Why do streetlights leave squiggly light trails in a long-exposure photo, and how can I avoid them?
Asked 8/3/2016
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2 answers
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I shot a night photo at 32 seconds, f/9, ISO 100, 39mm, through a window with the room lights off. In the image, the bright streetlights have irregular light trails/lines coming from them, while the rest of the scene looks fairly sharp. What causes these trails in a long exposure, and how can I prevent them next time?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
34
It looks like there are parallel light trails below each streelamp -- going down, then right, then down some more (ASCII art):
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And highlighted on the original:
I would guess that these are when the shutter button was pressed, tilting the camera, because only bright sources show this effect. This is in addition to the normal, more horizontal/wandering light trails. If you view full-res you can see the individual pulses of light caused by the AC power (fluorescent and similar lights used to run at twice mains frequency, but newer models like these are high frequency). These pulses are more widely spaced in the long straight of the trail, close together (they run into each other) where the camera is changing direction more slowly. I can tell these are high-frequency lights because counting the pulses at the usual 100-120Hz twice mains frequency would account for a significant proportion of your exposure time, and the windows on the opposite buildings demonstrate that this isn't the case.
Zoomed in on the pulses:
This also shows the tail light trails you'd expect, indicating that the disturbance didn't last for very much of the exposure.
The solution is to reshoot ideally with a tripod and a cable release. You can improvise for the tripod but then the cable release becomes essential (or wireless release, or self timer, just don't touch the camera). Even slamming doors can make the camera move. I'd turn off the IS - it can't help you on such long exposures, with the possible exception of vibrations through the floor.
Originally by user26575. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user26575
10y ago
0
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Those lines are most likely caused by camera movement during the 32-second exposure. Bright point light sources show even tiny motion very clearly, so a small shake can turn each streetlight into a visible squiggle or stepped trail.
From the answers, two likely causes are:
- pressing the shutter and slightly moving the camera/tripod
- image stabilization (IS) being left on while the camera was tripod-mounted, causing the stabilizer to “hunt” and introduce motion
The segmented look can also be exaggerated by the lamp’s flicker, which makes brightness vary along the trail.
To avoid it:
- use a sturdy tripod
- trigger the shot with a remote, self-timer, or delayed shutter
- if the camera/lens is firmly on a tripod, turn off IS/image stabilization
- avoid touching or pressing the camera against the window during the exposure
- if possible, use mirror lock-up or electronic first curtain to reduce vibration
Shooting through a window usually won’t create this specific trail pattern by itself; motion during the exposure is the main issue.
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