How to Capture Light Trails in Photography

Common light trail subjects include any object that emits light — vehicles such as cars and motorbikes are popular, and the most adventurous combine their love of astrophotography with light trail photography, using stars as subjects. A similar technique called light painting involves creating patterns of light using handheld devices such as flashlights, glow sticks, or a smartphone.

Plan your shoot for nighttime: For your lights to shine brightest and be easy to capture, you want your environment to be dark. As well as shooting after hours, look for locations with less ambient light for the best results.

Choose your location carefully: Whether you're looking for organic light trails or painting with light, location matters. For real-world light trails, look for areas with consistent traffic flow and adjust your position to suit your framing. Cityscapes often make great backdrops — look for spacious street corners, bridges, and highways. Set up your tripod out of the way of foot traffic so you don't have to keep moving it.

Think about composition while you shoot: With long exposures, aspects of your composition will change while your shutter is open. Study your subject briefly to identify where your light trails are heading — easier if you're creating the light yourself — and factor this movement into your composition.

Use your surroundings to frame your images: Your light trails will make up key components of your composition, but also look for other details to help with framing. Buildings, roads, or groups of trees make great leading lines and framing elements that create stronger, well-balanced photographs.

Here are some pointers to get you on the path to brilliant light trail photographs:

• Use manual mode: Manual mode gives you ultimate control over your camera's key settings.
• Start with a low ISO: A lower ISO minimises image noise and makes your camera less sensitive to light, allowing slower shutter speeds.
• Use a small aperture: For a greater depth of field, use an aperture of f/8 to f/16.
• Use a long shutter speed: Shutter speed is the most important setting for light trail photography. Keep your shutter open long enough to capture the movement of the light trails — experiment with 10 or 30 seconds, or use bulb mode, where your shutter stays open manually until you close it.

With modern advancements, you can attempt light trail photography using your iPhone or other smartphone — many have a long exposure option built-in, or a specialised camera app will do the trick.

For the best results, a dedicated mirrorless camera is the best camera for light trail photography. As well as providing better image quality in low light thanks to larger image sensors, mirrorless cameras are easier to control with manual settings and compatible with a huge array of lenses and accessories.

• Sturdy tripod: While you want your light source moving during capture, everything else in your image needs to be perfectly still. A sturdy, reliable tripod is essential.
• Shutter release: A remote cable or wireless shutter release allows you to trigger the shutter without touching the camera, minimising vibrations — crucial for sharp, smooth light trails. Many modern cameras with WiFi and Bluetooth let you use your smartphone as a remote shutter instead.