Help me take better signal photos

[freebrickproductions]

Those GE streamlines that you sited for me aren't anywhere near "my area", as they're in northern New Jersey and I live in northern Alabama. Also, a lot of what you've posted I believe has since been removed or replaced. I know those Crouse-hinds Type Ts have been.

[traffic light guy]

Those GE streamlines that you sited for me aren't anywhere near "my area", as they're in northern New Jersey and I live in northern Alabama. Also, a lot of what you've posted I believe has since been removed or replaced. I know those Crouse-hinds Type Ts have been.

That proves my point, by the time I'm an adult, I'm gonna have to hitchhike for old signals, they're be coming less and less common. 2001 is a really bad year to be born in if you like traffic lights, which will be replaced by self driving cars by the mid-2030s.

[freebrickproductions]

Those GE streamlines that you sited for me aren't anywhere near "my area", as they're in northern New Jersey and I live in northern Alabama. Also, a lot of what you've posted I believe has since been removed or replaced. I know those Crouse-hinds Type Ts have been.

That proves my point, by the time I'm an adult, I'm gonna have to hitchhike for old signals, they're be coming less and less common. 2001 is a really bad year to be born in if you like traffic lights, which will be replaced by self driving cars by the mid-2030s.

Traffic lights will likely hang around for a good while longer than that, as you'll still have a lot of non-self driving cars for many, many more years after that.

[adventurernumber1]

That's formulanone who has offered up some great advice, and scanning through I see several others, including adventurernumber1, who has to be the most positive person on here.
Anyway, you are young and will have plenty of opportunities to venture out further as you get older.  Enjoy your youth.

Thanks! What's very strange is that when it comes to myself (due to Major Depression), I tend to be debilitatingly pessimistic, but when it comes to other people, I tend to be incredibly optimistic, because that's what comes from my heart with no opposition from my mentally ill mind.

And yeah, others have shared some very good advice, and traffic light guy, I predict that things will turn out well for you - just be patient, take all of our advice into consideration and apply it, and work toward your goal by taking action (but not being overboard with it). I think things are looking bright. 

[traffic light guy]

An option for me, is to stop using a phone camera

[MNHighwayMan]

An option for me, is to stop using a phone camera

If you're really dedicated to this task (your posts certainly suggest as much ) I would definitely recommend getting at least some sort of cheap, dedicated digital camera. Digital zoom on phone cameras blows due to noise from how digital zoom works, and if you want nice closeups of signal heads you're going to want actual physical zoom capabilities.

[freebrickproductions]

An option for me, is to stop using a phone camera

If you're really dedicated to this task (your posts certainly suggest as much ) I would definitely recommend getting at least some sort of cheap, dedicated digital camera. Digital zoom on phone cameras blows due to noise from how digital zoom works, and if you want nice closeups of signal heads you're going to want actual physical zoom capabilities.

I'm gonna personally recommend a Canon Powershot ELPH 170 IS, as it isn't too expensive and is quite portable, as well as having 12x optical zoom. I've been using it a lot and I love it. It'll only set you back about $150 + shipping, but if you want to get a good camera to start out with, I'd say it's definitely worth the investment.

[traffic light guy]

I also think I might be too hard on myself when it comes to traffic lights. I easily get jealous that other signal geeks get to document interesting and rare stuff, while the signals on my Flickr page are nothing special.

[busman_49]

I also think I might be too hard on myself when it comes to traffic lights. I easily get jealous that other signal geeks get to document interesting and rare stuff, while the signals on my Flickr page are nothing special.

It happens.  I've felt the same way in the past when it came to traffic signals (or retail, or school buses even).  You either find/make a way to go seek out the interesting stuff, or you live vicariously through other people's photographs if there's no way for you to get them yourself.

[hotdogPi]

I also think I might be too hard on myself when it comes to traffic lights. I easily get jealous that other signal geeks get to document interesting and rare stuff, while the signals on my Flickr page are nothing special.

It seems like you keep mentioning Philadelphia-area signals without even considering that New Jersey is part of the area. Could New Jersey have something better than what you can find in Pennsylvania?

[jeffandnicole]

I also think I might be too hard on myself when it comes to traffic lights. I easily get jealous that other signal geeks get to document interesting and rare stuff, while the signals on my Flickr page are nothing special.

It seems like you keep mentioning Philadelphia-area signals without even considering that New Jersey is part of the area. Could New Jersey have something better than what you can find in Pennsylvania?

If NJ does have any, look into the larger, poorer cities such as Camden, Trenton & Atlantic City.  Most signals NJDOT, NJTA and SJTA related are all relatively new (yes, the toll roads do have a few intersections under their jurisdiction with signals they installed and/or maintain).   They counties may have a few older ones as well; the obviously old ones are going to be green.  Camden & Salem Counties may still have some in existence; I can't think of any in Gloucester or Burlington Counties.

