Photographers: How do I get the lights to stay on for photos?

[carrerascott]

Would love to get some pics with the DRL's on, but of course when I get out of the car, everything shuts off. Short of having someone in the car and ducking, is there any way to do this?

I posted some pics in this thread from yesterday, btw: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/11875-Model-S-Photo-Gallery/page10

 

[Bearman]

Dont own the car but I have heard that the car would stay on if you put the car in park via touchscreen and not the stalk.
Might be worth a try and hope it is correct and sorry if not.

 

[spatterso911]

First, make sure that there are no chances for someone (kids most likely) to enter the car and manipulate anything. This is very important for obvious safety reasons.

Then, place a 20 - 30 lb (or roughly 10 - 14 kg) weight on the driver's seat. Press the brake pedal and see if the car turns on. If not, add a little more weight. I have used my 3-day survival pack which weighs roughly 25 lbs. Once you do, you can set the lights to whatever you desire, including fogs.

Take beautiful pictures.

Post on TMC.

Sit back and enjoy as everyone admires your photographic prowess.:biggrin:

 

[dsm363]

You usually only want the lights on for a short time(especially for a long exposure) so can use the iPhone or Andeoid app to flash lights. I'll have to check later but that may flash more than DRLs so may not help you. Can't wait to see the photos.

 

[carrerascott]

Hmmm. Guess I'll have to bring a sandbag along with me next time. Too bad there's not a way around that! Might try it this evening during dusk... now what do I have around the house that weighs 30lbs and won't damage the seat...

 

[Al Sherman]

There's an option to leave the lights on after you exit the car but I think it only lasts for 2 minutes and you'd have to repeat for each (2 minute) series of shots but it should work.

 

[spatterso911]

Fogs won't stay on though...

 

[dsm363]

Looks like headlights come on too with the flash lights on mobile app.

 

[JoshG]

Bring a kid or a small (or flexible) adult that can sit on the seat, hold the brake pedal, and duck down.

 

[Dr.Ling]

I don't understand why the car is set up this way. What if I'd need to stop on a stretch of road in the dark and get out of the car. I'd definitely want the lights to stay on so other cars coming from behind could see my car.

 

[jerry33]

I don't understand why the car is set up this way. What if I'd need to stop on a stretch of road in the dark and get out of the car. I'd definitely want the lights to stay on so other cars coming from behind could see my car.

What happens if you put the 4-way flashers on? Does it change the behaviour--haven't tried this on mine.

 

[teslasguy]

When I was at the Great Plains store in NY I noticed the lights on the display car
were always on. I asked one of the Tesla guys about it and he said they had the option set on for that. However, I forgot to ask him if that option is accessible only to tesla reps.


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[carrerascott]

You can have the headlights stay on when you get out for 2 mins or so, but those are all the lights -- would prefer just the DRL lights sometimes. I guess for now, you need dead or live weight in the driver's seat to do it.

 

[dsm363]

Can you cover up the sensor (wherever it is) to make the car think it is dark outside without ruining the picture?

 

[carrerascott]

It will still shut the lights off even if it's dark, if there's no weight on the driver's seat.

Can you cover up the sensor (wherever it is) to make the car think it is dark outside without ruining the picture?

 

[teslasguy]

Ask your service center how to set the option to leave the DRL lights on when not in the car.


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[vfx]

The lights shut off because it's an electric car. It would be like leaving an ICE car running out of gasoline It would be reeeeealy bad.

That said, maybe for roadside safety the make it a very difficult several screen process with lots of pop up warnings to turn them on while parked. Or maybe they only stay on when the emergency flashers are on.

 

[mknox]

I don't understand why the car is set up this way. What if I'd need to stop on a stretch of road in the dark and get out of the car. I'd definitely want the lights to stay on so other cars coming from behind could see my car.

4-way flashers are a better solution for that. I had a friend who was nearly killed in his car at the side of the road with just his normal lights on. The other guy saw the tail lights and thought he was under way and smashed right into the back of him. It's lucky he wasn't standing outside near the car!

 

[Dr.Ling]

Emergency- / hazardlights / 4 way flashers would also cause other cars to stop to check if I'm ok
What if I need to use the cars lights as a light source, for instance to help another driver change wheels by the road in the dark?

 

[Todd Burch]

I've already encountered a real-world situation where I needed this. I was dropping off envelopes in the mailboxes of my tenants at night (a moonless night), and there were no street lights. Every time I pulled up to a mailbox and got out of the car, the lights went out and it became difficult to see the mailbox and the envelopes. Solution was of course to turn on walk-away lights.