A Few More Outdoor Lighting Options To Consider For The Backyard, Part 3

There are many different outdoor lighting styles to choose from that one can get overwhelmed or flustered by the choices. If you have an outdoor theme, try to stick with the theme or environment you are trying to create. This will add a dramatic and unique look to your outdoor landscape. The first two articles discussed fire pots, torches, and solar lighting as alternatives to traditional outdoor lighting when decorating. This is the third article installment about outdoor lighting, highlighting lanterns and lamps.

A lantern is a portable light used to illuminate rooms or surrounding areas. An outdoor lantern gives the yard a classic and traditional feel. Lanterns add subtle lighting when enjoying a summer meal, or lounging around the deck. Here are few kinds of lanterns to gaze at:

Parasol Stained Glass Lantern

Bring a bold and cheerful splash of color and light with stained glass outdoor lighting. They are stylish alone, but when added together with the different colors, create a trendy glow. And all that’s needed to illuminate them are tea light candles. The colors that are available are green, amber, fuchsia, and turquoise. These lanterns can be placed on a tabletop or outdoor coffee table. They can also be used as a lighting decoration for the deck.

Iron and Glass Mosaic Lantern

A mosaic style stained glass lantern brings life to any outdoor evening setting. It is crafted from a durable steel frame that houses beautifully coined stained glass panels. The lantern’s hues give off radiance and add brightness—perfect for any season. It has a hinged door and sturdy iron ring, perfect for hanging, and accepts a candle that is 1 ½ inches in diameter. Set this lantern by a door outside your home, or on a tabletop indoors, and is a charming and quaint accent perfect for any occasion, big or small.

Gazebo Lights

Brighten up the frame of your gazebo with gazebo lights. These battery-operated lights will last for years without damaging your gazebo (LED bulbs do not burn hot). They are powered by a battery pack that includes four “D” batteries. They also run on rechargeable Ni-Cad batteries (batteries and charger not included). A total of 64 LED lights come with the kit and the bulbs can easily be installed in minutes. Sixteen lights line each post of the gazebo and meet at the top center of the gazebo canopy or steel frame. This set of gazebo lights are weather-resistant and will not attract insects to your outdoor gathering, allowing you and your guests’ time to enjoy the glow.

If you are looking for more of a traditional style of outdoor lighting, lamps are a great alternative. Outdoor lamps brighten up dark pathways and areas outside your home. Crafted from weather durable materials, lamps can withstand harsh weather conditions and will last a long time. Here are a few types of lamps to consider:

Park Lamp Post or Post Planter

Designed after and inspired by the Italian Renaissance, this magnificent patio lamp will add character and class to your backyard. The lamp can easily be moved from one location to another. It is weatherproof, and features a powder coated aluminum construction with a resin base. It boasts four lanterns for style and illumination. The brake resistant globes will provide years and years of lighting. The planter is made out of high density polyethylene for weather resistance and durability. The pole base holds forty pounds of sand for stability. There are two level dimming switches and includes a ten foot grounded cord plug.

Umbrella Sphere Light

A patio umbrella light lets you enjoy outside time with friends and family. Add a burst of illumination under your umbrella with this intelligently designed lighting system. Plenty of lighting is provided by multiple high intensity Super Bright LEDs inside a globe. There is a 180 degree swivel arm that allows you to position the lighting in more than one direction. The globes are break resistant and the set is weather resistant, and is good for either indoor or outdoor use.

Umbrella Lamp

If you want to create a mood for you and your significant other, an umbrella lamp is the perfect solution for having an intimate night out, right in your backyard! The umbrella lamp has three globe lights attached to a fixture that clamps on to any standard umbrella pole, up to two inches in diameter. The lamp is available in a battery operated design, or low voltage, 18 watt design with a 25 foot cable and plug.

With so many outdoor lighting styles and designs available, which one are you going to choose? Let Garden Winds help you make a decision on the type of outdoor lighting that is best suited for your backyard getaway. Information is available online, or our customer services are ready to help you answer any questions. Visit Garden Winds today for all of your outdoor and garden decorating ideas!

About the Author

Charmaine Ferrer is an associate writer for Garden Winds and The Lucky Clover Trading Co. For questions or comments, she can be reached toll free 877.479.4637.

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Umbrella Light Q&A

Does anyone know of a good recling umbrella stroller for a 3 month old?

I want to purchase a light weight umbrella stroller with the reclining function for my 3 month old. I bought one for my toddler when he was 6 months old but it reclined to far back once he could sit up. I just want to spend my money on one that will work now that he is small and one that he can grow into. Any suggestions?

Maclaren Triumph

What should I buy for DLSR?

I have a Canon Rebel XSi and i have the 18-55mm lens along with a UV filter and a Circular Polarizer. I want/need some other lenses and accessories for my camera. I thinking of getting umbrella lighting for portrait shots, but what else should I get?

Also, could you recommend a good fisheye lens as well as a flower hood?

I want to spend less than 200 for everything!!

PLEASE HELP ME OUT! ASAP!
perhaps an everyday lens?

Your demands far outweigh your budget. A good fisheye lens alone will cost you about three times what you have to spend... A $25 "fisheye" lens attachment from eBay is really a neat toy rather than a tool or an accessory.

So let me ask you a question - do you want to accessorize your camera just for the sake of accessorizing it, or to look "professional", or do you look for things you may want to use to actually improve your results a great deal?

If it's the former, I really can't help much, because whatever looks cool, is what you should get. If it's the later - I can recommend that you invest your $200 in a photography class at a local community college, if it offers one, or elsewhere. Doing that will get you going and will improve your results by order of magnitude better than any accessory you can buy without knowing the theory and having a little practical experience in photography. If no classes are available, spend it on good books and study on your own. It too will help you a lot!

Remember, that a camera and all that comes with it, are just your tools. The real photographer is you, and only your skill determines what you get. And then once you really know what you're doing, you are not going to have to ask what to buy. You'd probably know well what limits you the most. I would not rush and get more lenses today, before you know what your real style and passion is. That way you won't invest in a wrong piece of equipment.

LEM.
==-Edit-==
Your 18-55 is a good everyday lens to start with. You really don't know right from the beginning what other lens will be your thing. For some people (who enjoy wildlife, as an example) a good reach telephoto will be in order, for others (say architecture buffs) a serious wide angle is a must, yet another type of shooter (sports, indoor or low light photographer) will not be able to live without a fast lens (again, wide or tele, depending on what they do), a true macro lens will be a blessing for the ones taking close-ups, a prime lens is a must-have for portrait person, and a fisheye for those with serious creative ambitions... The list can go on...

So there is really no universal must-have lens for you. Once you get used to the camera, you will know better what part of your current lens limits your creative moves the most, and that's how you're going to know what to get.

All that said - 55-200IS is a very popular choice of a second lens by many beginning photographers. But again, it's not an everyday lens, it's that second lens someone liking medium to moderate close-ups will pick. If I were you, I'd wait and see what is good to get!

LEM.