Love is in the air, which has gotten me to thinking about lighting. (Come to think of it, what time of year doesn’t do that?) If Valentine’s Day always gives you a hankering to pop Gone With the Wind or your favorite rom-com into the DVD player, have you ever thought about what goes into making those romantic films?

Color temperature is one of the first things to note when studying the lighting in a romantic scene. Is it orange? Bluish? White? Most often, warm colors add to an inviting, romantic atmosphere. For example, the warm light in this sunset scene in Titanic draws the audience in, unlike the cold, blue lighting later in  the movie, after things get dire.

2. Brightness (and Shadow)

You can judge the quality of light in a film scene through the hardness or softness of its shadows. Hard quality light has dark shadows with sharp edges, and often feels more raw than soft quality light. Soft lighting, often used in older films, has lighter, diffused shadows and tends to feel more sentimental. If you’ve seen Casablanca, you know what I mean.

Of course, there are always exceptions to these rules.

Cool lighting can still be quite romantic in the right setting. Like in this still from The Notebook:

And with advances in film technology, sharp shadows can also be quite romantic. Case in point, this still from the end of the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice:

Kolb Electric, here, and we wanted to discuss a fairly common topic we’ve noted with our patrons as of late. We’ve been getting a lot of “Is this normal?” Or “Is this a common problem?” questions on our projects and calls recently. This got us to thinking; maybe people would be interested in learning a bit about what electrical problems our Baltimore electricians encounter regularly.

What would we consider to be a fairly normal issue? And what would be an oddball? Answers to this and more today in:

No problem is ever “normal’, per se. That’s why it’s a problem! But there are certainly some issues we see regularly:

So why do we feel like it’s a good idea to clue you in on our most common repairs? Partially because information is fun, but mostly because problem is the key word here. Understanding that these common issues are indeed problems that should be looked into by our Baltimore electricians is important.

Any instance of poor wiring, flickering lights, under-maintained equipment or general electrical funny business should be addressed right away! Leaving them alone or ignoring them can be hazardous, or can lead to much larger electrical problems. So have them handled by a pro right away!

If you note any of the issues we mentioned today (or any other electrical problems), contact the certified Baltimore electricians at Kolb today! Our experts can have your electrical appliances and wiring in perfect working order in no time at all!

At Kolb Electric, we think it’s always interesting to see what types of calls come in each season. So with that in mind, we’ve put together a short list of the most common issues we take care of every winter, spring, summer, and fall. We hope you don’t have any of these problems any time of year, but if you do, call Kolb Electric!

Space heaters tripping circuit breakers – space heaters consume a huge amount of electricity, and if they are plugged into an outlet on an already overloaded circuit (one used to power holiday lights, for instance), they’re likely to cause it to trip. Circuits trip to prevent damage to the wiring of your electrical system, so knowing which outlets are on which circuits can prevent this from happening.

Kolb Electric offers circuit breaker repair »

Wet electrical connections shorting your GFCI – water and electricity don’t mix, and GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets are designed to trip if they get wet. If any electrical device in or outside your home gets wet it could cause part of your home to short out. Knowing where your GFCIs are located and which outlets they control, can remedy this problem. If not, an electrician is your best bet for pinpointing and correcting the problem.

Broken down AC – if your air conditioner suddenly stops working during the summer, the first thing you should do is check the breaker. If it’s tripped, shut off the thermostat and reset the breaker. If it trips again after you turn the thermostat back on, call an electrician.

Window AC tripping circuit breakers – like space heaters in the winter, portable window air conditioners use a lot of electricity. Labeling the breaker connected to high energy-consuming appliances will remind people not to plug things into the same circuit.

Trees falling on meter boxes and risers – DC area springs and falls come with pretty unpredictable weather, which in rare cases can end up in downed trees on your property. Even a light touch from a tree limb can rip the electric meter base and riser off of the outer wall of your house.

Replacing ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets –people like to test their GFCIs as part of spring and fall cleaning. So if you find any that need to be replaced, call Kolb Electric!

If you have any electrical problems in Maryland, DC, or Virginia, at any time of year, there’s only one name you need to know: the DC electricians at Kolb Electric!

Fresh off his Jamaican cruise, Kevin is part of our new construction team.  On Kevin’s off time he enjoys skydiving, skiing, playing paintball and is an avid outdoorsman.  Kevin has competed in the national craft championship and has also began teaching night electrical classes at Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa or ABC.

Kevin is an excellent electrician and proficient at rough in and final trim wiring.  Kevin has a keen eye for details and always does his best to make sure the job gets completed to perfection.  He takes pride in his work and always does his hardest to make customers happy.  Thank you Kevin!  Thank you for being a critical part of Custom Electrical Services!

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