Time to Experiment with LED Lighting.
Having used incandescent lights for like ever, decided to try lighting buildings with LED. After sparing no expense we went to the local dollar store and purchased several packages of LED battery powered lights.
As with white LED, they are very harsh in color and lack warmth. This looks ok in factory type buildings or when the light is shining out from a partially obscured window due to window signage. For general illumination we decided to try filters.
For the first experiment I painted the LED with watercolor paints like beige and pale yellow. This had some success but the intensity of the light required several coats and was hard to get the correct thickness across multiple lights.
Next was to use negatives from 35mm camera film. It is very consistent in color and can be layered easily and quickly if needed for the desired effect. It does provide a warmer look, still not the traditional incandescent glow, but that may not be possible due to the color spectrum output by the LED. Anyway, here is the experiment result for my use of negatives.
Simple compare of LED with and without a filter. The backdrop was a white sheet of paper.
The beginning:
The setup:
Taken with out flash, and a piece of black paper to prevent light noise
Ambient lights out time and 1 filter on the right:
With 2 filters:
Now a practical example of the lights. I chose a tall narrow building that would accommodate all 5 lights:.
Without filters:
Two filters:
More experiments with different filters are to come including experimenting with the placement of the lighting in the individual buildings as we add interior details. Next experiment will be with indirect LED lighting, reflected off of white and colored surfaces or back-lit transparent walls. I like the direction this is heading.
And every experiment needs supervisors:
