Lighting

[The Snark]

I just got some pictures of a friends photography studio. Photographers wet dream lighting wise. A battery of around 20 LED lights, many circular or bar type, fully adjustable dimming and most having three color spectrums. Jaw dropping is the newly outfitted studio's lighting cost only a little under $3000. (Many of the old heavy duty light stands have been repurposed). Extra plus, no heat. No cooking the models, having to have fans blowing and cool and dry off breaks.

So explore the new LED pro photographers catalogues and supplies when looking for lighting. And look for equivalents for general home and business use. Often the same lights at significantly lower prices.

 

[Dry Desert]

I just got some pictures of a friends photography studio. Photographers wet dream lighting wise. A battery of around 20 LED lights, many circular or bar type, fully adjustable dimming and most having three color spectrums. Jaw dropping is the newly outfitted studio's lighting cost only a little under $3000. (Many of the old heavy duty light stands have been repurposed). Extra plus, no heat. No cooking the models, having to have fans blowing and cool and dry off breaks.

So explore the new LED pro photographers catalogues and supplies when looking for lighting. And look for equivalents for general home and business use. Often the same lights at significantly lower prices.

Don't talk to me about LED lighting.
I travel early morning in UK and these idiotic main beam car lights that only dip when sensor picks up oncoming traffic, wonderful when meeting someone coming over the brow of a hill, or coming around corners. Also some are way brighter than others.

Even traffic lights at night can be over bright now all LED.

I was completely blinded by a row of high powered high level lights on the rear of a recovery vehicle recently.

And do we really need car headlights going on and off main beam in towns.

As said I travel early morning and go from A to B and back again on dipped headlights, not a problem with visibility.

Just my little rant.

 

[The Snark]

I was completely blinded by a row of high powered high level lights on the rear of a recovery vehicle recently.

THAT was something she particularly raved about. The lights go from zero to hero, brighter or dimmer, some with remote control. So she can just stomp a couple of buttons and dial right in a models skin tone. Eliminated changing filters and trying half the lights in the studio in every imaginable combination looking through view finders after each tweak.

(Blinded by the lights... They are called wreck lights. Fantastic adjunct when coping with TAs and wreckage sites, murder on the eyes of passing motorists.)
A little warning that often gets ignored in adrenaline pumping red light fever jump jockeys:
" Floodlights and spotlights should be arranged and aimed so that they don’t create additional glare hazards for motorists yet illuminate the work area for emergency personnel. Although you should consider designing these into new apparatus, there are economical ways to add some of these lights to existing apparatus that didn’t come with them from the factory."
Some of the response vehicles have fixed lights on back. Very typical of ambulances. Not much that can be done about those. Ever try getting an IV on board in the dark? "Hey officer. Point that flashlight over here please."

 

[fcat]

There is a type of ambulance here that has flashing yellows on their rear doors that don't turn off...ever... I don't know how it's legal to use when operating. It's seizure inducing bright flashing lights on your face...I won't drive behind them, also because they dont provide EVOC/CEVO training

My boyfriend just replaced his old 4runner low beams and people flash us constantly. I asked if he was sure he didn't accidentally install high beams because they seem brighter than his old high beams, but he says hes certain. Just a crapazon product.

I have better than 20/20 vision but just encountered this last night during a heavy rain...the opposing lights were so bright I couldn't see my lane lines. I thought for sure I was getting night blindness

Meanwhile in my ambulance our high beams and low beams alike are useless. In the GMC/Chevy chassis they get so hot they melt the assembly, the fords aren't worth finishing my sentence

 

[The Snark]

There is a type of ambulance here that has flashing yellows on their rear doors that don't turn off...ever... I don't know how it's legal to use when operating.

Check with your local highway patrol or state police. It is possible they are illegal and just getting cut slack.

I have better than 20/20 vision but just encountered this last night during a heavy rain...the opposing lights were so bright I couldn't see my lane lines

Old trick. Take pictures. Oncoming lights, all, practice taking a mental image as a framed picture in your mind then automatically avert your eyes towards the side of the road, using the picture you took to guide you in your peripheral vision past the oncoming lights. It takes a little practice and some mental discipline as we automatically try to stare harder when we can't see as well.

