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When he went to meet with the property handler, the project was framed as an outdated lighting system that was in disrepair.<\/p>\nPelham McMurry, president and founder of Light Up Nashville LLC, Madison, Tennessee, wasn\u2019t expecting the lead for the biggest job he\u2019s ever taken on to come a few days out from a planned vacation. But the winner of the Changing the Landscape Awards 2021: Lighting category sponsored by Brilliance LED is glad he took the time for the design.<\/p>\n
When he went to meet with the property handler, the project was framed as an outdated lighting system that was in disrepair.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of trying to piece it together and keep plugging along, they had come to the conclusion that it was time to replace the system,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Walking around the 220,000-square-foot area, he could see that the homeowner clearly had the means to work with an extensive lighting system, he says. In his world, clients don\u2019t often have a solid concept of the costs involved in a high-end lighting project, especially in what he provides with brass fixtures and LED lamps. McMurry, who has 14 full-time employees until the holiday lighting season, when he adds about 10 more seasonal staff to keep up with demand, was frank with the handler about the price, who in turn went to the owner of the estate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe handler told me that (the owner) wanted me to design the system like I would if it were my home,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd so I said OK and went to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the largest system install he\u2019s ever done, with a total of 380 fixtures done in two phases, thanks to the vastness of the property and the landscaping involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really a dream project for us because everything was so well-manicured,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s really well-maintained and that makes a big difference for our work. If trees aren\u2019t well-kept, a lot of time the light can get trapped and it doesn\u2019t really go through the tree.\u201d<\/p>\n
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When McMurry does his design work, he tries to plan in layers, he says. \u201cYou want to create layers with your lights, so you need depth, and this property had plenty of that,\u201d he says. The property had multiple mature trees to work with, which is an uncommon sight in middle Tennessee where much of the area has been logged. Not only were there trees that were native to the area, it was home to fully grown Japanese maples that were a much more uncommon sight. \u201cIt was a treat to have this house on the top of this hill that was encircled by mature woods. The palette we were working with was really ideal.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he developed his design, he walked the property and asked about the usage of different areas while taking notes and photos. He spent time looking for vantage points as people would be using the large circular driveway, the back patio or the woods behind it. \u201cI\u2019m looking for specific trees and landscape elements that are beautiful and will stand out.\u201d<\/p>\n
He presented his finished design plan to the estate owner, and it impressed her so much that she signed with him on the spot without requesting any revisions, he says. He doesn\u2019t do demos with his projects, and one on such a large property would\u2019ve been too difficult anyway. Instead, he uses a detailed overhead map of the property marking out his design, paired with photos from past projects used to illustrate what he\u2019s aiming for. He tries to avoid talking about specific Kelvin temperatures and other details with the client but appeals to the visual response from the client directly through those photos.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can show the client what they\u2019re getting,\u201d he says. \u201cInstead of seeing \u2018340 lights\u2019 written out on paper, you see it visually. I think the takeaway from it is that it\u2019s a well-thought-through design.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That overhead plan also worked as a detailed staging schedule for his crew, who installed the lights over the course of about nine days, he says. \u201cMy crews know what fixtures go where because each one of these symbols indicates a specific fixture with a specific finish and lamp. There\u2019s a lot going on. We don\u2019t want to give all that stuff to the client because it\u2019s more information than they need.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a property of this size, McMurry wanted to avoid the worry that it would be lit up like a theme park with giant, bright lights to cover the large, open spaces. He says the best way to design is to use multiple light sources with low lumen outputs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019m designing a system, I\u2019m always thinking about layers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
As an example, along the tree line in the woods behind the patio, he doesn\u2019t just use several bright lights shining into the trees. Instead, he added several dimmer lights fanning out into layers in stages of 30 yards or so, decreasing the lumen output as he went.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard for the eye to pass through one bright source of light,\u201d he says. \u201cWe want to make sure that it\u2019s experienced the right way. That\u2019s the kind of detail you have to go into to pull off a good lighting composition.\u201d<\/p>\n
