Strange challenge for instant film

[Josh66]

I would guess that it would make everything but the sign dark ... but that's just a guess. Only one way to find out! :lmao:

If the wall is white, I wouldn't expect it to be really dark - but I would expect the light from the sign to fall off pretty quick.

 

[Buckster]

Ok. I guess it's worth one more shot. Do you suppose that would result in Anything else in the shot being super dark?

It's always a game of balancing the highlights with the shadows, no matter what camera and film you use. That said, it's going to depend entirely on the brightness of the other elements of the scene that you want to feature.

 

[Dao]

Is the sign is a reflective sign like those road sign? A direct light such as the camera build in flash to the sign may make the sign looks like a white object in your photo.

 

[Adam Moore]

@dao: no it's a neon light up sign. Flash or no flash it puts off a tremendous amount of light. The instant film isn't able to cope with it under normal shutter speeds.

But, to conclude I think I've got two good techniques to try next time I get my hands on some film. I'm going to use a small LED light to shine directly into the light sensor to get the fastest possible speed, and I'm going to use a hand warmer in my jacket pocket to keep the film toasty while it develops.

This should produce a picture of the neon sign that maintains it's shape and color without it looking like a big bright spot.