I started my interest in lighting 2 years ago, when I saw an UVA light fixture that illuminated things with fluorescent inks; this fascinated me so much that I received a fluorescent black-light F18T8 preheat fixture months later. After, the light of the corridor of the second floor burned down and I wanted to take advantage of my new fixture buying a tube of white light to illuminate the corridor, from that moment I could not stop collecting  . What came next for my collection was a SBMV bulb to illuminate the yard, since I was fascinated by mercury lamps and I wanted to use that one more than another. 

Before having the SBMV bulb, I had some Eco-halogen bulbs and a GE spot 60w, to simulate "public luminaires" in recording trials just for fun! 

(forgive my 2019 bad english)

Started watching "Parrot175" on YouTube in 2014, went to my first ReStore in 2016 out of curiosity when I kept hearing the term so much in his videos. Got my first lamp, a GE 100-200-300w red etch three-way, thought it was cool, and wildfire after that...

My first words were something about electric things, street lighting and drains (and other water things too). I've drawn many different drawings about power lines and street lighting. I wasn't interest in indoor lighting yet. I was inspired to when first LEDs came to my hometown. Then I liked more LED than fluorescents, now I don't know why... 

Just last Christmas I was more excited indoor lights and fluorescents. Then I found more about lighting (and this site). This summer I've starting my collection, it's so small yet...

I have thousands drawings and I have compiled they in books. Here is three of my drawings:

The fluorescent lights in stores used to fascinate me and also lamps and light fixtures in houses. Particularly old ones. The old Publix here had the fluorescent lighting from the 60s I liked and also when it got remodeled it had the metal halide parabolic troffers that I found interesting also. Back then I didn't know what MH was so I thought it was some kind of fluorescent bulb.

When I was about 10 years old I started noticing the streetlights and yardlights, and especially liked cobra heads and the ballast in arm types.

Also when I was very young at my parents old house there was a MV yardblaster in the back yard and I used to be fascinated by the lamp inside it.

Whwn you discovered the MV for the first time! 

When I was a kid my grandad had an American Electric MV yardblaster in his back yard and I was amazed at the size of the bulb and it had a really loud ballast which I loved. I would sit out in the yard and listen to the ballast humming and the blue light covering everything. He took it down and gave it to me before he passed away. That light is the most special one in my whole collection. It came with a 175w MV Westinghouse Lifeguard lamp and still works perfectly today! That's why I love MV so much is because of the memories. I have my yard lit by MV lamps now and sitting out there reminds me of those summer nights many years ago with him...so it all started with that one MV yardblaster!

i've been intrigued by lighting for as long as I can remember.  I have a clear memory of enjoying playing with light switches as a kid and noticing colored lights such as when metal halide lamps were warming up, or colored accent lights in landscaping.  One of my earliest memories is looking up and seeing a 55 watt GE Miser in my aunt and uncle's kitchen light, in 1998 at age 5.  I was still young when the first CFL's began showing up on grocery store shelves and I called them "fat and skinny bulbs" referring to the thick ballast and the slender biax tubes    I had green rope lights in my bedroom and was fascinated by how it made me colorblind with the nearly monochromatic light.  I believe lighting is my God-given talent.

As time went on, I majored in psychology and realized how different kinds of lighting affect how people feel.  I enjoyed experimenting with different lights (brightnesses and colors) in my apartment at college.  In fact, my roommates noticed and appreciated when I brought in an incandescent table lamp to supplement the dim fluorescent overhead light.  Human factors combines psychology, technology, and human perception, and that is my specialty in lighting.

I remember when I had 8yr old and I maked a homemade lamp. My dad had some blue led tape, and I pickes a raspbereies box and blue paper as reflector; I pasted the Led tape around on the box, and I powered the lamp with a plane battery charger, around 7 or 8 volts. 

I noticed the troffers in the ceiling at the hospital while being transported down a hall shortly after birth.

I was two years old playing with bulbs.  by time i was 4 years old I was lighting small lamps with batteries.
but my collection was very small about size of moving box until government started telling me what I cant have
in the future.  And Recalling first lighting bans
on T12 fluorescents in full wattage halophosphate tubes
then I kinda miss boat on that one as I was 15
years old when this has happen going though lot of problems with my step dad in those years. and remembering my boss was griping about that he could
not buy F40D for his preheater that he installed in the apartment for kitchen lighting. and DX lamp have not been around for about a year later.  then me growing up
with a MV street light across the street that been there since i was 6 years old got me hooked on MV. fast forward in time. the MV ballast bans hit. That was turning point that made me collect lighting stuff.

Light was my 4th or 5th word

As far as I know there was not any one thing that started my attraction, simply its I've always liked lights.

Even as a kid I loved looking at Christmas lights...and fluorescent lights.
Somewhere, I still have my 1st set of Christmas lights, and my 1st fluorescent fixture.

Light was my 4th or 5th word

Started watching "Parrot175" on YouTube in 2014, went to my first ReStore in 2016 out of curiosity when I kept hearing the term so much in his videos. Got my first lamp, a GE 100-200-300w red etch three-way, thought it was cool, and wildfire after that...

Parrot175 helped me get from the stage of building fake fluorescent lights out of Tinker Toys (only did this when I was young) to actually collecting!