KingGlamis
Banned
I often hear people post here that they can't take beamshots outside their house because there is too much ambient light, or light pollution. I'm sure there are some cases where this may be true, but a powerful flashlight should be brighter than any nighttime ambient light, IMO. My point is, you don't need complete darkness to take beamshots, and you don't always use your light in complete darkness (in fact, most of us use our lights much more in areas that are NOT complete darkness). As I'm a fan of real world beamshots, I'll post some examples.
First off, the control shot, or reference shot, of the front of my house looking towards the neighbor's house across the street. As you can see in the photo below, my front yard has tons of ambient light shining on it.
I'll start the beamshots with my Aspheric Mag. Lots of hotspot but no spill. Normal for an Aspheric adjusted to spot. You can still see the ambient light on the lawn is brighter than the spill, or lack of spill.
Next up is one of those cheap 1.5 million candlepower spotlights. Lots of spot (DUH) and a little spill.
This one is the WF501-D. As you can see it is a flood master with decent throw. It doesn't really have a defined hotspot at this distance, just lots of overall light.
Next up is the Fenix P3D RB100 on Turbo. A good mix of throw and flood, you can clearly see that it way overpowers the ambient light.
This one is a Surefire G3 Nitrolon with the LF EO-9 380 lumen upgrade. An impressive hotspot with lots of flood too.
And finally, my MX Power 3-Cree light. Clearly and incredible hotspot with very impressive spill. This light removes all doubt that you can't take a beamshot with lots of ambient light. Look again at the first shot, the control shot, and imagine you were looking for a lost dog over by the neighbor's house. Then imagine using one of the above lights, especially this one, to actually spot the dog. That's my point, even with tons of ambient light, you still have real-life uses for your flashlight, and can reflect them with real-life beamshots.
My point, if you didn't get it by now, is don't be afraid to take shots outdoors with ambient light. Be creative with your beamshots (I know, I know, the ones above aren't that creative, but just making a point). Most of all, have fun taking beamshots. To me, there is little fun in pointing my lights at a white wall only a few feet away.
First off, the control shot, or reference shot, of the front of my house looking towards the neighbor's house across the street. As you can see in the photo below, my front yard has tons of ambient light shining on it.
![IMGP0007.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi103.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm144%2FKingGlamis%2FIMGP0007.jpg&hash=b6b0798499a28b3ff0b397a7ab5580f0)
I'll start the beamshots with my Aspheric Mag. Lots of hotspot but no spill. Normal for an Aspheric adjusted to spot. You can still see the ambient light on the lawn is brighter than the spill, or lack of spill.
![IMGP0011.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi103.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm144%2FKingGlamis%2FIMGP0011.jpg&hash=d07508489e61a0fbf6b61c4c876fca6c)
Next up is one of those cheap 1.5 million candlepower spotlights. Lots of spot (DUH) and a little spill.
![IMGP0016.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi103.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm144%2FKingGlamis%2FIMGP0016.jpg&hash=63942aa62ebb0a323542746fa684f376)
This one is the WF501-D. As you can see it is a flood master with decent throw. It doesn't really have a defined hotspot at this distance, just lots of overall light.
![IMGP0018.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi103.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm144%2FKingGlamis%2FIMGP0018.jpg&hash=bafc527800f14c90d8bc446b625dc917)
Next up is the Fenix P3D RB100 on Turbo. A good mix of throw and flood, you can clearly see that it way overpowers the ambient light.
![IMGP2639.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi103.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm144%2FKingGlamis%2FIMGP2639.jpg&hash=f03b8cb1654fb43a396b6b32f91a64f4)
This one is a Surefire G3 Nitrolon with the LF EO-9 380 lumen upgrade. An impressive hotspot with lots of flood too.
![IMGP2637.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi103.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm144%2FKingGlamis%2FIMGP2637.jpg&hash=4029b7f286c541409545106d405a2a05)
And finally, my MX Power 3-Cree light. Clearly and incredible hotspot with very impressive spill. This light removes all doubt that you can't take a beamshot with lots of ambient light. Look again at the first shot, the control shot, and imagine you were looking for a lost dog over by the neighbor's house. Then imagine using one of the above lights, especially this one, to actually spot the dog. That's my point, even with tons of ambient light, you still have real-life uses for your flashlight, and can reflect them with real-life beamshots.
![IMGP2636.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi103.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm144%2FKingGlamis%2FIMGP2636.jpg&hash=483cf2f19984a193814cdcf213639371)
My point, if you didn't get it by now, is don't be afraid to take shots outdoors with ambient light. Be creative with your beamshots (I know, I know, the ones above aren't that creative, but just making a point). Most of all, have fun taking beamshots. To me, there is little fun in pointing my lights at a white wall only a few feet away.