Lighting a framed print

[adam z]

I am assuming this is the best place to put this topic. WHat I want to know is the best possible way(s) to light a framed finished print. I want to offer a premium service to my portrait clients to not only have their portraits mounted and framed using the highest quality archival materials, but after helping them choose a suitable print size for their chosen wall space, to also have the chance to have lighting installed (by partnering up with a qualified electrician of course) to show of their new portrait in the best way possible.

What I know is that I would want the light source to be of a colour temperature so that the print is shown as intended. What I don't know is what will be the best way to light them as I think it will be best if they are evenly lit rather than a spot effect that is sometimes used.

Hope someone can help

Thanks in advance

Adam

[Wills]

Have a look at the SoLux Framing Art Lighting range

[ckimmerle]

Are you suggesting people are going to want to have new lighting fixtures installed into existing walls/ceilings? That will cost hundreds of dollars and can easily reach four figures if there are problems. Sheetrock will have to be removed, then replaced, in some sections to facilitate wiring of the fixture as well as the switch. If there is no junction box nearby, count on even more having to be removed/replaced. If there is an attic space above, the job will be easier, but if not, then it's going to get messy and expensive.

Of course, there are alternatives such as surface-mount wiring (if the homeowners don't mind conduit running along the walls and ceilings), but that isn't very attractive and draws attention to itself. Retrofitting an existing fixture will be much less expensive, but it has to be in the right position. A doubtful prospect given that most rooms have only a single ceiling box from which to hang a light fixture.

A far more reasonable option would be a frame or wall mounted light, with an in-line switch, which would plug into a household wall socket, such as:
http://www.lightingdirect.com/westinghouse-75053-in-line-switch-display-picture-light/p99170

[fetish]

unless the clients actually request for such services, i would advise not packaging it in your standard service.
you can recommend/suggest some options, but try not to get involved with the actual decision making.

adding lighting fixtures to a home can be a potential can of worms if not handled properly.

so unless you're working with an interior design company who's advising your client regarding the decor/fittings, we printers should stick to printing / framing alone.

just my opinion. 

[adam z]

Thanks for your answers. I was thinking it might be an idea as an optional add on, not part of any "standard packages" as I am targeting the high end of the market. I thought there may be a chance that they would like their artwork/photos at home to be displayed as if they were in a gallery if not in better light. Might do a little market research as well as talking to some electricians before I make any final decisions.

[JohnHeerema]

I believe that best practice for print display is to use a framing spot. It's more expensive than some other options, but it lets you adjust the light pattern to exactly cover the print. Depending on the size of the print, you may need more than one to get the illumination levels you want. Track is easier to install, but residential clients might prefer traditional mounting to an octagon box. I think that Solux has a discussion on their web page of the pros and cons of various color temperatures, and I'm pretty sure that it has been discussed here as well.

Others in this thread have offered some sensible caveats on the potential downside to getting involved in lighting installation. On the plus side, if you can partner with a good electrical contractor, I think that it would be a great service to offer your clients. A lot of electrical contractors are not that great at retrofit installations, so if you can team up with a good one, your clients might be quite interested.

[bill t.]

I visited a corporate client recently.  My 38 x 76 canvas in the reception area was illuminated with no less than 8, 150 watt mushroom bulbs quite close in!  It was positively hot to the touch.  Fortunately it was still in one piece.  And also way too bright for the room.  The original 2 spots that were there during the installation looked much nicer.

While I tend to side with those who advise caution, it would have been nice to have a little more control in that situation.  My fondest hope is that as bulbs burn out they will not soon be replaced.

Of course, the more usual situation is that the piece is installed on a wall with no direct light at all, with little hope of ever getting any.  Ugh.

You just can't win most of time when it comes to lighting, and that's a fact.

Happy New Year!  May all your artwork be properly illuminated in 2012!

