It is always fun and interesting to photograph trailing traffic lights, not
only that it adds atmosphere to the final images, it's also very colourful and
creative. During total darkness, there is obviously no natural light available
and these are perfect conditions to photograph trailing lights from cars.
Here are a few simple steps to follow:
Always use a tripod as the exposures will be long and this will avoid camera
shake.
Know what settings to use on your camera: -
- Shutter mode, set your SLR on a slow shutter speeds such as 1/4th, or
slower to capture movement. (use this as a guide and adjust the shutter according the the availability of the light.)
- Aperture Priority mode; set the aperture at f16 (the camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed).
- For Manual mode, set the aperture at f16 and the shutter speed at 10 seconds. Use this shutter speed as a guide only, as your exposure time may vary depending on the available light. You may either have to increase or decrease the shutter speed depending on the image produced. Also use the camera’s exposure indicator to set the value on 0 as this will give you the correct exposure.
An exposure indicator is visible through the viewfinder which looks like:
-2||||1||||0||||1||||2+.
Cameras which do not have the Aperture Priority or Manual mode will often allow selecting different scene settings, such as ‘dusk/dawn’,‘nightlight’ or ‘sunset’ modes. Please choose which suits you and your camera best and the camera will adjust the
aperture and shutter accordingly.
Here are some examples of photos of trailing traffic lights.
Once you know how to photograph trailing traffic lights, why not take your photography yo the next level. Try 'zooming' in or out create the bust of lights.
Other useful articles on the blog to read:
Bhupinder Ghatahora
Ghatahora Photography