Taking pics of bright LEDs...any advice from camera pros??

[rah7777777]

Hello all,

I'm trying to redo my site ( www.xblights.com )

I'm wanting to go through and take all new pics.
The wife has a nice entry level SLR and I have a 12 mega pixel pocket camera.

I've spent hours trying to get some good shots and I can't get jack!

The LEDs just drown the shots out or the whole back ground is nothing but black.

http://www.xblights.net/morepicsimages/red2strip/3.jpg
http://www.xblights.net/morepicsimages/red2strip/9.jpg

I'm trying to get something like the above, any advice on camera settings?

The camera I used years ago for all the sites current pics is long gone, it was a simple 5mp pocket camera.

Even the pics I have now, don't look the as the lights do in real life, but they are the closest i've been able to get.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Thank You
-Robert
www.xblights.com

 

[dave_xb12r]

HDR is your answer. Take multiple exposures at different iris levels and combine with Photomatix. Expose for the lights, then expose for the details.

 

[njdevils1990]

[up]

Expose for the lights, then expose for the details.

 

[xtremelow]

Yup, Dave knows his stuff when it comes to cameras. My Iphone has an HDR setting that only takes 3 different pics and fuzes them together, in bright lights it helps greatly.

HDR versus Non-HDR

 

[dave_xb12r]

For iphones, get "Pro HDR" app. I LOVE IT!

This is an iphone pic using that app.

 

[Alfatango1]

If you have an SLR all you need to do is have a much shorter exposure on the first pic. Lets say you're shooting at F11 on that first pic, and your at 1/8 of a second, that maybe too long, go 1/16 or faster. Of course if you have HDR like non photo folks you can get the results like the shots you see above.

 

[dave_xb12r]

Of course if you have HDR like non photo folks

I like to think of myself as a "photo folk" and I love HDR.

This was a 4 exposure photo that I took on my Nikon D90 down the street from my house combined in photomatix.

REAL HDR

 

[Blaylock1988]

I was looking at that picture above that dave posted and it looked very surreal. I realized that the water was at completely different positions for all 3 pictures and they were all probably merged on top of each other making that crazy water effect.

Or...the water was being really weird that day.

 

[rah7777777]

I'm not going to lie, I can barely operate the SLR, I gotta get the wife to do that camera!
Way too much to set

I'll ask her about the HDR!
It's a Nikon D3000 if that shows anything.

I turned the HDR off on my phone because most of the time I liked the regular pic best. But it wasn't well lit. The above pic Brandon posted looks a ton better with the HDR!

I'm home with a sick baby today, so it'll be tonight before I can get in the cold garage and play around some more.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Miami78]

What editing program are you (or your wife) using? Are you looking for close up's of the light or full bike shots? I needed an excuse to play with my 5d2 some more...maybe I can help?

 

[rah7777777]

We have adobe photoshop, but I don't want to edit them in any fashion.

I'll have to reduce the overall pictures size to place on the site, but that is it.

I want the site to have a true picture of the procuct.

Heres the lowdown...

I'm adding a few extra light options to the site and now that I have a solid supplier of smoked and clear lenses, I want to add those on the site as well.
I want to have a 5 different angles/distances of each option with each lens choice in each "mode" of use (running, brake, signals, etc..)

So in all i'm looking at 315 pictures. Plus another 10 for various comparison pictures of different options.

They will all be close to these...
http://www.xblights.net/morepics/morepicsr2.html

But I want to delete those when I get the new ones done.

Thanks!!