# Night time, street light photo help?



## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

When taking photos outside at night, how do you compensate for the orange glow from the street lights?

I'm using a non-DSLR camera: One of these


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## Pirce_IL (Feb 20, 2007)

if you got an option to play with the white-balance, try to set it to room light it might help


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## nzgunnie (Feb 3, 2007)

You can't compensate much if it is sodium lighting. White balance will help a little, but sodium only contains a very narrow part of the spectrum (orange!) and there is no other wavelength for your camera to make use of.


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

nzgunnie said:


> You can't compensate much if it is sodium lighting. White balance will help a little, but sodium only contains a very narrow part of the spectrum (orange!) and there is no other wavelength for your camera to make use of.


Oh well, cheers guys :thumb:

I'll just have to write to the council and get them to change them lol


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## nogrille (Oct 27, 2005)

blue filter, I think

A cheap way to find out is to use the plastic film around quality street.....


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## jwindley (Nov 7, 2006)

use photoshop to change the colours?


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## Pirce_IL (Feb 20, 2007)

like jwindley said, you can use photoshop to lower color the saturation it might help too.


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## dubnut71 (Jul 25, 2006)

Mate- I had the same prob on my dsc P200.

Use the white balace "one push" or manual setting (at the top of the WB Menu) and you should compensate a certain amount.

I found keeping the shutter open longer (lets more light get to the sensor) worked too but you need a tripod to stop shake.

Set the camera in M mode on the top dial and use the 5 way button to select a longer shutter spped. You will then get a choice of 2 F numbers usually F2.8 or F5.6. Go for the higher Number if the detail is important for you.

Hope this helps, it might all be useless but give it a try mate.

GC


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

dubnut71 said:


> Mate- I had the same prob on my dsc P200.
> 
> Use the white balace "one push" or manual setting (at the top of the WB Menu) and you should compensate a certain amount.
> 
> ...


Umm

But I'll give it a blast if she brings it home tonight :thumb: :thumb:


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## AdamG (Sep 24, 2006)

I used to have the same camera, I used to use an 80B Blue Filter and then try out with each white balance setting (to suit different types of street lights)


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## nzgunnie (Feb 3, 2007)

Photo shop can help, you use Image>adjustment>levels.

In the bottom right of the levels box you will see three eyedroppers, they are white point, grey point and black point.

If you take one photo under the same lighting that includes a grey card, you just select your 'grey point' eye dropper and click on the grey card.

Likewise if you have something that is genuinly white, you select your white point eye dropper and click on that. The trick with the white point is to tone it down away from pure white by double clicking on the eye dropper, the setting the rgb values to 245, 245, 245. Then click OK, and use your white point eye dropper on a white part of your image. 

A bit of trial and error is usually required, but this will shift all your RGB values back towards normal.


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