Using Motion Blur to Your Advantage

Sunday 5 February 2023, 15:30 by Nando Harmsen | 5,274 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

We normally try to prevent all forms of movement. Fast shutter speeds, image stabilisation and a tripod are used to stop the dreaded motion blur from showing up in the image. But what if you do this deliberately? The technique even has a name: ICM photography.

When a photo has even the slightest trace of motion blur, it is considered a failure. Some people still consider trying to repair the photo with all sorts of 'smart' software. But when there is a lot of movement in it, it is often destined for the bin.

This is what we often want, and what the rule is. A sharp photo, with all movement frozen, even when the subject is moving a lot.

Making deliberate use of movement

Still, motion blur is used in a photo more often than you might expect at first. Think of long shutter speeds with the movement of water or clouds. Or photographing star trails, which I have made a full course about. We use motion blur for these photos.

Do you take photos with long shutter speeds? Then you are deliberately using motion blur.
Action or sports photographers can also use motion blur in a photo. This is called panning, where the camera moves along with the moving subject. The idea is for the moving subject to be as sharp as possible in the image, while the background gives a sense of movement.

Panning means following the movement with a relatively slow shutter speed. You try to keep the subject sharp, while the movement in the background and surroundings remains visible. It makes the photo more dynamic.

Moving the camera deliberately

What if you move the camera without your subject moving? Then you are using Intentional Camera Movement (ICM), a technique that some photographers have elevated to an art form.

A good example is the work of Olga Karlovac. Other photographers include Alan Brown and Andrew S Gray.

This is not simply a vertical movement during the exposure, but a combination of different movements during a single exposure.
If you think simply moving the camera is enough for ICM photography, you are mistaken. Normally, you pay attention to composition, image structure, contrast and colour. With Intentional Camera Movement, there is an extra dimension: movement. Moving randomly rarely produces a good result.

A complex movement during the exposure, which was carefully considered. Several attempts were needed to get it right.
I regularly see ICM photography passing by, especially on social media, and in many cases it completely misses the mark. The movement is thoughtless and random. No account has been taken of direction, contrast or subject.

That already shows that good ICM photography can be more difficult than taking an ordinary sharp photo.

A horizontal movement where care was taken to keep the coastline recognisable.
After seeing beautiful Intentional Camera Movement photos, I started experimenting with this technique (I wrote about this resolution earlier). I can only confirm what I wrote. It is incredibly difficult to achieve good results.

At the same time, it is also incredibly fun and challenging. Which direction should you move? How much should you move? How fast should the movement be? How long should you expose for?

You have to find the right combination of movement, speed and shutter speed.
You have to be into it, that is for sure. But when done well, the images are fantastic. They are almost like paintings, and that is how I see them too. It is painting with the camera.

What do you think of Intentional Camera Movement? Have you tried it, or do you hate this kind of artistic expression? Tell us in a comment below this post.

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