[traffic light guy]

Good idea, the poor cities tend to have the oldest signals. Like camden and trenton. Philly is half-and-half, half of the city has signals that are only a couple of years old, while areas such as the northernmost tip of Broad street, and spring garden street have setups that are a teeny bit over four decades old. (Both of which I have photos of). Back roads are also good idea. Especailly the backroads in Chester, there's still a few ancient artifacts still thriving. I already wrote down a list of signals that I plan on getting

[Scott5114]

Let me compare what other guys have in their area, versus the boring shit I have to suffer through:
[...]
Now, look at the boring shit I have:

Keep in mind you don't see how many intersections with McCains and Eagle Durasigs that those other guys drove through and didn't photograph to go to the neat ones.

You do happen to live in an area with far more older signals than average. The oldest signals I can think of around here aren't much older than 1990 or so. If I want to see something older, like a four-way signal, I have to drive clear to Garvin County.

As for photography, two tips. One, always try to shoot with the sun at your back, if possible. The great thing about signals is that there's usually one facing each direction, so unless it's a setup with different signal head types for different directions, you have the opportunity to choose the signal that lines up best with the lighting conditions. You never want to shoot facing into the sun, especially near sunset.

Secondly, play around with Photoshop (or if you're not made of money, The Gimp) to touch up your photos. One easy trick is to mess with the color grading. Most cameras don't shoot black as black, but rather some shade of grey. If you use software to push the all of the colors of the image so that the darkest greys are closer to true black, it will cause the lighter colors to appear less washed-out and more vivid. The easiest way of doing so is to bring up the Levels dialog, which has black, grey, and white dropper buttons on it. Choose the black dropper and find what looks like the darkest grey in the entire image (this will usually be a shadow on a dark surface), and select it. The software will do its thing, and, if you picked the right spot, you'll have a much nicer photo. If not, press Reset and try a different spot.

(Note that the white dropper does the same thing with white, but you generally don't want to do this, since "blowing out the highlights", i.e. making the whitest parts of the image pure white, is considered aesthetically displeasing. You want some grey on even your whites in order to show detail.)

Here's a before & after with just that one tweak done to the image. See the difference?

[Ian]

I also think I might be too hard on myself when it comes to traffic lights. I easily get jealous that other signal geeks get to document interesting and rare stuff, while the signals on my Flickr page are nothing special.

It seems like you keep mentioning Philadelphia-area signals without even considering that New Jersey is part of the area. Could New Jersey have something better than what you can find in Pennsylvania?

If NJ does have any, look into the larger, poorer cities such as Camden, Trenton & Atlantic City.  Most signals NJDOT, NJTA and SJTA related are all relatively new (yes, the toll roads do have a few intersections under their jurisdiction with signals they installed and/or maintain).   They counties may have a few older ones as well; the obviously old ones are going to be green.  Camden & Salem Counties may still have some in existence; I can't think of any in Gloucester or Burlington Counties.

I can't speak for Camden or Atlantic City as I don't venture over there too much, but Trenton had (and likely still has) a bunch of classics still alive when I attended a signal enthusiast meet centered around there in 2013.

Let me compare what other guys have in their area, versus the boring shit I have to suffer through:
[...]
Now, look at the boring shit I have:

You do happen to live in an area with far more older signals than average. The oldest signals I can think of around here aren't much older than 1990 or so. If I want to see something older, like a four-way signal, I have to drive clear to Garvin County.

+1. Pennsylvania (and especially the Philadelphia area) is quite a big hotspot for finding old signals and equipment compared to the rest of the country, something I've noticed when I moved away up here to Maine for college. Other than a very small amount of 4-way beacons that are scattered far between across the state, Maine doesn't really have any extraordinarily old signals left. There is only a single Eagle flatback I know of left near me in Bangor, and it's the last remaining at the intersection of Hogan Road and Bangor Mall Boulevard. There are some towns around Philly where you can still find incandescent Eagleux's and Crouse-Hinds art deco's at several intersections in a row!

If you're really that sick and tired of seeing ancient single-faced lights, make a trek up to some of the small towns in the Pocono's where you'll find a variety of old 4-way's. St. Clair has several intersections in a row with Eagle 4-ways, Shenendoah and Catasauqua both have a porthole, Mahanoy City has a CH type M, to name a few...

[jeffandnicole]

If NJ does have any, look into the larger, poorer cities such as Camden, Trenton & Atlantic City.  Most signals NJDOT, NJTA and SJTA related are all relatively new (yes, the toll roads do have a few intersections under their jurisdiction with signals they installed and/or maintain).   They counties may have a few older ones as well; the obviously old ones are going to be green.  Camden & Salem Counties may still have some in existence; I can't think of any in Gloucester or Burlington Counties.

