Table of contents:
- What are light trails in photography?
- Light trail photography techniques and tips
- Light trail photography settings
- The best light trail photography equipment
What Are Light Trails in Photography?
Light trail photography is an exciting form of night photography that captures the movement of light sources as streaks or lines. This dynamic technique can be performed virtually anywhere — you don't need to wait for a picturesque location. While a dedicated camera with manual controls offers the most creative freedom, you can still experiment using your iPhone's night mode or long exposure apps.
Trailing Lights Photography: What Makes a Great Subject?
Trailing lights photography — another term for this technique — refers specifically to the streaks left by moving light sources during a long exposure. Cars and motorbikes are the classic subjects, their headlights producing warm white trails and tail lights leaving vivid red streaks. In Australian cities, trams (particularly in Melbourne's CBD), ferries on harbour crossings, and even cyclists with front lights all create distinct and characterful trailing effects. The variety of light colour, speed, and direction each subject offers means no two shots are ever quite the same, which is a big part of what makes this style of photography so compelling to explore.
Light Trail Photography Techniques and Tips
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.
How to Shoot Light Trails: A Step-by-Step Workflow
If you're heading out to shoot light trails for the first time, this simple workflow will get you capturing results quickly:
- Scout your location before dark: Arrive before sunset so you can identify traffic patterns, safe tripod positions, and your intended framing — once it's dark, this becomes much harder.
- Set up and stabilise your tripod: Lock off your camera on a sturdy tripod, and use a remote shutter release or your camera's self-timer to eliminate camera shake.
- Dial in your settings: Start with ISO 100, f/11, and a 15-second shutter speed, then adjust based on your test shots.
- Wait for your moment: Let a steady stream of traffic or your chosen light source pass through the frame before triggering the shutter.
- Review and refine: Check your histogram and zoom in to assess sharpness and trail length, then tweak your shutter speed as needed.
Light Trail Photography Settings
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.
Recommended Starting Settings for Light Trail Photography
If you're unsure where to begin, these camera settings for light trails are a reliable starting point for most night scenes in Australian cities or suburban streets:
- ISO: 100–200 (keep it as low as your camera allows to minimise noise)
- Aperture: f/8–f/11 (sharp throughout the frame, ideal for cityscapes)
- Shutter speed: 10–25 seconds (enough time for a car or tram to travel fully through the frame)
- Focus: Switch to manual focus and use live view to focus on a fixed point in your scene before traffic arrives
These are a starting point — every location is different, so always review your first shot's histogram and adjust accordingly. Brighter scenes (like well-lit CBD intersections) may need a faster shutter or smaller aperture.
The Best Light Trail Photography Equipment
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.
By following these tips and experimenting with different settings, you can capture stunning and creative light trail photographs. If you need help sorting out gear for your next photographic adventure, check out our online store or head to your local Ted's store.
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