Like a jump to light speed in Star Wars, the zoom burst is a technique that can be used to make creative photographs. The concept and actions are rather straight forward and result in great photographs that will leave your viewer intrigued to the composition of your subject. Another way to think of it is that you are creating your own light trails as the action of the zoom causes the position of the light source to move through your frame.

Just the same as the lines burst from stars in the Star Wars movies, the best results come from fixed and distinct light points. This makes, but not limited to, night time cityscapes as an ideal subject for zoom burst photography.

The materials required for this technique are a zoom lens, tripod and if shooting in bright light a ND filter.

To perform zoom burst photography; set your camera on your tripod and adjust the ISO and aperture so as to expose for a 1-2 second shutter speed. I have found it best to use the delay function to take the photo so that you can concentrate on the zoom. When you hear the click of the mirror opening then give your zoom a steady twist to zoom at a speed to match the duration of the shutter being open.

There you have it, the below image I took from the Seafarers Bridge in Melbourne Australia with a 24-70mm zoom lens, f/4.0, ISO 100 and a shutter speed of 1.3 seconds.

Seafarers Bridge, South Wharf, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Now permanently closed and opened for the one day only, the Melbourne Tank Museum provided a great excuse to stretch my photography legs and be able to take some different photos. Australia's largest private collection of military equipment opened for one day only, 17th June 2018, to allow the public the opportunity to view machinery that is rarely seen these days.

The open day proved to be popular with estimates of over 1000 people attending across the day. Military enthusiasts took the opportunity to attend as did many photographers, myself included.

The low light of the indoor exhibition and the changing light of the outdoor restoration area provided a great challenge, making the whole experience so much more enjoyable.

The only real way to stretch out and improve as a photographer, is to practice. The more you expose yourself to different conditions, the better you will become. Of course coming up with new things to shoot and getting different ideas can be difficult at times. Inspiration is not always at hand.

The realisation I learned from the event at the Melbourne Tank Museum is that there are always different events on around a big city. Checking out the "what's on" guides and local event pages will provide a wealth of inspiration and a great variety of subject matters to practice your photography skills. So next time you are running out of ideas of what to shoot, have a look at what is going on around you, get your camera out and try something different. At the end of the day, the more you shoot, the more your skills and photography will improve.