I can't speak for Camden or Atlantic City as I don't venture over there too much, but Trenton had (and likely still has) a bunch of classics still alive when I attended a signal enthusiast meet centered around there in 2013.

Nice Flickr page!

At quick glance, I believe all the signals you have pictured are still there.  Trenton has replaced some Walk/Don't Walk signals with Hand/Man signals (that's what NJDOT calls them occasionally), although I can't vouch for any of the ones you show.  The license plate on the pole is long gone. :-)

So, here's the thing about Trenton - they're a little slow at fixing things.  Alarmingly slow.  There's this signal on Willow and Bank Street: https://goo.gl/maps/oRBHETHX1SN2 .  About a month ago, the pole on the far side went missing.  It probably got hit and removed.  It STILL hasn't been replaced!  That leaves just one signal per direction!  And currently, one of the green lights is out.

[traffic light guy]

I also think I might be too hard on myself when it comes to traffic lights. I easily get jealous that other signal geeks get to document interesting and rare stuff, while the signals on my Flickr page are nothing special.

It seems like you keep mentioning Philadelphia-area signals without even considering that New Jersey is part of the area. Could New Jersey have something better than what you can find in Pennsylvania?

If NJ does have any, look into the larger, poorer cities such as Camden, Trenton & Atlantic City.  Most signals NJDOT, NJTA and SJTA related are all relatively new (yes, the toll roads do have a few intersections under their jurisdiction with signals they installed and/or maintain).   They counties may have a few older ones as well; the obviously old ones are going to be green.  Camden & Salem Counties may still have some in existence; I can't think of any in Gloucester or Burlington Counties.

I can't speak for Camden or Atlantic City as I don't venture over there too much, but Trenton had (and likely still has) a bunch of classics still alive when I attended a signal enthusiast meet centered around there in 2013.

Let me compare what other guys have in their area, versus the boring shit I have to suffer through:
[...]
Now, look at the boring shit I have:

You do happen to live in an area with far more older signals than average. The oldest signals I can think of around here aren't much older than 1990 or so. If I want to see something older, like a four-way signal, I have to drive clear to Garvin County.

+1. Pennsylvania (and especially the Philadelphia area) is quite a big hotspot for finding old signals and equipment compared to the rest of the country, something I've noticed when I moved away up here to Maine for college. Other than a very small amount of 4-way beacons that are scattered far between across the state, Maine doesn't really have any extraordinarily old signals left. There is only a single Eagle flatback I know of left near me in Bangor, and it's the last remaining at the intersection of Hogan Road and Bangor Mall Boulevard. There are some towns around Philly where you can still find incandescent Eagleux's and Crouse-Hinds art deco's at several intersections in a row!

If you're really that sick and tired of seeing ancient single-faced lights, make a trek up to some of the small towns in the Pocono's where you'll find a variety of old 4-way's. St. Clair has several intersections in a row with Eagle 4-ways, Shenendoah and Catasauqua both have a porthole, Mahanoy City has a CH type M, to name a few...

As you said, the western side of Pennsylvania is where all the old signals linger, I've been doing google maps cavity searches of certain areas in the far western side of PA, Crafton has some dinosaur aged single-faced art decos that date back to the Post WWII era. There was another borough I saw on Google Maps, it also has some ancient ruins, there were no mast-arms, that's how old they were.


District 6 has a few areas that I already pinned: The northernmost tip of Broad Street & Spring Garden Street have rows of mast-arm installs that are just above four decades old. (The oldest were the Crouse-Hinds Type Ms)......don't know of any other old signals in Philly besides the CH art decos in the naval base. Other than those, the oldest you'll see on a regular bases are Eagle Mark IV/Siemens signal configurations from the 1990s. (which really isn't that old). Montgomery and Bucks County's oldest signals are Eagle flatbacks. Delaware county has a few ancient artifacts in the backroads of their cities, Crouse-hinds art decos and eageluxes from the 1950s. Other than Eagle flatbacks, Lower Merion still has a few eageluxes. 

Yeah, there's some traveling that needs to be done, 4-Ways are on the other side of PA. I don't think that there's been a 4-way in District 6 in decades.

[Ian]

As you said, the western side of Pennsylvania is where all the old signals linger, I've been doing google maps cavity searches of certain areas in the far western side of PA, Crafton has some dinosaur aged single-faced art decos that date back to the Post WWII era. There was another borough I saw on Google Maps, it also has some ancient ruins, there were no mast-arms, that's how old they were.

Yeah, there's some traveling that needs to be done, 4-Ways are on the other side of PA. I don't think that there's been a 4-way in District 6 in decades.

