Canon EOS Digital SLR Product Range - Eos40D, Eos400D

Taking photos at night gives you lots of scope for creativity and you can get some amazing pictures. The simplest way to start is to capture a scene in which the traffic appears to leave a trail of light.

1. A digital camera
2. A tripod (handy but not essential)
3. A location where traffic is steady but not too heavy

	A good vantage point is an overpass, which avoids headlight glare. This 10-second exposure was long enough to record details in the area surrounding the road, adding interest to the picture.

Finding the best location is the key to success with all kinds of after-dark photography. To record traffic trails, you need to be close enough to see the lights of the vehicles and include them in your shot but far enough away to prevent them from overwhelming the rest of the exposure. When shooting at the same level as the traffic, it's best to shoot tail lights as headlights will generally be too bright. Shooting side-on can produce good results, even if you're quite close to the traffic. But a better vantage point is a highway overpass, which lets you look down on the traffic, thereby avoiding the headlight glare. It's easier to fill most of the frame with the light patterns when you look down at the road.

	For longer - and more dramatic - shots, such as this 32-second exposure, it's better to view the traffic from one side. The reflection of the street lights and the blur of the moving traffic create an interesting pattern in the shot.

Mount the camera on a tripod then set the exposure mode to manual (M) or shutter-priority AE (S or Tv). Adjust the ISO to either 100 or 200 and the lens aperture to anywhere between f3.5 and f8 (depending on the ambient light levels). Engage the self-timer to ensure the camera is steady when the shutter opens. If your self-timer has a 2-second delay option, use it; otherwise a 10-second delay is fine.
The longer the shutter remains open, the longer and more diffuse the traffic light trails will be. An exposure time of at least five seconds will be required to record a noticeable effect; 15-30 seconds will produce quite dramatic results!

Be prepared to change your camera's settings to get the right balance between the traffic lights and the background illumination.

Check each shot on the camera's LCD. If it's too bright, move the ISO back to 100 (or lower) and set a smaller lens aperture (f8, f11 or f16). If it's too dark, try extending the exposure time if the shot was taken at 5-10 seconds or increase the ISO to 400 and open the lens aperture to f3.5-f5.6 for longer exposures.

Experiment with the ISO, shutter speed and aperture controls. It's easy to see if a shot works by replaying it on the LCD. If it's not as you want, change a camera setting, move your camera to a different position and re-shoot.

Direct light entering the camera's lens will ruin a long exposure. Avoid situations with bright ambient lighting and shooting angles where vehicles are coming straight at you. Movement of either the camera or tripod will cause blurring so avoid windy nights and crowded situations and make sure nobody bumps into your set-up while the exposure is in progress.

For longer - and more dramatic - shots, such as this 32-second exposure, it's better to view the traffic from one side. The reflection of the street lights and the blur of the moving traffic create an interesting pattern in the shot.

Although it can be fun to capture the motion of vehicles at night, it can be even more fun to create light patterns by moving your camera during a long exposure. It's very simple to do and all you need is a camera with a shutter than can be set to remain open for at least five seconds. Here's how to go about it.

1. Find a place where there's plenty of light, set your camera's ISO to 100 or 200, adjust the lens aperture to f/5.6 (or slightly smaller) and set the shutter speed to give you an exposure of at least five seconds.
2. Press the shutter button and move your camera while the shutter remains open, aiming to record a pattern with the lights you can see. (With a digital SLR you will only be able to use the viewfinder before the exposure starts because the mirror blocks off the viewfinder. This is unimportant; the idea is to record a pattern.)
3. Try the following strategies:
   
   - Leave the shutter open when you're walking or running. This will create a pattern that reflects your body's motion.
   
   - Shoot from a moving vehicle. This can produce interesting results as the vehicle passes around curves, past buildings or under bridges. The bumpier the road, the more jagged your light patterns will be.
   
   - Swing the camera around in loops, curves and zig-zags.
   
   Not all of your shots will work but, with persistence, you will learn how long to leave the shutter open and which kinds of movement produce the most attractive results.

The camera was moved in circles during this 8-second exposure in a brightly-lit city.

This 10-second shot was taken from a moving vehicle as it travelled along a corrugated stretch of road. The car's motion is reflected in the jagged patterns produced by the city lights.