Add a creative twist

Create traffic trails

1 Get set up Set up your tripod in a safe place well clear of passing traffic. Look for positions where the trails of light will be more interesting, such as the central reservation we set up on here. Other good spots to try include shooting from a bridge over a road, or at busy intersections.

2 Set A Long shutter speed You’ll need a shutter speed of at least a few seconds to allow time for the vehicles to pass, so set ISO100 and choose manual mode. Use a narrow aperture (f/29 here), then set a slow shutter speed, using the exposure scale in your viewfinder to judge how long it should be. We settled for 15 seconds. 3 BE SELECTIVE If all the vehicles are a similar height then the ribbons of light will form one fairly boring streak. What we really want is some variation in the height of the lights, so wait for buses, lorries, ambulances, gritter trucks and other tall vehicles. Vehicles with flashing lights can also look fantastic, as the flashes are captured as a row of flowing dashed lines.

4 Look for curves Observe the movement of vehicles and look for places where their paths curve. In the shot on the right, the curved streaks that made this image stand out occurred when a bus swerved out from behind a delivery lorry on the left.