I have a great deal of interest in digital photography, but my life is as crazy as anyone else’s. My son, family, and work keep me busy from dawn to midnight every day. I’ve never had time to cultivate any photography skills, even though I’ve always been very interested, sitting on the edge of my seat, if you will, for a chance to take some digital photos in order to learn a little about how capturing light can create astonishing works of art.

My interview with Matthew Danser had given me my long sought “excuse” to try out some photography techniques. But it also required that I put in an honest effort. The thought in the back of my head: These photos are going to suck. Probably a lot. And they will most likely be seen by the thousands of people who visit this blog monthly. Second gulp.

But I’m the kind of person so riddled with ADHD that even my paranoia about being judged on a mass scale can only last about three minutes before the audacity to try anything resurfaces and action is taken. So here’s what happens when a total amateur who has no idea what he is doing tries to “Paint with Light.”

A one-dollar flashlight from – you guessed it – the Dollar General. One dollar. Even. Gotta love it. Especially since it’s all I could afford, seeing as how I’m still paying off the aforementioned Nikon that I bought to take photos of our baby son. (True, a million pictures have been taken of him during his first year-and-a-half on Earth. However, 999,999 of those photos were taken with an iPhone. Go figya.)

THE PLAN, STAN:

The plan was to wait until it was dark in the apartment and do some light painting. I knew that I could use the Shutter mode on my camera to set it to take exposures of up to thirty seconds. I saw that my camera also had an option for bulb release, so, invoking Danser, who recalls how his girlfriend had to hold down the button on his camera for a full thirteen minutes, I determined that if I asked really nicely, I might be able to persuade my wife to hold down the trigger to get exposures longer than thirty seconds. Otherwise, thirty seconds was my window of time to do all the light painting I could.

I started off pretty timidly. I had seen photos online in which people used long exposures to create squiggly lines. The most popular examples are pictures of traffic at night, headlights and tail lights streaming, giving you a sense of the fluid motion of busy intersections. You’ve also seen those nature pics in which streams and rivers and clouds and stars become gauzy with movement because of long exposures.

But what I really like about Danser’s work is the use of color. The effect of running inside the hut and popping off red-gelled flashes shown at the beginning of this blog post (Matthew Danser! And happy lightpainting, everyone!

You are only as bright as the company you keep, and Carol Saggiamo knows how to keep customers shining brightly.  She loves her customers, and they rave about her.

She has been working for Capitol Lighting for over 36 years, and she remains a valuable member of the Capitol Lighting family.

Carol with one of her biggest fans, Joanie Silver.  Carol and Joanie worked together in the 1980’s at Capitol Lighting’s Woodbridge store.  Like Carol’s customers, Joanie treasures Carol’s friendship.

After having raised a family of her own, Saggiamo began looking for a new venue in which to invest her time.  She came to Woodbridge Center and started working for Capitol Lighting as a part-time saleswoman in the late 1970’s.

She quickly caught on to the retail lighting business, learned the vendors and how to provide the right illumination according to her customers’ needs.

She was nicknamed “Scoots,” for her quick attentiveness to customers and boundless energy.  Along with this attentiveness, Carol’s natural goodness –her smile, her gentle demeanor and her whole-hearted care–are extraordinary.  At 89, she shows no signs of slowing down or burning out!

Her spunk and salesmanship, along with her good taste and wisdom are main reasons why customers rely on Carol.  She befriends everyone and genuinely cares that she provides him or her with the right lamps and light fixtures.

Carol navigates a showroom with style and grace; she seems to be in perpetual motion.  Keeping up with technology, keeping up with current events, keeping up with customers—her capacity for learning and enjoying life are awe-inspiring.

Beyond her work with Capitol Lighting, Carol is in great demand at home.  With 8 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and an abundance of family and friends, Carol lives each day to the fullest.

Carol celebrates with Hy Goldman at Hy’s 100th birthday party.

With her bright smile and depth of character, Carol creates an atmosphere in which you want to dwell.

Carol Saggiamo exudes kindness and compassion; she genuinely loves people.  She never tries to make a sale, she looks to make a friend and build a trusting relationship.  One relationship at a time, she makes the world a brighter place.

Her customers travel far and wide to consult with her about their lighting.  They know that with her good taste, professional lighting know-how and honesty, she will help them find what they are looking for.

