sizes. Make sure you know the OD and the IA of the gobo size for your particular lighting fixture you’ll be using for your event. Also know what types of gobos your light supports.

chauvet zoom gobo 2.0 vs LED 40 — Gobo sizes compared showing a Chauvet Gobo Zoom 2.0 vs. the LED 40 lights Superlative Events uses.

Bottom Line

When ordering a gobo know the OD and the IA of the light fixture you’re using. Realize that larger gobo sizes can support higher levels of detail in the resulting image. Most corporate gobos are B-size.

Questions, corrections, comments? Let us know in the comments below.

How Can I Transform a Hotel Ballroom With Lighting?

February 6, 2014 By Brian King Leave a Comment

First dance at a wedding reston hyatt regency with uplighting. — First dance with uplighting, tree candles, and texture lighting.

Hotel ballrooms are designed to hold business meetings, weddings, corporate holiday parties, conferences, and any other number of events. Hotel ballrooms aren’t designed to look amazing for every event, they are designed to be nice enough to not notice the room itself.

Or you might have the opposite end of the spectrum with the hotel that went headstrong into branding the room with a very specific design style that most likely does not fit your event decor (we’re looking at you kaleidoscope carpet Marriott’s). That’s where the lighting comes in.

DIY, Outside Vendor, Hotel’s Vendors?

You have three options when considering lighting for your event. The most cost effective is DIY, using outside vendors is generally next expensive, or you can use the hotel’s recommended lighting vendor.

DIY lighting can be easy to transform a ballroom if you have the time and people to do it.

Leveraged DIY is an option that people don’t always consider. Use another one of your vendors, florist, planner, DJ, drape company to setup the lighting for you. They will already be there at your event and you can save on the labor costs that way. We’re more than happy to work with them so that you get the effect that you are looking for.

Outside vendors are usually the next best cost effective option. Expect to pay a premium for having someone come out, set up the lighting, come up with the lighting design, and make sure everything runs smoothly. Weddingwire.com is a great resource for finding lighting vendors and we usually send people there when looking for a vendor in their area.

reston hyatt before and after wedding lighting — Hotel ballroom before and after lighting.

Hotel lighting can be a very expensive endeavor. Not only do you have to pay for the lighting company, but you pay for the lighting company to rent space at the hotel to house their equipment, you pay for the hotel management, you pay a fee for having the hotel recommend the lighting to you, and you pay service charges on all of that. Hospitality speak it’s what ever the cost is plus plus.

From our price comparisons you’ll end up paying about a 35% to 55% premium to have the hotel provide lighting or A/V services for your event.

What Lighting Do I Need?

before and after lighting in smaller hotel ballroom — Before and after lighting in a smaller hotel ballroom.

By the time you are done planning your event you’ll be an expert in lighting. A good place to start is this article types of event lighting?that walks you through each step of types of lighting and what it creates.

Think of lighting as a way to enhance the features and design elements in your space and deemphasize elements that you don’t like. Hate the carpet and chairs? Use uplighting to draw guests eyes up and use texture lighting to add interest higher up on the walls so guests won’t notice the carpet or chairs. Then use candles or centerpiece lighting on tables to add extra light to each of the tables and draw guests eyes away from the elements you don’t like.

Find out how many uplights you’ll need?using our online uplighting calculators.

What Can Lighting Do?

Lighting can go a long ways to change elements of the room that can be very expensive to otherwise fix. Some elements it can fix are:

Big Space – Hotel ballrooms are notoriously large and cavernous devoid of feeling. Lighting helps warm the cold space up and helps make it more inviting.
Boring Walls / Air Walls – Airwalls and boring walls are perfect for texture lighting. Create the pattern and design that matches your other decorations on your walls with light.
Carpet – The entire floor is covered in it, uplights can fix them by bringing peoples eyes higher or changing the color of the carpet completely.
Chairs – Chiavari or similar replacement chairs can cost an extra $50-$100 per table, use uplighting at less than half the cost.
Dark Room – Sometimes venues are just dark. Lighting brightens up the space and makes it feel more warm and elegant.
Linens – Upgraded linens can cost $30-$120 per table, use uplighting to impart color and shimmer to standard white or cream colored linens.
Low Ceilings – Smaller ballrooms feel more like dungeons than ballrooms. Use uplighting’s vertical lines to make the room feel bigger and taller. Use a blisslight on the ceiling to make it feel more expansive and taller. Pin-spot centerpieces to make it feel more dimensional.
Ugly Art Filled Walls – Use light to control what people see. Cake spotlights, pin-spotlights, table spotlights can all redirect what people see and what they don’t see.
Terrible Lighting – Fluorescent lights are ugly. They make people look ugly, they make the venue look ugly, and otherwise are terrible light sources. Bringing in lighting will let you fix the bad lighting in a space.
Wall Color – Uplights can change the colors of any wall in an event space at the touch of a button.

cake spotlight with purple uplighting — W Hotel uplighting, pin-spots and cake spotlight at a wedding in Washington, DC.

