The Neon Autograph

Here's how I did that fancy neon autograph thing. When I was in the seventh grade, I was given a scholarship to attend a couple of courses at the Des Moines Art Center (in, of all places, Des Moines, Iowa). I chose photography, and have been somewhat addicted to taking snapshots ever since.

These days, digital cameras are the rule. At least, as far as I'm concerned. We have an unlimited supply of “film” and instant gratification. You know me - I'm all about playing with things that were designed for productivity. That's why I strongarmed our producers into letting me tell you about this cool little trick that you can do right away.

Without any digital editing, we're going to write our name in neon. To get this done, you'll need a digital camera that has a “shutter priority” option, a tripod, a flashlight or LED, and a dark area of your home. Normally, the shutter priority option is used for capturing low light scenes. Which is, by the way, what we're doing - with a flair.

(1) Place your camera on a tripod (or flat surface where it won't move). (2) Set the camera to the highest possible shutter priority (15″ - fifteen seconds - is sufficient). (3) Set the camera on a timer, so it won't move when the shutter opens. (4) Have a friend stand in front of the camera, turn down the lights, and have them turn on the flashlight (or LED). Have them hold it in the starting position. (5) Start the countdown. When the shutter opens, your friend should start spelling his or her name backwards. (6) When they're finished writing their name, have them pause until the shutter closes. It may take a while for your camera to process everything. (7) That's it!

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