# My lighting sucks, and other self pity



## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

Another year has rolled around and I am again worried that my lighting will suck, largely due to the big ass street light one house over from mine that casts an amber glow over my house, the other reason being that I am using blue floods and blue CFLs to light up the yard and house and they just seem to be washed away by the street light. I need to invest some cash into some serious lights, these $7 floods from HD arent cutting it. Its just a money issue, but Im thinking it might be worth it.

I know I need to go and read Skull and Bones tutorial again, I just dont see any way of getting around this, my main cemetery area is ok, but about half of the driveway and the house are too bright from the street light. 

I also just dont feel like Im making a big enough impact visually from last year in general, I didnt get much done apparently, just some columns and a gargoyle. Im getting that feeling of 'why did I spend so much time and effort on this, its nowhere near the high level that I wanted' feeling.

Ok, pity party over, just venting, I hate the feeling of being obsessed with something daily and then not seeing the fruits of my labor, I know it will look better than 98% of the houses in my neighborhood (except DarkRose Manor which is close by, God they are awesome) but its not at the next level yet. Time and money, and next house I buy is going to be on a dark street!!! 

Thanks for allowing me to vent, you lunatics are the only other people that can feel my pain. Happy Haunting my brethren.


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## scarrycher (May 30, 2012)

LOL, I hope you feel better now! and I feel your pain, I have some of the same issues except my yard is too dark and dont have enough lite!!.
It will be ok!! this lunatic's haunt is not working out as I see it in my minds eye either..
Good luck!!


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## Sytnathotep (Oct 10, 2011)

Check out the Yard Haunt Lighting PDF here, In it is a setup for dealing with amber street lights. Maybe it will help.


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

Trust me, your Haunt will look "small", incomplete and not achieve a high level to you and you alone. Take it from a craftsman that has done home improvements on a gargantuan scale. I can see every mistake, every pimple on any work I do. Everyone else that sees it is just amazed by the "awesome" skills that I just do not see. Its is the fate of any artist. We are our own worst critics. And believe me, Haunting is art in its truest form.


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## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

Thanks for the kind words, I was looking at the yard tonight with most of the lights on and its going to be fine, its going to be a house that alot of people would never make and it should be pretty cool. I know what you mean about the artist not liking the art that they make, we can be our own worst enemy/critic. 

Im not that down on my haunt, it will be better than last year, albeit not as drastic as I wanted, but without more time and money its just the way it goes, its just a thing I go through it seems every year, its a let down sometimes, esp after HW. I dont know what it is, I love it but at times it drives me nuts.


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## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

Thanks for the SKull and bone tut link, Ive looked at it a dozen times, for some reason I just cant get it working for me like Rob does. Ill look again, maybe the 13th time will be the Trick!


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## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

One last thing, it seems that the lit from above theory is prevalent with Rob, I have seen plenty of good down lighting done, ie. Pumpkinrot I think, and his stuff always looks good. Its hard to get a spotlight in a tree though, it seems like my lights look like lights in a yard rather than the whole scene awash in a cool blue cemetery light, the goal.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

What if you stick the floods behind a tombstone or two and shoot them *sideways* (but not pointing towards the sidewalk/approach to your house) to wash the area?? I've done that to combat my streetlight.


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## Wyatt Furr (Jun 5, 2006)

I though the streetlight across from the house messed with my lighting too, until the nieghbor took some photos last year. The "orange" lighting in the forground is the streetlight.


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## R. Lamb (Oct 11, 2011)

I'll bet your lighting isn't even half as bad as YOU think it is. Heck, just this evening I was focusing lights when my Wife came home, All the lights were red ( I have LED Pars) and she thought that It was wonderful. I added a few green and blue spots and what I thought was boring became WOW! That also takes into account the big street lamp on the other side of my street.


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

I was having this problem. I switched from the cheap wal-mart floods to the home depot CFLs. World of difference, in my opinion. Wal-mart sells CFL lights, but they are not as good as the ones I bought at Home Depot. They're too pale and washed out looking, while the HD ones are bright and vibrant. Hope this helps you out!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:We are our own worst critics. I would love to see pictures...let us be the judges, I am sure your display is wonderful! You are just too close to your design and the picture you have in your mind...that happens to me all the time... I am sure it is way better than you think it is.


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## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

It should look pretty much like this, except I added more CFLs, blue, and I am putting stones on the other side of the driveway with a spot or two. I guess it doesnt look too bad in these pics, but in person the other night it just seemed OK. Thanks for the input, awesome haunt btw Wyatt, looks amazing, I am surprised I havent seen it before. Ill be checking out more. Are you in AZ?

Halloween 2011 - a set on Flickr


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## camsauce (Oct 16, 2009)

I think your display looks great. I'm with the others on here that would suggest working with the light you do have. 

If you are set against the light, what if you made a giant reaper or bat and suspended it on a post that is near or the same height as the lamp post? This way it would act as an umbrella of sorts and block out the light from the street light. That or, throw a rope over the top of the existing streetlight and hoist the reaper/bat on the street itself - flagpole style.


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## darkrosemanor (Oct 7, 2008)

Can't wait to see your pics, Sam!!! 2011 looked fantastic! 
Believe me, we feel your pain about the streetlight, we have one just over our yard as well. We just figured out that we needed to stop competing with it and try to figure out a way utilize it instead. 
Sometime it works and sometimes it doesn't... either way, your photos from last year were awesome, so I'm sure that this year's will be too! (And thanks for the compliment earlier on in the thread. ;-)


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## pagan (Sep 9, 2009)

I think that things look great. I think maybe your eye is being drawn by the flare of the bare bulb in the light. An old metal paint can painted flat black and with a hole cut into the bottom makes a great cheap hood to help cut own on the flare. I saw a tutorial on this somewhere, i will try to find the link.


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## pagan (Sep 9, 2009)

Here are a couple of ideas..

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-cheap-home-made-par-can/

http://www.ehow.com/how_5002456_make-stage-light.html

Good luck!


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## Death Master (Jul 1, 2007)

I have a street light that washes out my haunt too. I use a blue gel made into a sock big enough to go over the street light and put it on with a telescoping pole I use to change out my recessed lighting outside, I put it on the end of the pole with tape slide it over the light and pull until the tape comes off the gel or pole and the gel stays until I get it later on in the evening.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

Death Master said:


> I have a street light that washes out my haunt too. I use a blue gel made into a sock big enough to go over the street light and put it on with a telescoping pole I use to change out my recessed lighting outside, I put it on the end of the pole with tape slide it over the light and pull until the tape comes off the gel or pole and the gel stays until I get it later on in the evening.


Heh, interesting idea. Is it legal?


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## RandalB (Jun 8, 2009)

austenandrews said:


> Heh, interesting idea. Is it legal?


It's always better to ask forgiveness than ask for permission...

RandalB


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## The Red Skull (Dec 23, 2010)

I'm with you all the way, my friend. However, we have to remember that while we see every missed brush stroke, every scuffed prop, and hear every mistake in our soundtrack, the people that come to see our haunts are very appreciative and don't see any of those things. 
Thanks to hurricane Sandy, many of the things that I had made or wanted to do for this year's haunt had to be scrapped and a very scaled back version set out. I was disappointed that I was only using a sliver of the front yard instead of wrapping around the house. My new 6' X 8' stand alone crypt had to be modified into an 8' facade that was screwed into the Garage. It was a bit disheartening...
But every kid that came through enjoyed it and said thank you. Every parent marveled that I went to "such lengths" for the kids. And I got a compliment at the poling place on election day from a parent that recognized me...
I guess it was all in my head, and it almost ruined the night for me. 

As for the street light problem. Do you have a back yard? Can you decorate back there and bring the kids around your house? Not being able to see the haunt as they approach it may heighten their anticipation, and you'll have a darker area to work with.

Hang in there!
Red


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## Rage (Oct 23, 2012)

Just a little off subject, when I was a kid we had a streetlight at the end of our driveway, we found out that if we "stomp" the pole hard enough the light went out until it was reset the next night. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that you try this with your neighbor's light...........ut uh not me.


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