Lighted Sign Photography

[Artful Dodger]

With a heavy enough filter, you can completely remove moving lights and objects like cars and people while keeping stationary subjects and lights exposed properly.

compuwar do you have any examples floating around in your library because I'm very interested in the outcome using a filter as you suggested? I only have a Digital Multi-Coated UV Filter and have wanted to buy a few different filters for such photos around my area. Maybe it's just me but certain signs at night taken properly just look really cool.
Good luck to the OP and if you can please post some of your final photos when you get the chance.

 

[snberk103]

compuwar do you have any examples floating around in your library because I'm very interested in the outcome using a filter as you suggested? I only have a Digital Multi-Coated UV Filter and have wanted to buy a few different filters for such photos around my area. Maybe it's just me but certain signs at night taken properly just look really cool.
Good luck to the OP and if you can please post some of your final photos when you get the chance.

OK, I'm not compuwar.... but perhaps this example will give you an idea... its not my images, so I have linked to it in place. Do a google search on "neutral density" and filters. It helps to put a place name in too, like Times Square, or Trafalgar Square. I have an 8 stop ND filter that I sometimes use. If you have a polarizer filter, you are already 2 stops along.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/476764228_6e342b6531_s.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/houser/sets/72157604531988062/&usg=__CAF3F3ipnBxosSzka6ZPO-wovj4=&h=75&w=75&sz=4&hl=en&start=7&sig2=cVhcyf2pjajB0elLCHtNxA&um=1&tbnid=Km22aN8I8T6zMM:&tbnh=71&tbnw=71&ei=s0WxSYmxK4m0sAOjn7CLAg&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%252B%2522neutral%2Bdensity%2522%2Btrafalgar%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

 

[MaddMacs]

Check out Steamie's posts on the POTD thread. He's the master of ND filters around here.

 

[compuwar]

compuwar do you have any examples floating around in your library because I'm very interested in the outcome using a filter as you suggested? I only have a Digital Multi-Coated UV Filter and have wanted to buy a few different filters for such photos around my area. Maybe it's just me but certain signs at night taken properly just look really cool.
Good luck to the OP and if you can please post some of your final photos when you get the chance.

I don't have any night shots, and I' not sure which disk the daytime shots I did are on- after I get done playing with my latest lens acquisition I'll try to do some night shots. My rationale for buying heavy ND filters was to do daytime architecture and remove people/cars from heavily trafficed spots.

 

[Tesselator]

Isn't the issue the longer exposure time at night though? I didn't think anything you metered off would make a difference? Like in this shot:



The color in the freeway signs is washed out due to the long exposure, could that be improved simply by metering off the signs themselves?

No. Not unless you want a much shorter exposure with very dark buildings and much shorter car streaks.

Probably the best way to do this is expose it like you just did and then either select the signs in PS (with largish feather) and lower the exposure for only them or do essentially the same thing with a tool like Viveza - or even the exposure painting in the new version of ACR.

 

[Artful Dodger]

OK, I'm not compuwar.... but perhaps this example will give you an idea... its not my images, so I have linked to it in place. Do a google search on "neutral density" and filters. It helps to put a place name in too, like Times Square, or Trafalgar Square. I have an 8 stop ND filter that I sometimes use. If you have a polarizer filter, you are already 2 stops along.

Thanks for the info about this subject I thought I had witnessed someone using such a filter while trying to get some shots of fish by a water fountain one time and it all makes sense now, I'll catchup sooner or later