Use the Right Light Bulbs in the Right Place

Lighting is about more than just illuminating a room. Lighting can set a mood, spotlight a spot of interest, light a show, and, of course, light a room. There are many different styles of lamps that can be used to achieve the desired effect, but the one thing they all have in common is that they need to have light bulbs.
Of course a lamp needs a light bulb, but light bulbs have come far since the early 1900s. Thomas Edison could never have foreseen the light bulbs of today, and would marvel at the latest advance in light bulbs, LED bulbs.
The incandescent bulbs, the least expensive light bulbs, isn't very energy efficient. It loses a lot of its light to heat. The first move away from them was to halogen lights. The halogen bulbs were brighter, and more energy efficient. They were a very popular choice for a while, and they had a long life, especially when compared with incandescent. But they could be hard to install in the lights, and they required new lamps to be bought altogether.
Fluorescent bulbs, long the lighting of choice in most commercial and industrial settings, moved in. The CFL bulbs, while oddly shaped, gave off more light and less heat. They have been on the market long enough hat the price has really come down. They are very energy efficient, and they have a life span that can end up in the tens of thousands of hours, or be counted in years. When they first came out there was only one size and one shape, but there are now CFLs that will fit just about any light socket.
The newest light bulbs are LED bulbs. They are more expensive then the others, but they can last for up to 10 years. They have a bright light and don't lose much energy to heat, making them incredibly energy efficient. Each bulb is made up of a number of diodes, the amount of diodes determines the strength of the light.

While lighting in a residential, commercial or industrial setting is important, it is vitally important in the entertainment setting. Stage lighting is important to light up the action, make sure the actors are lit correctly and make sure everything looks right to the audience or the camera. Stage lighting is different than home lighting. The lights have to be much stronger. A PAR can light is the most commonly used light in theatrical lighting. The light looks like a can, and has a reflector that strengthens the light and lets it be pointed to a particular spot. With gels the light can be changed to whatever color necessary. PAR can bulbs come as incandescent bulbs that are much stronger than anything that would be used in a home. They are also starting to come out as LED bulbs, which provide the same benefits as the bulbs would in a home. The bulbs both come with a place to put the colored gels, although LED bulbs, because of the way they are built can have more than one color diode in them, so they can change colors that way.
It doesn't matter the setting, lighting is important, whether it's purely for illumination or for setting a mood or picking out the action.