Pittsburgh and the surrounding suburbs do have some nice old equipment, but all of the towns I listed in the Pocono's are within a two hour drive from Philadelphia, and don't require going all the way to western PA. There's a lot of cool and old signal related things within a two hour drive from Philly (easily a day trip), but you need to do a little bit of digging.

Baltimore might be a city you may be interested in visiting, and it's closer. Last I was there, several intersections had Eagle 4-way's and I saw one or two GE streamlines still kicking.

[traffic light guy]

As you said, the western side of Pennsylvania is where all the old signals linger, I've been doing google maps cavity searches of certain areas in the far western side of PA, Crafton has some dinosaur aged single-faced art decos that date back to the Post WWII era. There was another borough I saw on Google Maps, it also has some ancient ruins, there were no mast-arms, that's how old they were.

Yeah, there's some traveling that needs to be done, 4-Ways are on the other side of PA. I don't think that there's been a 4-way in District 6 in decades.

Pittsburgh and the surrounding suburbs do have some nice old equipment, but all of the towns I listed in the Pocono's are within a two hour drive from Philadelphia, and don't require going all the way to western PA. There's a lot of cool and old signal related things within a two hour drive from Philly (easily a day trip), but you need to do a little bit of digging.

Baltimore might be a city you may be interested in visiting, and it's closer. Last I was there, several intersections had Eagle 4-way's and I saw one or two GE streamlines still kicking.

Yup, I sure do need to do a bit of digging. But my best bet for now is to check out the leftovers in Lower Merion, it's only a ten minute drive from Philly. Chester and Marcus Hook are for later on. Same with central and western PA

Which part of Baltimore has these ancient gems, I was in that area for a vacation back in 2008, and I didn't recall any 4-Ways.

[Ian]

Which part of Baltimore has these ancient gems, I was in that area for a vacation back in 2008, and I didn't recall any 4-Ways.

Oh lord, I can't even remember where I exactly I saw them. They're scattered throughout the city, so you may need to do some digging for those as well. I do remember that the ones I saw were north of downtown. Check the less traffic volume roads, I'm sure you'll find some...

[traffic light guy]

Which part of Baltimore has these ancient gems, I was in that area for a vacation back in 2008, and I didn't recall any 4-Ways.

Oh lord, I can't even remember where I exactly I saw them. They're scattered throughout the city, so you may need to do some digging for those as well. I do remember that the ones I saw were north of downtown. Check the less traffic volume roads, I'm sure you'll find some...

Now , I need something quick and easy. Where are some towns in District 6 where I can find some oldheads. Marcus Hook and Chester have a few leftovers in the backroads, anything else that's undocumented? District 6 is my quickest option

[freebrickproductions]

Only three GE Streamlines are left in Baltimore, and they're all in some pretty bad neighborhoods, IIRC.

[traffic light guy]

Only three GE Streamlines are left in Baltimore, and they're all in some pretty bad neighborhoods, IIRC.

I think New Jersey would be a better place to find old signals, I could've swore to God I saw some crouse-hinds art decos in ocean city. They were all incandescent, controlled by mechanical marbelite controllers. They were in some part of the coastal region on new jersey. I can't remember

[jakeroot]

Good God this setup is bland:

TCT traffic signals along the Huntingdon Pike

WOAH there, chief. Peek's and TCT's are beautiful works of art.

IMO, the only truly "bland" signal design out there are McCain's. All others are at least moderately more interesting.

[freebrickproductions]

Good God this setup is bland:

TCT traffic signals along the Huntingdon Pike

WOAH there, chief. Peek's and TCT's are beautiful works of art.

IMO, the only truly "bland" signal design out there are McCain's. All others are at least moderately more interesting.

I'd say the modern Aluminum Econolites are just as bland. Looks like a Durasig from the front, but a McCain from the back...
Singer signals are also kinda bland, but a few of the small details (like the larger visors on them compared to most signals, triangular mounts for the latches, and the fact that they use dzus fasteners for the latches) makes them more interesting than McCains and aluminum Econolites to me.

[jakeroot]

Good God this setup is bland:

TCT traffic signals along the Huntingdon Pike

WOAH there, chief. Peek's and TCT's are beautiful works of art.

IMO, the only truly "bland" signal design out there are McCain's. All others are at least moderately more interesting.

I'd say the modern Aluminum Econolites are just as bland. Looks like a Durasig from the front, but a McCain from the back...
Singer signals are also kinda bland, but a few of the small details (like the larger visors on them compared to most signals, triangular mounts for the latches, and the fact that they use dzus fasteners for the latches) makes them more interesting than McCains and aluminum Econolites to me.

This is true. I have to wonder if the McCain style is cheaper to manufacture than something more "creative". I saw an Alusig in Seattle yesterday that was, frankly, quite boring. I thought they had a different design than what I saw, but it very clearly said Alusig on the back...