Gallery Lighting?

I am in the process of preparing a retail location in Estes Park which I will be using as a gallery through the summer. I have a few tracks for lighting and need to add a few others. What type of lights are best for a gallery setting? I've heard of a couple different types of bulbs which might work well, but am unsure of which is best. I'd also be interested to hear of any other general thoughts on what should be considered in setting up gallery lighting. Thanks!

Contrary to what most people think, the correct way to light a gallery is to use outdoor floods, and have them pointing directly into the eyes of the viewer. That way they squint really hard and your photos/art work/whatever look even better. Or so I've heard.

You may be on to something Todd. I guess the other option to save on electricity would simply be to offer people blindfolds when they come in.

Erik, many prefer MR-16 halogen bulbs for this purpose.

Guy

HI Erik, I heard it is snowing up there so I cancelled my shoot today - good call?
Here is a link I found that covers art lighting and many other topics of interest.
http://www.drloriv.com/advice/light.htm
It seems low watage hallogens are a good choice.
I hope your gallery does well!
John

Erik, In the past I've used 75 watt halogen spotlights and floodlights. But, they run $8.00 each at Walmart and do not last very long. You also need at least one or two bulbs aiming at each photo on the wall which can really add up. This past Christmas, I tried out the new compact flouresent outdoor floodlights that you can buy at Costco or Sams. They use only 23 watts each but put out 150 watts of light. It was amazing how they lit up the photos. I didn't see any "green tint" that is typical from the flouresent bulbs. Although, when I took a photo of the setup, the green tint does show up on film. They run only about $5.00 each and will last 10-20 times longer than any halogen. This is also what I'm switching to in the art show booth. And, you don't need nearly as many to fully light up a gallery or booth.

It should be noted that these bulbs are big so be sure you have cans that can hold them. The ones I used were too small so the bulbs stuck out the end of the cans but nobody noticed.

I drove by your gallery last Sunday on the way out of town but no photos yet. When's the grand opening? Good luck!!!!!

Eric, I've always loved your work. I'm looking forward to seeing it displayed when I get out there this June. You'll have to let me know where you plan on setting up shop. I've dealt with Sandy, of Photos by Sandy, in the past, and look forward to getting to know another Estes Park photographer.

Good luck, and I look forward to meeting you.

Mike

Thanks for the helpful information! I'll give the various suggestions some thoughts and then pick them up early next week. All the construction work inside is done, just finished the primer and texturing about 20 minutes ago and on Monday I'll start painting. When I get close to the opening, I'll post some photos and information. Thanks again guys!

Definitely look into Solux bulbs. They are MR-16 format and color balanced to daylight. I use these in my studio for evaluating prints, too. They are about $7 each.

https://www.solux.net/cgi-bin/tlistore