You can use a road to convey a slice-of-life or even a metaphor — we'll show you how.

On the road

Every day we travel from point A to point B. After leaving the house today, grab a camera to capture the road, wherever you are going - to work, shopping or for a party. Or you can show motion with cars, bicycles, horses, or walking people. You can freeze traffic or increase its dynamics by playing with the shutter speed.

Tip #1: Create context

Don't feel confined to the road itself: add some space to the frame. If you expand your viewpoint to include a bit of sky, that will help to create a sense of distance, depth and atmosphere in your image.

Tip #2: Look for an unusual vantage point

One reason so many pictures look the same is that so many people are of similar height. Try to find a different viewpoint than the average person's eye level – get much higher or much lower if you can. Is there a bridge or a flyover you could stand on? If you're shooting the road from a building, go up to a higher floor and shoot from a window or balcony. Or, take it to the other extreme: lay down on the ground (not in the road, of course) and shoot from a wide-angle perspective.

Tip #3: Show motion

Use longer exposures to help convey movement in the streets. First, stabilize your camera with a tripod or any firm surface, and try exposures starting from 1/5 of a second. This will keep your background in focus and blur the objects moving in front of it. Your camera's "Tv" mode would be the best option for creating this effect.