Light Panning experiment with a shaky twist

Last time, when clicking traffic trails on a FOB at South Extension, New Delhi, a unique problem presented on the iron bridge. Due to heavy footfall of pedestrian and temporary nature of the bridge, there were too much of vibrations. I could barely get a few good shots. Amidst curses and sighs, opportunity presented itself to use this problem to my advantage to get a totally new style of light panning. And yes FOB no longer stands for Foot Over Bridge.

Setup for wavy light trails

• Camera – Canon 600D
• Mode – Shutter Priority
• Shutter Speed – 6 seconds and upwards
• Exposure Compensations – -5 EV
• ISO – 100 (fixed)
• Focal Length – As per auto
• Flash – Off
• Stand – Flexible Gorilla

So here is the final outcome.

The light trails are supposed to come straight. But because of the footsteps from people and the resulting vibrations, the entire setup was shifting in the vertical direction. And this has given a wavy effect to the light trails.

In one angle, where I attempted to capture a building, the vibration has created too much of distortion. Also the shutter was open for almost 13 seconds.

Also vibration levels are different at the end of the bridge and at the center. The above pic was clicked at the edge, more vibrations. Depends on where the resonance is achieved.

The wavy light trails remind us of what, yes, ECG readings on the graph paper.

Did You Know That

There is a secret society of ECG Doctors who specialize in deep study of ECG charts. After all its a pictorial depiction of your heartbeat. Lots of information is hidden in the ECG chart, esp dealing with your lover. These doctors can discover a hidden code of alphabets within the ECG lines to spell out the name of your loved one for which your heart beats. Make sure to get yours checked!