How to Photograph Neon Signs
Before the advent of LEDs, neon was the medium of choice for many sign-makers. Today, photographs of neon signs can create a nostalgic feel. Photos of neon are evocative of a piece of Americana that is slowly slipping into the past. With the right photography techniques, photographs of neon signs can be breathtaking.
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Instructions
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Select the best time to photograph your neon signs. If you are focusing only on the sign, you can take the photo at almost any time. However if you are taking an environmental photo that incorporates the area around the neon sign, the best time to take the photo is 15 minutes before dawn or 10 minutes after sunset.
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Override the camera's automatic flash feature. Your camera's instruction book should tell you the best method of doing so.
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Try to use your camera's internal light meter for the overall photograph. The matrix meter function is best for this. If your camera has a spot meter, then meter over a wide range of the photographic area, including the lightest and darkest areas, and average the f-stop.
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Place your camera on a tripod to shoot. Some of your photographs will be long-exposure shots, from one to five seconds. A tripod eliminates any blurriness by holding the camera steadier than you could by hand. You can further cut down on the blurriness by using a remote shutter release. This keeps you from having to touch the camera at all.
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Set your ISO to 100 speed if you are using a digital camera. For a film camera, select a corresponding film ISO.
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White-balance your digital camera for the ambient light. If you choose to balance your camera for daylight, the image will have a warm glow. A tungsten balance will make the sky appear bluer. Fluorescent balance makes the sky take on a magenta tone. If you are using a film camera, most film is balanced for daylight photography. However, you can purchase film that is balanced for tungsten or fluorescent. The same effects may be achieved through the use of filters.
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Tips & Warnings
Taking long exposures with digital cameras can create noise, a type of digital grain, in the photographs. Some newer cameras have noise-reduction settings. There are also many good programs, including Adobie Photoshop, that can help reduce the noise in your photographs.
