By using the long
exposure shutter speed setting, I was able to capture light trails from the
movement of light coming from vehicles and street lights. In order to capture
these photos, I used a Nikon D3100 DSLR with the settings of 100 ISO, the
alternation between 2.5 – 4.0 second and an automatic F number setting. The
tripod helped a lot in capturing these photos as it was able to stabilise the
camera. But although there was a tripod at hand, I still encountered some
shakiness in my photos as some photos did come out blurry which were due to the
wind. These photos were captured during the evening when the lights were most
visible for capturing. I took these photos at several locations during the same
day, which were; Canary Wharf, Marble Arch, Trafalgar Square, London Bridge and Oxford Street. These were good
places to capture long exposure light photography as it’s very busy and there
are always constant movements of vehicles around. I found buses were the best
vehicles to capture light trails due to its large size and multi-colours of
red, green and white. I experimented further capturing the photos in long
exposure setting whilst zooming in and out this generated a zoomed in effect
within my photos and created more trails which made it look more interesting.
Overall I was able
to capture some outstanding shots since it was my first time experimenting with
light trails photography.
I expanded further
with the long exposure settings by capturing photos without any movement with
visible light surroundings. By capturing photos during the night with this
setting, it created a crispy clear outcome, which showed an enhancement of
lighting and detail. I took these photos at canary wharf as there were many
buildings surrounding the area and had blue Christmas lights decorations around
it which made it an interesting place to capture these photos. The river was a
plus as it the lights from the buildings were reflected onto the water which
the camera was able to capture its reflections. I took these photos with a
Nikon D3100 DSLR with a 100 ISO and I alternated the exposure between 3-7
seconds along with an automatic F number. Also I used a tripod to stabilise the
camera but some photos turned out blurry due to the heavy wind which was a
downfall.
Regardless, I was
still able to capture some amazing shots of the lighting from the buildings and
light reflecting onto the river. Some photos came out very sharp, but I believe
a longer light exposure produces a better outcome which I will experiment
further in the future.
