Six ways to shoot… Light trails
Frame your shot
Fix your camera securely on a tripod, and any light source that is moving within the frame during exposure will be recorded as streaks of illumination. Think about the direction and intensity of these trails, and visualise your composition before shooting.
Short and long
For long exposures under 30 seconds, you can work in Manual or even one of the semiauto modes; but if you want to record light trails for longer than 30 seconds, you will need to use your camera’s Bulb mode and a cable release that locks the shutter open until you release it.
Play with colour
When you shoot traffic trails, you will get lights that are either red (brake lights) or pale yellow (headlights) within your image. However, via Hue/Saturation in Photoshop you can individually select these colour channels and change the colours of the lights with the Hue slider, for a funkier look!
Shoot on the move
You don’t have to shoot light trails from a fixed position. Try setting up a tripod inside a car, then shooting the light trails from street lamps and buildings while driving around a city at night. The results are interesting and unpredictable – but make sure your car windscreen is clean!
Make your own
If you want to create your own light trails, frame up a night scene then walk into the image during the exposure, holding some kind of illuminated object, such as a torch or even your mobile phone. Put a coloured gel over the light source for more interesting effects. You can even draw images or write letters with your torch.
Head indoors
You can create a light trail image indoors, as long as you have a completely dark space to work in. Attach a small torch to a string and hang it from the ceiling, then start it spinning with the torch switched on. Shooting with a wide-angle lens will allow you to capture a geometric pattern as gravity makes its effect felt on the movement of the torch.