When working with a large property especially, creating layers and being cognizant of lumen output means always erring on the side of lower output, he says.<\/p>\n
The property was so large that McMurry broke up the installation over a few steps using the aerial design, he says. Starting at the roundabout, they worked in sections, which helped them manage the workload as well as the required wiring.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt made it easier. The guys knew what the workers were doing for the day, and as they finished each section they moved on to the next. It was clearly beneficial for us to do this and detail the wire runs for them so everybody was on the same page and we were able to efficiently install the system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Breaking a large project like that up into smaller chunks has worked out for McMurry, as the number of errors has been much lower, he says. \u201cIt can be overwhelming even with a 100-fixture system, trying to digest that and get it done correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n
One particularly nerve-wracking part of the installation was the set of lion statues on limestone pedestals that the estate owner had purchased in Berlin and brought to the States in the 1980s. If he had lit the lions from the ground, the pedestal would block most of the light and cast shade on the lower part of the statue.<\/p>\n
The limestone shelf itself was also not a cheap investment.<\/p>\n
He carefully drilled into the shelf and wired up through it for an inset light, taking photos of each individual step to illustrate the complex process to his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike anything else, we did our homework,\u201d he says. \u201cBy the time we put the game plan together, I was very comfortable with it, and we executed it quite well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once the install was complete, there was one step left for McMurry: photography. He\u2019s been taking photos of his lighting work since he began doing holiday lighting in 2021, starting as part of an effort to reach a higher-class client.<\/p>\n \u201cI realized a long time ago that I needed professional quality photographs of my work in order to sell the type of clients that I do today,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat we sell isn\u2019t something you need, it\u2019s something you want. The type of clientele that gravitates toward this is usually well-educated, affluent people, and you can\u2019t sell those people by scratching a number on a napkin. It just doesn\u2019t work that way.\u201d<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t want to spend his evening doing lighting demos, so he decided to put a portfolio together.<\/p>\n He started with a much cheaper camera than what he uses now and read everything he could on nighttime photography, \u201cand then I practiced a lot,\u201d he says. He asked other experienced photographers for advice. Before his start in holiday lighting, he came from a marketing background, so he understood the value and impact of a visual image in selling a product.<\/p>\n He also learned how to edit photos to accentuate his work properly and made certain the photos were easy to access on his website to help sell potential clients on the beauty and quality of his work.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew it was necessary to grow the company,\u201d he says. \u201cIf someone is going to spend $10,000 or $50,000 with you, you have to give them proof. Without the examples of my work, that would\u2019ve been very difficult to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n It also makes sense to take photos of the project when he comes back through the finished installation, as he\u2019s already spending time checking the work, he says. He brings crew members along sometime to show them how to make small adjustments for a better result and also to train them to look for additional ways to improve the project.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to be out there looking at these projects at night, because I want them to be perfect,\u201d McMurry says. \u201cMany times, I\u2019m out there making sure lights are adjusted or fine-tuned. If I\u2019m going to take the time to go out and look at the project, I might as well be photographing it.\u201d<\/p>\n The photography has paid off for him repeatedly with clients in bringing in new opportunities. Leads that come in through the website frequently mention specific photos that drew them in, he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a big part of my website and attracting clients who are looking for a company. We want to show them our work because it\u2019s compelling.\u201d<\/p>\n It also gives him an excuse to continue to build rapport and get instant feedback after a finished project with a client, who will often join him as he walks the ground taking photos.<\/p>\n \u201cI get a lot of joy out of it,\u201d McMurry says. \u201cIt\u2019s always fulfilling to see their reaction and talk about how much they love it. I love that part about what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Pelham McMurry uses photography to show off his extensive landscape lighting design.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3437,"parent":0,"template":"","main-categories":[30],"class_list":["post-3419","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","main-categories-lighting"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/picture-perfect-lighting-6.jpg\")
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This article originally appeared in Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.<\/em><\/h6>\n
Kyle Brown<\/strong><\/a> is editor-in-chief of Irrigation & Green Industry magazine and can be reached at kylebrown@irrigation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"