PS yes I've seen those little framing spots.  Some have barn doors and others have little slider things you can adjust.  Some even have a zoom lens.  Frames the piece perfectly.  In a dark enough room it's like nothing else exists except the artwork.  Peter Lik uses them in the upstairs gallery at Caesar's Palace.

[BarbaraArmstrong]

You can talk with electricians, but their expertise is in the installation of fixtures, wiring, and electrical connections.  They will be enthusiastic because they will be interested in getting the business.  It is lighting designers whose expertise is in the selection and placement of fixtures/bulbs.  It is these latter decisions you should be more concerned about, and which your upper-end clients will certainly be more concerned about.  In fact, your clients will probably want to use an electrician they have already employed in their home.  That would be my choice.  My experience with lighting designers, however, is that they love the newest thing, which is the tiny fixtures with MR-16 bulbs, which tend to create the "spot" effect you want to avoid.  If you emphasize the effects you want and don't want, you can get good advice.  Getting excellent lighting is a wonderful thing, but this is not an easy subject to tackle.  --Barbara

[bill t.]

the tiny fixtures with MR-16 bulbs, which tend to create the "spot" effect you want to avoid.  If you emphasize the effects you want and don't want, you can get good advice.  Getting excellent lighting is a wonderful thing, but this is not an easy subject to tackle.  --Barbara

Additionally the MR-16 bulbs require a separate 12 volt supply, usually built into the lighting head for track light versions.  Those supplies add a lot of additional things that go wrong.

Even though most MR-16 bulbs you can buy at the home supply stores are rather spotty, you can get ones that are more on the flood side, but it's usually special order.  FWIW I believe Solux offers MR-16's.

There is a MR-16 variation called GU-10, about the same size but with a bayonet locking system and they run on household 110V instead of 12 volts.  The home supply chains around here only carry the flood versions.  The big downside is that for whatever reason they are overly rich in the green part of the spectrum and will make your prints look positively strange.  Avoid them at whatever cost.  Also, all those little bulbs have dichroic reflectors which tend to throw a rainbow pattern around the edge of the light cone.  And the funny, ripply light cones you get from MR-16 and GU-10 are inferior, you need a larger bulb to get a nice smooth wash across the field.

My favorite lights are PAR35 Halogen bulbs.  They are much larger than the teensy bulbs and have a standard household screw-in base.  They are small enough to fit into track lighting fixtures designed for larger bulbs so you can get lots of airflow inside the cans and much better bulb life than say with a PAR50 or PAR75 squeezed into the typical too-small fixture can.  The extra reflector size seems to minimize the dichroic rainbow.  They come in 12, 24, and 36 degree wide versions so you can easily field lights at different distances.  If you can get enough distance, a 35 watt, 12 degree spot will put a surprising amount of light on the art, and not so much on the wall.  If you're running a gallery, the light bill is a Big Thing, so let's not throw photons away lighting the darned walls.  And as many (but not all) gallery owners know, dramatically spotted artwork sells.  

[BarbaraArmstrong]

FWIW, I use a Par-30 Frosted Halogen Flood by Bulbrite, with a color temperature that I haven't measured but which strikes me as not very far off from incandescent, just a bit cooler, in recessed ceiling cans, some with a lid to serve as wall-washers on artwork.  These are 50-watt on dimmers, with, as Bill says, the regular sockets and no need for voltage reduction.  I've been very hapy with them. --Barbara

[adam z]

Thanks again for the further information. I am thinking about trying a few in my home to light my wedding photos a limited edition art print that my wife got for me. I am guessing that way I will see not only how the lighting works (or doesn't work), but I will see if it is practical or not too. I will keep everyones contributions to this post in mind.

Adam

[bill t.]

Another important issue is how much importance you want to impart on the image in relation to the space it's in.  A brightly lighted image in a very dark room makes the space all about the image.  The balance of importance between print and space slides to a more equal footing as the relative brightnesses become more equal.  While the wow factor of a bright image in a darkish room can be pretty intense, you need to think about whether or not it's a good thing over the day-to-day long haul.