@fcat and I don't need to tell you this but a reminder. The speed limit is 'suggested safe for a given stretch of roadway'. Pouring rain at night, I've ticketed people for speeding driving well under the speed limit. The bottom line is the caveat to the speed limit, 'conditions permitting'.
I have also used the sun visor and a pair of dark glasses on my head I pull down momentarily to block the light. Many sun visors can be adjusted to cut off a side portion of your view so you can momentarily duck or move your head behind.

@fcat Best move. A CHP at an a scene, a dumb, single vehicle victimless accident. He ticketed the driver for going 15 mph in a 50 mph zone. Unsafe speed. Water washing across the road caused him to lose control. McG was one hard nosed cop.

 

[Dry Desert]

There is a type of ambulance here that has flashing yellows on their rear doors that don't turn off...ever... I don't know how it's legal to use when operating. It's seizure inducing bright flashing lights on your face...I won't drive behind them, also because they dont provide EVOC/CEVO training

My boyfriend just replaced his old 4runner low beams and people flash us constantly. I asked if he was sure he didn't accidentally install high beams because they seem brighter than his old high beams, but he says hes certain. Just a crapazon product.

I have better than 20/20 vision but just encountered this last night during a heavy rain...the opposing lights were so bright I couldn't see my lane lines. I thought for sure I was getting night blindness

Meanwhile in my ambulance our high beams and low beams alike are useless. In the GMC/Chevy chassis they get so hot they melt the assembly, the fords aren't worth finishing my sentence

Talking of lane markings.

Here in y UK the lane markings used to be done by a couple of guys with a little roller machine with good thick paint.
Now, like everything else, it's done by machine and I'm sure they use white trade Emulsion as it's so thin as you say, on dark wet night can't see the damn things. This is all in the name of progress??
No it's in the name of cheap skate council cut backs.

 

[The Snark]

Talking of lane markings.

Here they put down a series of rumble strips, extra think paint that makes your tires.... And so, we have a super long fast straight road past our house which at the far end has a nasty slow S curve. After the road was repaved, the township sent out the work crew to put down these new fangled rumble strips to warn of the impending S curve ... or frighten you to help lose control as you enter the curve 30 or 40 mph too fast. And so, we have first world traffic warnings. When coming the other way and exiting the S curve you get to go over the rumble strips. They put them on the wrong side of the road.
I should take a picture of that... and the massive power poles made of concrete along the side of the road between it and the canals, some of which are leaning at nearly a 45 degree angle being buried all of 4 or 5 feet into gooey mud.

Meanwhile, back at lighting... we have street lights! Newly installed high pressure sodium antique lights claimed by numerous people to be installed by the brother in law of the governor, no bids submitted, and a light every 80 feet or so. Thus our once dim meandering roads can clearly be seen from the surrounding hills apparently denoting landing strips for alien spacecraft. We got one light directly in front of our house. My other pointed out we no longer need driveway or porch lights. The entire front of our property is lit by that bright orange glow. And as a bonus, come termite swarming time, there is one of those lights on that nasty S curve. Come around dawn the curve is a huge slick of dead termites that has caused several motorcyclists to slide off into the canals.

 

[fcat]

Are they bug friendly at least??

My resident geckos are mad at me but I changed my exterior bulbs to red hoping to offend the least number of visitors

Edit I can't be bothered to proofread lol

 

[The Snark]

Are they bug friendly at least??

Who which what? Errm... The lights are certainly bug friendly and unfriendly and I don't know what if any color of light works as a bug repellent. Some people hang lights over the waterways to fatten up the fish but that's kind of a bad idea. You don't want the locals messing around with 220 volt appliances anywhere near water.
Some of the people are bug friendly as they eat them. Catching a certain species of termite as they fountain out of the holes is a national pastime for certain species of people. We see them dotting the landscapes at that time of year crouched around the holes with candles. One bug catcher and one guardian to shoo away the big chomper termites.
The roads are definitely not bug friendly. We had a once in a decade or two swarming a while back with dozens of rural traffic accidents come that dawn. Almost as slick as black ice under the street lights.
And personally I get a private chuckle at the graft and kickback 250 watt street lights the cronies cashed in on. 120 of them just in our local town which required a dedicated transformer just to power them. Almost 30,000 watts of power burned that 5000 watts of modern LED street lights could replace. And when they wired the street lights a few triillion earth worms packed their bags and headed for greener pastures as the faulty wiring charged the surrounding soil and the poles the lights were on. 'Hey guys, electricians tape is an insulator, NOT waterproofing.'
Life in rural Asia is an ongoing comedy routine.