Enhance Garden Features with Cross Lighting!

Cross Lighting technique is used to pick out and highlight the beauty of a certain feature of the garden such as a statue, urn, gnarled tree trunk, bonsai, archway, etc. Cross lighting is similar to uplighting in that the light source is placed below and in front of the object to be lit. Instead of placing one light source directly in front of the object, two light sources are placed some distance apart in front of the object. This double beam of light from two different angles makes the object appear more three-dimensional and solid. The effect can be very appealing as the subject is lit from two sides, which not only highlights the feature but also softens it at the same time.

Cross lighting means placing the light source to the side of the subject so that the light beam shines across it. Cross lighting lights the feature from two sides. Multiple beams of light are used to show more detail. Place lights on either side of the object - a statue or a tree, for example. Having light from two different sources will soften the shadows and reveal more of the object being lighted. A soft cross lighting display, a direct spotlight, the magic of contrasting light and shadow-these are just a few of the infinite number of possibilities.

Cross lighting is achieved using two or more spotlights to light the feature from different angles and produces softer, more subtle shadows than spotlighting. This effect can also be used to make more detail of the feature visible. Use cross lighting to illuminate an interesting three-dimensional object that is typically lost in low to no light. Some of the more common items to spotlight outdoors are palm trees and you can now buy lights that strap right on to the base of the tree, making setup simple.