Flashing LED Light Trails

Here are some colorful, but very strange light trail photos I took of a novelty heart pin with flashing red and blue LED lights. These photos turned out very different from my previous light trail photos just due to the light source.

Because the LED lights were rapidly flashing, the light trails they produced were very short.

Flashing LED light trail photograph

By holding the LED lights closer to the camera and out of focus, I was able to get large blobs of color, as can be seen in this photo that includes the faint, smoky swirls of the moon.

Flashing LED light trail photograph

By moving the camera in a tight, circular motion, I was able to get this concentrated cloud of light.

Flashing LED light trail photograph

I moved the camera rapidly up and down while slowly moving away to get these jumping sparks below.

Flashing LED light trail photograph

When I held the flashing heart pin at arm-length and photographed the crescent moon behind it, I ended up with this weird photo of a crescent moon trail.

Flashing LED light trail photograph

I moved the camera in a tight, circular motion while slowly moving away to get the psychedelic ball of light below. It almost looks like one of the very 1960s special effects on the original Star Trek.

Flashing LED light trail photograph

This last photo has a vaguely scientific feel, and it looks a bit like chromosomes or mathematical symbols.

Flashing LED light trail photograph

Light trail photos are quite easy to make, just set your camera to a high f-stop, point it at a light source, and then wiggle or sway the camera for several seconds while the shutter is open. If you do this in public, be prepared for some strange looks, as you will probably look like you are photographing while intoxicated.