Tiki Torches for decoration and entertainment | Throwing an Indoor Latin Party

A reader, Lynne, posed an interesting question by email today. While the question takes outdoor torches out of the equation, I think I might be able to help. I'll let her speak in her own words -

I am arranging a Latin/American christmas party for the Galston Chamber of Commerce this coming November.  We require some flattering lighting for indoors as our venue is the Galston Club. Could you recommend an application for flattering lighting?

Hope to hear from you.  Goodbye for now.

Thanks for stopping by, Lynne, and thanks for the challenge! I hope you don't mind my answering in a post rather than responding by email.

Your question is far more difficult to answer than you might guess. Any indoor venue will automatically preclude my obvious first choice of party lighting which is, of course, an authentic tiki torch. That doesn't mean you can't place a few outside if the Galston Club will permit it. Tiki torches lining the path to the club house will help set a spicy Latin mood right off and that's a good thing.

But getting back to the complications of having this event indoors, you're likely limited in what you can get away with and what you must work against. By get away with, I mean you can't just string a bunch of mood inspiring candle lanterns around the room as they'd represent a substantial fire hazard. By work against, I mean that whatever interior lighting is already in place is likely going to counteract or, at the very least, challenge whatever flattering lighting effects you go for.

To further stir the pot, you've mentioned festive in your email subject but flattering in the body. I'm afraid the two rarely go hand-in-hand so some compromises will have to be made depending on which is more important to you. A higher-end clientele might be perfectly content with a more muted atmosphere which (pardon the pun) paints them in a more flattering light. A laid back crowd may forgive the deeper shadows and less forgiving lighting of a bawdy and festively lit party. You'll have to decide which you'd like to go for and then use the following tips to customize your party to meet your needs.

Now, while this blog focuses on outdoor lighting and tiki torches specifically, I am a photographer so I know a thing or two about lighting. I'm not, however, an indoor party planner. The best I can do for you is to draw on my experience as a photographer in hopes of helping you make some smart decisions.

Lesson #1 - Directional light makes for sinister faces. In the picture to the left you can see how light from one direction creates shadows on the opposite side of the face. Depending on the mood of the observer or the setting in which such a lit face is witnessed, that can mean a sinister look or a romantic look of mystery (mildly sinister in this case, I think). You need to consider light sources from all angles and ensure that your subjects aren't being harshly lit exclusively from direct overhead lighting (emphasizes bags under the eyes and crow's feet), from table top lighting (think horror movies) or from exclusively one side which will cast dark shadows and can emphasize smile lines and wrinkles around the mouth. Your best bet to avoid the unflattering effects of directional light is to ensure multiple sources of light. A combination of table-top lighting, wall sconces and overhead lighting (with dimming controls preferably) should help offset any one source creating strong, unflattering shadows.

Lesson #2 - Ambience (not ambiance) is your friend. By that, I mean ambient light rather than direct light. Wherever possible, light should bounce and spread across your subjects rather than plow into them like a raging bull. Again, sconce lighting is nice for this as it generally illuminates a wall rather than people and the light is reflected (and spread) from that wall across your subjects. The drawback to light reflecting from walls is that it can "color" your guests with the same color as the wall. It's a subtle but subconsciously noticeable effect that can alter skin tones (for better or worse depending on the color of the wall).

Lesson #3 - Diffuse the situation. Yes, that was intentional. I did not mean defuse. Diffuse lighting such as that passing through clouds on an overcast day offers the best spread and shadow-softening features. Photographers use several tricks to mimic this including diffusers on their lights. You can accomplish the same thing by shading your light sources with opaque coverings. Overhead lighting should be shaded, passing through opaque materials such as frosted glass. Likewise, table lamps should have diffusing lampshades to avoid that Doctor-Frankenstein-in-the-lab lighting that never looks good on anybody. If you opt for candles in your tabletop center pieces, consider frosted glass candle holders. The light from a naked flame such as a tiki torch is, in my opinion, highly mysterious and romantic during the night outdoors but you run the risk of it resulting in a sinister-looking face when used indoors or without sufficient light from other sources to offset the effect.

Decorative lighting can be softened in the same way. You can modify decorative paper candle lanterns with LED lighting (string or individual batter lights) rather than candles. While LED lights are hardly flattering, the festive paper coverings you can creatively employ will help soften them and diffuse their light to something more flattering (while also eliminating the risk of fire you'd have with a normal candle lantern). I'm including a link to the Paper Lantern Store to help you with some ideas. Avoid the blatantly Asian-themed models for your Latin party, obviously, but there are plenty options that will work well for you there.

Lesson #4 - Bounce, baby, bounce! Consider lighting objects rather than people. You can accomplish great indirect lighting effects by illuminating Latin-themed objects or art and letting the reflected light contribute to the illumination of the room. I'm envisioning a larger than life Ernesto "Che" Guevara poster done in stylistic reds and illuminated by floor lighting. Or a red Cuban flag similarly lit. No, I'm not a budding communist but the color red definitely meshes well with the hot and spicy flare one associates with Latin themes. Also consider the inclusion of plenty spot and floor-lit broad-leaf and palm plants which will lend to that Latin resort/island feel. In any event, lighting objects in the room rather than the people tends to provide a more flattering overall light. It's a bit like swimming through pools of light rather than being pummeled by a waterfall of light.

Finally (and this has nothing to do with what I've learned as a photographer) my Puerto Rican friends will tell you that there's no such thing as garish when it comes to colorful lighting at a Latin party. This has nothing to do with illuminating people. It's just about setting a mood. Go crazy here unless you think it wouldn't be well received by your guests. If it seems over the top, consider limiting it to certain areas of the Club such as, perhaps, the dance floor or bar.

Again, you are very much limited in how you can create flattering lighting in an indoor setting over which you have limited control. Unless the Club is willing to let you rewire the place, you'll need to find compromises to offset or improve on what is already in place. If they give you fairly free license over what kind of decorations you can employ, may I recommend you invest only minimal time on lighting the people and focus, instead on lighting objects and decorations? Get done what you can using my advice above and then invest the lion's share of your time on other elements that will really set the mood. When I think Latin, I think spice, hot, fire! A liberal dose of lusty-reds and fiery yellows in the form of streamers, lantern covers, plates, posters and dishes.

At the end of the day, your choice of decorations, music, food and drink will do far more to fire up that Latin flare than the lighting (which will simply lend to the mood). Get those tiki torches set up on the walkway in, make sure folks can hear the lusty beat of Salsa music as they approach the front door, give your guests plenty of spicy food to eat and keep the margaritas flowing to cool them down after their meal. One last thing...let the ladies know that now is the time to get that naughty little black dress out of the closet, those wicked high heels out of the shoe box and break some hearts despite the event being planned for November.

Have fun! I'll keep an eye out for my invitation.

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