Newcastle Photography – Light Trails In Town

I haven’t got out there and took some photos in such a long time, but finally I did.

I wanted to shoot some photos in the town, and have always wanted to do some light trails in Newcastle but have always put it off.

But I finally did get out there and had my first go at light trails and night time photography.

Here’s what I shot and how it all turned out.

Taking photos of light trails obviously work best in the dark and you need vehicles such as cars and buses to make it all work.

So you need it to be night time, but also when it’s busy.

I’ve always figured that taking these photos would be better in winter, since it gets dark much earlier. But I’ve always been reluctant because that means going out in the freezing cold!

I am a total novice and beginner at night time photography, and never done light trails, so this entire thing was a new experience for me.

The first one above is one of the most iconic shots that I’ve seen so many times. It’s the Northern Goldsmiths building with the Rolex clock on the corner.

This is a really cool building with the lights on the outside and looks great all lit up. Better yet, it’s on the corner of Northumberland Street which means lots of traffic including buses when it’s busy.

It was not in my mind to photograph this immediately, but I am glad I did. This is St. James’ Park at night complete with light trails.

This is a pretty busy road so has lots of traffic passing. But it’s one of those when you really have to catch it right. There’s lots of traffic lights around and you really need to pick the right time to get the shot.

I went down the quayside to get more shots, and I love this location on the corner with the Tyne Bridge in view.

Once again it’s a great position on a corner with traffic lights and curved roads. This gave me some pretty bold light trails.

Last up on the photos was taking this shot of Revolution.

This has the benefit of a really long street, Collingwood Street which means you get the effect of the light trails going all the way down the street off in the distance.

There’s also the iconic Revolution building which I love, with it’s sign lit up it’s looking good.

Overall I had fun with my first go at night photography and light trails. There is so much to learn and so much I can improve on, but for a first go, a first attempt I think these shots turned out decent.

Next time round I think I will research and read more, and go when it begins to get dark rather than when it’s already very dark as I’ve heard that can be a good time to do this type of photography.