I was on my way to Pawley’s Island right after the 4th holiday and I saw this amazing American flag tribute. I made a mental note to myself of approximately where it was so I could photograph it on the way back.
There was a private residence that had a huge pond out front. Across the back of the pond, they had a series of American flags on elbow poles to lean over the water. I thought about the shape of the poles as I was driving and realized why they used those poles. The pond was gorgeous. The scene with a row of American flags was stunning and meaningful. But to see the reflection of the flags on the water made these two elements come together in a completely new way.
I wondered if the home had landscape lighting and pond lighting and longed to see the scene at night.
To fully appreciate the beauty of this tribute to America, I have to describe the rest of the scene. At the entrance to the drive, they had two flags marking the entrance. As you began to drive down the driveway, they had a statue of the Statue of Liberty flanked by two flags. Then, on the wooden rails that decorated the front of the pond, there were semi-circular flags across.
The whole scene was spectacular.
I envisioned what this scene would look like with landscape lighting. Landscape lighting, and outdoor lighting, is all about shadow and texture. If you use spot lights to illuminate an entire tree or house, you get to see the tree or home the way they look during the day. At night, the shadows created by the light reveal nuances of the texture of a the tree bark. The shadows reveal the subtle features of a window such as the way the slats divide the window panes. Light creates shadows such as the shadow of an American flag on water.
Don’t forget that if flying flags at night, they need to be illuminated. We’ve all heard this but have you wondered where it comes from? The US Code, Title 4; Chapter 1 says the US Flag should be flown only from sunrise to sunset. The code further states that if the flag is flown at night, it must be illuminated.
Do you have any great pictures of illuminated flags? Please send them to us and we will post them on this blog.