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