Any advice would be nice

[Jack/Sharon]

Hi all i have a nikon d60 with the 18-55 lens. ive always wanted to take a pic standing on the bridge at night looking down at the motoway. so it looks like long lines fom the car lights. Can someone please tell me how to do this as im still learning with this camrea.

Thanks all.

 

[Alastair]

Try reading this tutorial for some pointers on long exposures in general.

For light trails and the "light sabre" line effect you need to take into account the density and speed of traffic to get the minimum shutter time for enough light to burn-in to each trail. In light traffic you'll need enough shutter open time for half-a-dozen vehicles to cross the frame. In busy motorway traffic you won't need as long as the sheer density of vehicles will burn-in the lines.

There's always a bit of suck-it-and-see.. stick the camera in manual, pick the lowest ISO, pick the optimum aperture (f/9-11 to start with) and guess at 10 seconds or so. Take the shot, check the screen. Shutter speed will control the intensity of the traffic beams, aperture will allow you to balance the ambient to keep the dark parts of the frame nice and rich. If there's any other ambient light sources (e.g. traffic signs or illuminated buildings) there will be a bit of a balancing act in getting the right exposure.

With practice you can get a rough idea from the start what is likely to work. Have a look at a few on Flickr and check the exif if it's available to see what sort of settings get goof results. But remember, ambient lighting and traffic flows are rarely the same int two different locations or at the same location on different days or at different times. Don't expect to plug in a standard setting and get perfect results straight away.

 

[redddraggon]

You'll need a tripod if you haven't already got one.

 

[Jack/Sharon]

cool i'll have a read through. Got tripod ticked box on my list lol.....

 

[lawrie29]

Your best scouting for a location during the day, look for a road with nice curves, or interestingly lit background. Don't do it alone, wrap up warm!!!!