Lighting can make a big huge difference in the look of your event space and is one of the most cost effective ways to transform the room. After all, no one can see your other decor elements if they are in the dark.

Transform Your Event

Whether your budget is $50, $500, or $5,000 we can help you find a cost effective way to light up your event and save money in the process. Check out all the diy lighting rentals we offer and what you can do to transform your event.

We’d love to hear what you think, leave your feedback, questions, or comments below.

Baby Announcement Design with Gobo Light

February 4, 2014 By Brian King Leave a Comment

two color pink and blue gobo template — Two color gobo template with circles that inspired the design.

We are expecting our first child and there is a lot of pressure that comes with that! The most pressure (so far) came from announcing our child to the world…

People expect designers to be creative, they expect us to do things that other people wouldn’t spend 5 seconds on, and they expect it to be amazing. In other words, pressure.

Any designer can tell you, it’s easy being creative for other people but being creative for yourself and for your future progeny is a whole different ball game.

The Concept

My wife Kari is the real designer in the family. She was on Etsy and was inspired by a great example of our last name “King” with a crown in the design on the front of a onesie. Going with the regal theme and the play on our last name she wanted it to say “Heir Apparent” somewhere and the expected date of our progeny.

It made it easier to think of Kari as the client and then coming up with ideas around her vision.

Making It

I knew that the design would require taking over our living room. We ordered the onesie and on the day it arrived Kari had to go to a work function and I thought it would be the perfect time to create the announcement and take over the house. ?I knew that I wanted a soft pink and blue in the background and I wanted to the shirt to really pop out of the background. I made the pink and blue gobo design so I could get the pink and blue aspect of the design to pop out of the background when projected with a gobo light.

I knew that the white onesie would have to be in focus while the background would need to be blurred. I used some twine and two lighting stands to hang the shirt from so I could get enough distance between the shirt and the background to get the blur effect right. I also knew I needed a ton of light specifically on the shirt so I could get a really high contrast look so I ended up using three of our cake spotlight rental lights.

I needed a wall to project on and a flat boring wall wasn’t interesting enough. I ended up using the curtains for our windows on the front of our house to project onto. The light did a really great job covering up the gray and white scroll pattern on the window treatment while adding some texture and interest in behind the colored circles of light.

I used a prime 50mm lens shot at f/1.8 so I could get a blurred background while keeping the shirt in focus.

king birth announcement crown onesie — The final birth announcement that we created.

The Final Result

As with most creative endeavors the devil’s in the details. I added some detail to the clothes pins holding the onesie to make them blue and pink, added a crown to the label on the shirt, enhanced the contrast and some colors as well as adding the text.

It helps having an entire inventory of lighting at my disposal, but thinking creatively with light can enable a number of design ideas and projects that would be otherwise impossible to do. Texture lighting like the gobo lights are infinitely versatile and we can help you come up with a way to use lighting creatively for your projects.

I think it came out pretty well and most importantly checked off the hardest part of having a child (so far). What do you think? Ideas, thoughts, comment below.

Will a Gobo Projection Show Up on Black Pipe & Drape?

January 30, 2014 By Brian King Leave a Comment

gobo projection on black pipe and drape — Gobo projection on black pipe and drape from 8ft away.

Many of our clients want to project their logos on to black or white pipe and drape and wonder if it will look good. Yes!?The results can look great!

The gobo projector is bright, crisp, and clear enabling it to look great on any surface. Corporate clients like our gobo lights because they are easy to transport and come with accessories offering a simple flexible setup for any space. You typically don’t see your booth space until you get to the tradeshow and the last thing you need to worry about is if your logo will show up correctly.

In this example we wanted to show the gobo light setup projecting in a real world situation. We used one of our client’s logos for the projection right before the light shipped out to their event.

Notice the terrible overhead fluorescent lighting, cramped space and thin black tradeshow banjo fabric. We projected from a distance of around 8ft away from the fabric (what you might typically have in a small booth space) using a narrow 15 degree lens. The resulting image was about 2.5ft across and looked really bright on the black fabric. You can control the size of the image using the included lenses in the light kit so if you need a bigger or smaller image you can change it quickly and easily.

In small tradeshow booths you can also project on the ceiling or the floor in front of your booth space to increase the size and visibility of your booth. Each light features a slow rotation option if you wanted to add a dynamic moving component to your logo.

Whether your fabric or surface you are projecting on is black, white, red, blue, green, yellow, magenta or plaid, your image will look bright, crisp and clear.

Lighting Questions

How many uplights? Look at the big picture.

Bottom Line

Why different gobo sizes?

Common gobo sizes

Bottom Line

DIY, Outside Vendor, Hotel’s Vendors?

What Lighting Do I Need?

Transform Your Event

The Concept

Making It

The Final Result

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