'Blurry light' effect!?!?

[Woza]

This is the best terminology i can use to describe this type of picture:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidribbens/30917987...

what settings do you use to get this type of effect?

Woza.

[leightonjames]

If you click on "More properties" it tells you on the Flickr page.

[GetCarter]

Leave the shutter open for a long time. You'll need a tripod or something to sit the camera on.

[AndyKH]

I set mine up on a tripod, set the exposure to 30seconds and then just 'played' around. Can give some interesting results.

[Woza]

Andy, they are some fantastic shots - its going to be my first slr but this type of effect i love so am hoping to give it a good go!!

[rasputin]

This was my first attempt at this a few months ago with a P&S camera. Not too difficult with some patience. Although nowhere near the sharpness of the above shots!





You can achieve other effects though ...

Edited by rasputin on Monday 3rd August 21:28

[kman]

nice shots. the first is known as "light trails" the others are "light painting". check out youtube or do a search on flickr groups for tutorials etc. interesting stuff

[AndWhyNot]

If it's specifically traffic trails you're after, you'll get best results when it gets dark earlier. For dense trails like the shot you quoted first off you (obv) need plenty of traffic. But you can't just let your exposure run and run until enough traffic has passed through your shot; ambient lighting will take the intensity out of your trails.

Instead try something like a 10-30 second exposure in the hour or so after the sun's set. Vary your aperture to get the result that suits you - it might seem counter-intuitive but I'd be inclined to start off somewhere like f/16 and gradually widen it up to about f/8. Too wide an aperture and your trails will lose definition.

It's worth using these lighter eves as an opportunity to get to grips with settings and maybe suss out a couple of locations- you won't want to spend more time than necessary by the roadside on a damp Tuesday evening in November...

There's great examples of traffic trails from outside and inside the car in the Cars at Night flickr group.

And the Light Junkies group is a great place to start if you want to know more and get inspired about light painting.

[clonmult]

I've tried a few of these with longer exposures on motorways - but desparately need a tripod to get it right.

First saw this effect on some Dean Chamberlain videos - Durans "All She Wants" was a tad bit garish, but the visual effects were pretty darned clever.

[L4MBOLUV3R]

This is something they taught us in college. The settings I use are Camera speed - "B" ISO - 200 and app - about F10 - F11

Just stuck it on the dash and help down the button.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48351&id...

[Famous Graham]

Picasso did a lot of light painting stuff, funnily enough.

[_dobbo_]

From the ridiculous to the sublime in two posts! Thanks Graham, I didn't know Picasso had done that, I'm off to find out more.