HOW TO

Capture stunning light trail photos

Tap for 5 easy steps to create a stunning long-exposure shot.

Slow Shutter Cam

Long Exposure Photography

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The red and white rivers of car lights against a sprawling cityscape. The wispy streaks created by a plane’s navigation lights as it crosses the sky. Enchanted streaks of light dancing around people and objects alike. You’ve probably seen light-trail photos like these in travel magazines or on Instagram. What you might not realise is how easy they are to capture.

The technique you’ll use is known as long-exposure photography – the practice of leaving the camera shutter open for seconds or even minutes at a time.

Taking these kinds of images used to require expensive camera equipment and a mastery of advanced photography techniques. Now all you need to pull this off is an app like Slow Shutter Cam and a tripod or other stable surface to steady your iPhone. Here’s how:

Launch Slow Shutter Cam and tap the settings icon (it looks like a gear).

Tap Light Trail and move the shutter speed slider all the way right until it says Bulb. This will let you manually control when the shutter opens and closes.

Frame your photo, and when you’re ready tap the shutter button once to start capturing. To get a photo like the one you see above, you’ll need to use a tripod or prop your phone on something steady.

To end the capture, tap the shutter button.

If you’re happy with the result, tap Save.

Don’t be afraid to shoot from different angles and play around with your settings. Experimenting is part of the fun – and essential to capturing a share-worthy shot.

Slow Shutter Cam

Long Exposure Photography