We live in a foothill area that gets very dark and I’m trying to choose lighting for both safety and looks. We’ve already done lighting on the house and the immediate front yard. The goal would be to have visibility through the oak trees at night and have an attractive set up when driving up to the house. Currently it’s close to pitch black in the areas which are here in the photos. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.
One or some combination of moonlighting (downlighting) or uplighting would create a stunning effect and also offer safety. I installed downlighting in trees along our driveway. Unfortunately, my nighttime photography isn’t the best but the first two photos here will give you a good idea of what it looks like on a driveway or walkway. It’s somewhat more labor intensive to install but once you’ve seen it on your property at night, you’ll fall in love. If you choose to rely on uplighting alone, this is one of the few times I recommend using fairly bright lamps (5W to 7W range or a bit higher). When you’re uplighting, you’re relying on light that bounces off the trunk and foliage of your trees. So if security is a priority, you don’t need to be as restrained with your lumens levels as you might want to be closer to your house. HTH
