Traffic lights

Shoot and edit dazzling creative cityscape images with perfectly placed traffic light trails

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Difficulty level: Advanced

Time taken: 2.5 hours 

Cityscapes are highly popular subjects, even more so with the advent of social media trends. Platforms such as Instagram are awash with images of exotic urban environments, making a subject out of the light and colour contrasts such places offer.

With so many images being created each day, it can be a challenge to produce unique results.

In crowded markets, anything we can do to introduce a novelty to our work is a potential advantage. This can be a unique, thoughtful composition that captures a well-known subject from a new perspective, or it may be a familiar feature captured in an idealised way.

When shooting this image of a busy city street, it made visual sense to use the traffic trails as a feature. These are far from unique elements in urban photography, but capturing the optimal number and arrangement of lights, from this low perspective is less common.

Through a combination of careful timing, risk assessment and software work, it was possible to create something more unexpected.

What you'll need

Tripod/beanbag/alternative support

Interchangeable lens camera

Layers-equipped software

Remote shutter release

Wideangle lens

When shooting in traffic-heavy locations, personal safety is always a consideration - do not impede the flow of vehicles. Where tripods are not practical, use a beanbag or rest your camera on your camera bag, as we did here.

City of light

Combining a low perspective and enhanced, eye-catching traffic trails, this scene is elevated above the standard shot of this urban location

Shooting steps