New York City, Los Angeles, and other cities are changing their streetlights to LEDs, meaning these and cities around the country and world will soon look very different at night—both in person and on camera, writes Geoff Manaugh at Gizmodo. (Personally, I think it’s a good thing.)
[T]he switch to LED really is a historic change for the visual definition of Los Angeles—so much so … that we might someday find ourselves seriously arguing over whether a city’s artificial lights, due to their unique color scheme, could be justifiably subject to historic preservation laws. …
The implication is that every shot of Los Angeles prior to the LED turnover will soon be a valuable historic document, capturing the city in a light that will now be lost forever, its electrical signature seen in the color schemes of every old film and photograph.
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“How LED Streetlights Will Change Cinema (And Make Cities Look Awesome)” by Geoff Manaugh
Gizmodo, 3 February 2014
Photo
Los Angeles at night, 22 May 2006
Marc Teer via Flickr, CC BY 2.0
Dustin Tyler Joyce 