As the name implies, the Trail of Lights is a spectacular show of lights along a park walkway. All of the trees are decked out in illumination, emphasizing their slender branching form. The entrance, seen here, is particularly colorful — a dramatic way to start the experience.

I shot with a slow shutter speed, which had two positive effects. Technically, a slow shutter speed gathers more light, which allows me to use a lower ISO, which in turn improves the image quality. Aesthetically, a slow shutter creates motion blur, which adds drama and a sense of movement. Another positive effect is a blurring effect, which somewhat reduces the clutter of people.

We visited the event on the last day, and it was exceptionally crowded. I may consider going early next year to make cleaner, less cluttered images. On the other hand, our visit this year was the first time in at least fifteen years. We visited a couple of times when the kids were small but weren’t compelled to make the trek as they grew older.

I’m featuring a deeper dive into this year’s trail of lights with larger pictures in this month’s free photography magazine, which is coming out in a few days. I’ll also talk about the latest camera I’m testing. Signup for the free email magazine to read the story.