I've always thought that neon
signs are one of the most beautiful and underrated forms of public art. Nothing brings color and excitement to a nighttime drive like coming across an unexpected and interesting neon sign. Sadly, I think
neon is something of a dying art because you see fewer and fewer
really artistic or complex signs. Not only are the classic old signs
disappearing as businesses and neighborhoods change, but fewer new signs
are replacing them--most businesses just slap up an uninspired
fluorescent sign. That's part of the reason that finding a really great
neon sign is so much fun and why it's worth stopping for a few minutes
to honor it with a photograph.
Photographing neon is
really simple. If the sign is fairly bright and you're close to it,
there's probably enough light to shoot at a relatively slow ISO of 100
or 200. I shot the sign here (in Norwalk, Connecticut) at ISO 200 with a
Nikon D90 and the exposure was 1/25 second at f/8. If you're using a
tripod (and you should), put the camera in aperture-priority mode and
select a middle aperture (like f/8) to get the optimum sharpness from
your lens. If the sign is big and depth of field is a concern, select a
smaller aperture, perhaps f/11 or even f/16. The camera will then select
the correct shutter speed for you. If you have image-stabilization you
might not even need a tripod (or alternately you can bump up the ISO but
you will gain some digital noise if you do). Also, I prefer to shoot in RAW so that I can adjust the exposure and white balance during editing. (In fact, I always shoot in RAW these days, but it was when shooting neon that I first started experimenting with neon because the white balance was kind of hard to set correctly or to predict sign each different color of neon is created by using a different gas.)
The size
of the aperture has some effect on the bleeding or "halation" of the
neon glow, so take a few test exposures and see if you like the glow. As
you change apertures you will probably see the spread of the glow
change. There's no right or wrong, of course, it's just a matter of
taste--just something to be aware of while you're shooting. If you want
to take in some of the background of the sign (the metal structure, if
there is one), then you can increase the exposure by a stop of so. In
the case of this great motel sign I wanted the colors to really pop so I
exposed for the tubes and let the sign fixture itself go black. I leave
the white balance in auto, by the way, and it seems to do just fine.
As I said, classic signs, like most of those shown here (and at least two of them--the neon horse and the motel sign--are already history) are getting harder and harder
to find, but if you do a Flickr or Google Image search on neon, you'll find some of the cool hot spots around the country, including the obvious ones like Times Square in New York, the Strip in Las Vegas (the Fremont Street area in the "old" part of Las Vegas is probably the best area) and some lesser known areas like parts of old Rte 66 in Arizona and New Mexico. But almost any town has a cool pizza palace sign or a wild tattoo parlor sign. There does seem to still be a strong public interest in neon signs--everyone seems to love them--so perhaps there will be a resurgence of this wonderful art form.
So any time that you have a few hours in the evening, just grab
your camera and tripod and get a cup of coffee to go and take a ride
through the older sections of town. You might even consider putting
together a small exhibit at your local library or town hall to show off
your neon treasures. And if you get a great neon sign shot at a local restaurant or store, give the owner a print and it will let them know that people appreciate the expense they went to in having the sign created and maintained. Who knows, your photos may end up on their website.
And don't forget to stop in at the local neon sign-making shop if you have one--often those artisans know where the best neon is and some I've met have cool private collections that they'll let you shoot. Trade them some prints for access to their signs and you'll get a lot of great new photos.
Motel Sign, Norwalk, Connecticut (sign was destroyed in storm, no longer exists)
Diner Sign, Rte 1, Norwalk, Connecticut
Casino Royale, Las Vegas, Nevada
Close-up detail of neon motel sign. Norwalk, Connecticut.
Entire Site Contents Copyright 2012 Jeff Wignall
An Ambitious Dogs Production In Association with Boo Boo & Mama Cat Films Please also visit my Photo Tip of the Day blog.
