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I would appreciate some advice from anyone with photography experience.  I am having an instance where a particular machine that I am trying to document is not coming out well.  The game is an I-game with Neon Nights glass in it and it's original topper.  

Pictured below is the typical representation and quality that I am looking for...I am happy with the results on Creatures that you see.  I just have a 60 watt bulb above slightly to the left of the machine and 3'-0" above.  I get some depth with a little bit of shade and shadow going on.  I also get reflection of the chrome which I think is important to see.  I am using a Canon Powershot SX20 IS digital camera.

My problem child is Neon Nights....when I stand in front of the machine, it looks nothing like the photo that is coming out and is a poor representation.  Not sure how they did it but the text on the glass really looks NEON...and I am getting lens flares.  I am not seeing the same sharp detail on the glass like I do on the Creatures.  In addition the LED's are just blasting light as you can see in the topper so you do not see the detail on the Vegas insert.  First pic is in the same light.  Second pic is at a slight angle as I was trying to see if I could improve it with angle and no top lighting.

Is there something I can so with the settings on the camera or is there a filter of some sort that I could use to correct this?

As a side note...I am having a similar issue when taking shots of machines with Progressives in them.  It seems to mess with the auto focus of the camera and I am getting results like the picture below.

I'd give Statfreak a ring...he's a very, very good photographer...

Jim     Stat is a expert with a camera.  He thinks his camera's name is Mastercard, he never leaves home without it.  :79- :79- :79-

Hey Jim

I found this info that might help.

OOOOOOPPPPs, i forgot the link, haha

http://www.ehow.com/video_5238595_photograph-neon-signs.html (http://www.ehow.com/video_5238595_photograph-neon-signs.html)

Thanks guys...watched the video....interesting.  I'll PM Stat as well.

What type of camera do you have?

If you can change the aperture then make that smaller (use a higher number like 22 or more) or reduce the shutter speed. to 250/1. Either way will reduce the amount of light getting into the camera.

Whatever you do there will be a trade off between the bright areas and the dark.

If you wanted to get really technical then you could put the camera on a tripod, take one picture with the darker stuff exposed correctly and then take second picture with the brighter stuff exposed correctly and then merge the two, but you'd have to be pretty good at photoshop and layers!

Hello Mr. Dot,

Its a digital camera...Canon Power Shot SX20IS.  Maybe it will allow me to adjust the shutter speed....darn I hate reading manuals  :25-  I see what you are saying though....if I change the shutter speed to reduce the light, but then the other areas that are already dark might get too dark.  I'll try some trial and errors with different speeds and compare.

thanx for the help  :3-

Well,  I know a lot about a lot of things and cameras is limited on my part-Sorry.  But we could take the neon lights and put it on top a Naked women and see if it comes out ok,  That would be a pretty good test- :103- :208-. >>B.

The higher contrast with the brighter, concentrated-area lights on the neon game will give your camera fits. Try taking a pic or two with a little additional light (not a flash, unless you've got a softbox with a variable output pack).

I'm also afraid that even with a tripod and manual shutter, the brights are still bright enough to cause washout without the additional lighting.

Sheets are also a good, cheap tool to use to toss over a lamp, to soften and diffuse lighting.

If nothing else, if you can get the neon stuff to come out right in a pic (and not be washed out - OK if the other stuff is slightly darker), running the digital image through Photoshop CS 4 (preferably), and using the shadow/highlight tool might give you a presentable image.

Try metering your camera on the hotter lights, lightly touch the shutter to "lock" those settings, and then re-center your camera and shoot - without lifting your finger (and losing the held settings).

Thanks for the input.  Are you suggesting that I place a film behind the glass where the text reads "Neon" to diffuse the light?  Suggestions on material if so?

If you'd like to ship the troublesome machines to me, I'd be glad to have a go at taking some pictures for you.  :89- :5-

Heh...you got it.  Hey I like your insert 10P....is that pounds or potatoes?  I know you Brit's like your taters.

lololol....might be Pesos?  :5-
I prefer Poutine... :96-

No, toss a sheet over a lamp in the room, to provide more ambient lighting - this will help eliminate harsh shadows in the room. No need to start messing with the game lights.

I know you want to go for the dark room and glowining lights of the machine - and you can achieve that effect with a manual camera setting, tripod, and a little more light in the room.

we all have an answer,
depending on the type of camera & lens limits you ability to take the photo you want.

I turn off all the lights in the room,  leaving only the machine lights on. Set the camera to Programmable, no flash or extra lighting. Shoot at a very slight angle, presto, photo, all the edges are black,you only see the machine. The colors are enhanced. It works for me. I'm not a pro. Just like taking photo;s.
I would post but unable to shrink.
just my $.02
thank you

Some people take pictures of their machines outside in broad daylight in the driveway...
don't know why,  but they end up looking pretty good.
One picture that comes to mind was one of an old S+ machine with the "Wurlitzer" glass kit installed...
The photos of it, as I recall, were taken outside,  and the machine looked like it was in mint condition!

Bunker  that's all true, but some of the junk I have you wouldn't want to see in any kind of light !!!!   Do they make buttons with Braille ?????    :99- :99- :99-

He's saying that that's worked out well for his other pics. Unfortunately, the neon machine has some "brighter" brights - and that's causing the issues.

If you take 5, 60 watt bulbs, turn them on, and take a pic, they turn out fine. If you do the same thing, but change one bulb to 150 watts, you'll end up with the 60's being too dark (to get the 150 to look good), or the 150 washing out the photo (to get the 60's to look good). That's essentially what's going on here. If the 150 was, a 75 watt bulb, it would look fine. Which is essentially the way most of the machines are. This is the best analogy I could think of.

Any luck yet?

Whenever I have a similar problem I add more light behind the camera and it takes care of the problem.  

I messed with the settings once and did get a good picture, however I had to reset the camera because all normal shots were messed up/