To map dark areas around a building, mark each concern on a site plan or a simple sketch. Also mark where you stood when you noticed it, and write a short note tied to both. That way a reviewer can find every spot, see it from your angle, and know when and under what conditions it looked dark.
One simple way to do this is to label concerns C1, C2, and so on, label viewing points V1, V2, and draw an arrow between each pair. Think of this as a handy convention, not a formal standard. The record shows what you saw. It is not a set of measured light levels.
Mark Each Concern and Viewing Point on a Site Map
Good dark area mapping lets someone who has never walked the site stand where you stood and look where you looked. Do these steps in order, and use the same IDs everywhere afterward.
- Start with a base map. Use an existing site plan if you have one. If not, sketch the building outline plus landmarks a stranger would spot: entrances, parking rows, sidewalks, dumpsters, trees, and property edges. On larger sites, name zones like drive aisles, corridors, and entries. Our self-storage lighting layout guide shows how a site breaks down into zones like these.
- Add one fixed orientation cue. A north arrow or a labeled street edge ("Main St. side") makes sure everyone reads the sketch the same way.
- Label each concern. Put C1, C2, C3 at the spot that looked dark, such as a walkway section, a door, or a corner of the lot.
- Label each viewing point. Put V1, V2, V3 where you stood. One viewing point can cover more than one concern.
- Connect each pair. Draw an arrow from the V point to the C point so the reviewer knows which way you were facing.
- Mark what you did not see. Walk and observe only from areas you are authorized to enter and can reach safely. If a roof, fenced yard, loading dock, or other restricted or unsafe area might have a problem, stay out and label it "Not observed" so the reviewer can check it.
If security is part of the worry, note what you needed to see from each V point, such as a door or a parked car. Our guide to security lighting without glare plans aiming around sightlines like these, starting from the same kind of site map.
Log the Conditions for Each Dark Area
Next to each C number, write down when you saw the problem, where you saw it from, and what else was going on. Some of these prompts line up with an exterior lighting guide for federal agencies, which lists the location and condition of existing fixtures, the activities in the space, and how the lighting is controlled and used as audit context. The rest are simply practical prompts, not a required form.
- Viewpoint and direction: "C2 viewed from V3, facing the east entry."
- Date and approximate time: "Tuesday, Nov. 12, about 6:15 p.m."
- Conditions: clear, rain, fog, snow on the ground, or parked trucks or foliage blocking the view.
- What looked dark: describe it in plain words, like "couldn't make out the curb edge" or "door keypad hard to see." Leave out guesses about the cause. For steps, note whether the edges were hard to see, since edge visibility is the focus when lighting exterior stairs safely.
- Site activity: deliveries, shift change, a full parking lot, or foot traffic to a side door.
- Lighting use: which lights were on or off, and whether any turned on later during your walk.
- Visible fixtures: where they are and how they look from the ground, like a cloudy lens or a fixture blocked by a tree branch. If you can tell the type, say so: a pole-mounted area or parking lot light, a building-mounted flood light, or a walkway post top light. Just look. Don't touch, open, or test any equipment.
If a spot looks different on a second visit, add a new entry, such as C2-a and C2-b. Don't blend the two visits into one description.
Pair Photos With the Written Observation
A photo helps the reviewer recognize the scene. Your written note tells them what you actually saw. Keep the two linked:
- Name each photo with its IDs, such as "C2-V3-01," so it matches the map and the log.
- List the photo in the note for that concern, so nothing gets separated.
- Keep your in-person impression next to it. Write what you could or couldn't see, even when the photo seems to show something different.
That last point matters because in low light, phone camera low-light processing can make an image differ from what you saw. Smartphone cameras can gather more light than the human eye and use computational photography to improve the image. On supported iPhones, for example, Night mode can turn on automatically in low light, and you can adjust the exposure. A brightened photo of a spot that felt dark in person is still useful, as long as your note tells the reviewer how it felt standing there.
Keep Observations Separate From a Lighting Assessment
Your map and notes show where a concern was noticed and under what conditions. They do not measure light levels, find the cause, decide code compliance, or pick the final lighting solution. Those questions belong to the reviewer.
The difference is practical. The DOE/FEMP guide treats illuminance-meter readings taken on a measurement grid as their own step in a lighting audit, separate from describing the site. So keep your wording descriptive. "Walkway near C4 hard to see at 7 p.m." is an observation. "Fixture failed and needs replacement" is a conclusion only a reviewer can reach. Keep the walk to looking and writing, too. Leave electrical testing and compliance questions to qualified people.
Send the Reviewer a Usable Record
Hand over one connected record so the reviewer starts from the same picture you have:
- The marked map or sketch, with C and V labels, arrows, and the orientation cue.
- Keyed observation notes, one entry per concern per visit.
- Photo files named to match their C and V IDs.
- A "not observed" list of areas you couldn't safely reach and details you couldn't see, like a fixture hidden by a wall.
Check that every ID matches across all three pieces before you send it. Then ask the reviewer to assess the marked concerns. Leave out guesses about causes or fixes so they can decide what to measure or inspect first.
FAQs
What if a spot looks dark on one visit but fine on another?
Record both visits as separate entries under the same concern ID, such as C3-a and C3-b. Note what changed between them: time, weather, site activity, parked vehicles, or which lights were on. That difference helps the reviewer, because it shows the concern depends on conditions rather than showing up all the time.
Can phone photos stand in for light-level readings?
No. A photo is visual context, and your phone's camera may brighten or adjust a low-light scene. Measured light levels come from an illuminance meter used in a planned measurement process. Use your photos to help the reviewer find and recognize each spot, and let them decide whether readings are needed.
What should I do if I can't see a fixture or reach part of the site?
Write down exactly what you could see and from which viewing point, and add the missing detail to your "not observed" list. For example: "C5 dark from V2; light source not visible behind fence." Don't guess the fixture type or condition. A clear gap gives the reviewer a specific item to check.
