light trails..

Equipment Needed:

• a camera that allows you to have some control over exposure settings – particularly those that allow you to choose longer shutter speeds (a camera that has the ability to shoot in either full manual mode or shutter priority mode)
• a tripod (or some way to making your camera completely still) - as you’ll be shooting with long shutter speeds

Basic Principle:
At the most general level photographing light trails involves finding a spot with dark lighting and a bright light. For example where you’ll see the light trails created by cars. Securing your digital camera, setting a long exposure setting on your camera and shooting at a time when cars will be going by to create the trail of light. The general factor behind it is longer exposures that will enable the cars that create the trails to move through your image.


Setting Up Your Shot:
Photographing light trails is not difficult – it’s as simple as finding virtually any road with cars going down it once the sun goes down. 
Timing/Light – one very effective time to do it is just as the sun is going down (just before and after). If you shoot at this time you’ll not only capture light from cars, but the light of the setting or rising sun, the light in the sky which can add atmosphere to your shots.
Creative Perspectives – some of the most effective light trail shots are taken from perspectives. Get down low(worms eye view) or find a place looking down on your scene (birds eye view) that will create a different angle.


Settings:
Aperture and Shutter Speed – usually a shutter speeds between 10 and 20 and with apertures in the mid range.  If your shots are overexposed – shrink your aperture down (increase the f stop number) or if your shots are underexposed open it up (decrease the f stop numbers). If you want the car’s lights to go further through the frame go for a longer shutter speed and if you want it to travel less through the frame shorten it.

Keeping all these elements in mind and a little bit of experimenting with different settings is what should lead your way of photographing a photo of car lights trailing. I myself have tried this too and this was the result.