Along with Carol, all the employees of  Capitol Lighting strive to provide customers with outstanding service and quality.  We appreciate your business, your loyal patronage and your friendship.  Please let us continue to light up your life, and enjoy 10% off your entire purchase at all showroom locations as we celebrate Customer Appreciation Month.

WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS!  THANK YOU FOR SHARING AND TRUSTING US WITH YOUR LIGHT…

Customers are kicking up their heels with Eric Lebersfeld and Capitol Lighting’s latest illuminations.

Eric Lebersfeld of Capitol Lighting shares a treat with favorite customers.

Loyal patrons of Capitol Lighting find what they are looking for to keep them in the limelight.

Explosion proof fixtures are a necessity for environments which output potentially explosive or flammable fumes, produce dust of dirt in the air, or similar situations in which a gas could enter the fixture and cause damage to the light or well-being of the facility.

If you are currently running or working with a facility which requires these explosion proof light fixtures, the list of 3 must-haves below will clear the air and hopefully set you on the right track to ensuring you have the proper setup and design.

First on the list, we are going to talk about the actual technology within the fixture and why it is so important.

While a big part of vapor proof lights is the actual fixture and its design, we think the luminaire within the fixture is equally as important.

We simply can’t recommend any other technology other than LED because we truly believe in it. To give you a little bit of insight on industrial LEDs, here are some of the reasons why companies of all sorts are converting to LED:

As you can see, just from these three main benefits that all sorts of facilities are realizing can really be game changing in terms of savings.

For these reasons (and more), we thought it was a must to have it first on the list.

Interested in learning more? Find Class 1 Div 2. For this reason, we suggest you always inquire with a reputable and knowledgeable company that offers and deals with explosion proof lighting when inquiring about your lighting project.

If you can’t find a reputable company to ask your questions, just LED explosion proofs offer the long-term solution is clear.

Especially when you consider in rebates, your initial upfront investment can be reduced greatly. While these rebates do vary from place to place, they are most often available when you buy DLC qualified fixtures. Not only are DLC qualified fixtures going to make you more eligible for rebates through your utility company, but they also provide other benefits. The biggest benefit of buying DLC qualified lights is they have ben tried and tested and, in most cases, do what they claim. In a busy world of lighting, not all products do exactly what they say. This is most common when a light is not qualified by something like the DLC.

Our main advice is this; to get the best value buy only DLC qualified fixtures. If you don’t, you may actually end up spending more upfront (by not getting any rebates) as well as more energy usage overtime, due to a less efficient build.

Another major cost saver can come through retrofitting. The only time you can retrofit is if your fixture is still functional and can fit a LED retrofit in it. If you do not match these requirements, then a full replacement will (typically) be required.

If you can, we suggest you retrofit. It saves money in two ways: retrofit kits are cheaper than full fixture replacements and the cost to retrofit is typically less time consuming and thus, less expensive.

In Summary

We know that a sensitive environment can be stressful to deal with, especially when it comes to the lighting system and the safety of the facility.

The above 3 must-haves are just the beginning, and each situation can vary greatly. As always, we suggest you consult with some lighting professionals to truly discover what you may require for your facility and operations.

The London Olympics are certainly on the tip of nearly everyone’s tongue (and Courtesy of FrenchArt-Deco.com

This piece, entitled “Swimming Pool” by French artist Albert Decaris won gold in the Engravings and Etchings competition.

In 1949, the International Olympic Committee decided to stop all art competitions, reasoning that it was illogical to let professional artists compete, while only amateur athletes were eligible. Instead, cultural festivals replaced the art competitions, and still do to this day. There’s still a chance for the best of the best artists and entertainers to showcase their stuff on an international stage, and for lighting designers, this is certainly a world class exhibition. 

LED is the light source that’s in it to win it this summer, wowing Olympic fans with spectacular light shows and festive monuments alike.

At the opening ceremony, LEDs were at the center of almost everything. The dove bikes used LEDs to light up their wings as they performed a circuit of the stadium.

LEDs lit the screen showing the Queen’s acting debut, with none other than James Bond.

Even on the sidewalk outside the main Olympic Stadium, there are 20 circular slabs that capture the kinetic energy of pedestrians’ footsteps to light up nearby LED lamps for 30 seconds at a time!