When it comes to helping you find the perfect light for your needs, one of the first things we ask for is the "throw distance" for your light. 

This measurement helps us, along with other factors, to choose the perfect light for your needs.  But what is it, and more importantly, how do you find it?

What is Throw Distance?

Throw distance is the length between the front lens of a light and the object or space that it is shooting at.  Is it the direct, straight path through the air.

Depending on your situation, this may be a truss or pipe that already exists in your venue with lights on it. 

Otherwise, it may be a place on the ceiling that looks like a good angle to the stage and is also convenient to add hanging points to.  Or, in a temporary/portable setup, it may be place where a lighting stand could be located and reach a reasonable height.

How Do You Find Throw Distance?

Finding the throw distance is pretty simple, and can be done via 1 of 2 ways. 

The easiest, simplest way is to grab a laser measuring tool (affiliate link) and stand on stage to measure the distance from your head to the lens of the light.  You'll end up shooting the laser at some part of the body of the light, rather than the lens itself for a accurate measure. 

These laser distance measuring tools have REALLY come down in price in recent years, and it's a good excuse to buy one - you'll find it to be very useful around the house as well!

The second way is to measure the "floor distance", or the horizontal distance from the person on stage to the place where the light is hanging above your head.  Then, measure the vertical distance to the light.  After that, you can square both numbers, and take the square root, using the Pythagorean theorem to find the direct throw distance.  (See Mrs. Reeder, I DID learn something in geometry....I think)

How Does Having a Throw Distance Help Us Find The Right Light For Your Needs?

Throw distance allows us to run a simulation for you to find a few things. 

First and foremost, we can find the ideal beam angle for the lighting to cover your stage effectively in reasonable sized-zones, typically around 8-12' wide.

Next, we can compare different models of lights to find the one with enough brightness for your space, while not going overboard.  If you currently have lighting in your space, we can compare what you already have to what we are recommending for an even better fit!

Once we have that, we're ready to make recommendations and quote them out to you!  Ready to get started?  Contact us if you're in the USA for a free quote and evaluation today!