Creative Photography Techniques: Explore Intentional Camera Movement

Intentional camera movement, or ICM, is a technique that creates unique, painterly images. These are often a single photograph but can also be created utilizing in-camera multiple exposures or combining images in post.

As photographers, we most often use our cameras to capture a moment in the literal sense, documenting it in a photojournalistic way. However, a camera can also be used as a paintbrush by incorporating movement.

Why ICM?

Why not! For one thing, it rattles the baked-in rules in your head, forcing you to crack the rigidity in your creative approach to a photograph. ICM accomplishes a few things. It helps you capture a perhaps blah scene in a non-literal way. When nothing inspires you to trip the shutter, ICM comes in for the rescue. ICM also provides a way of giving even a beautiful scene an unexpected impressionistic perspective.

Lupines.

📷 – Nikon Z9 | 🔘 – Nikkor 28-400 mm | 🎞 – ISO 64 | 🔘 – f/36 | 🕒 – 1.3 second⁠s | Variable ND filter

Techniques

ICM at its base is movement. It can be comprised of tight, tiny movements or big, loose sweeps of the camera in mid-air. It can be a series of focused or unfocused frames. In my opinion, there is no right or wrong way to create a painterly photograph. However, it does require the intention of capturing a scene in a non-exact way.

Settings are straightforward, use your camera’s base (aka native) ISO, a slow shutter speed, and adjust the aperture to achieve the proper exposure.

Movement

• Swipe sideways
• Swipe up or down
• Swipe diagonally
• Zigzag the camera
• Zoom in or out (or both ways)
• Set the camera to multiple exposures.
• Turn the body or lens at each exposure.
• Move the camera incrementally for each exposure.
• Use your histogram!
• Stack images in PS.
• Use a tripod. Or not.

Settings

• Use low ISO (ISO 100 or the camera’s base ISO)
• Start at ~ 1/8 or 1/4 second shutter speed.
• Stop down the aperture
• Use ND filter to achieve a slow shutter speed.
• Start incorporating movement and see what happens.

Gear

• Prime lens
• Telephoto (28-300mm, 70-200mm, etc.)
• Tripod or handheld
• ND filter (fixed or variable)

I prefer variable ND filters because you can tightly control the amount of light so the shutter speed remains in the 1/8 second to 6-second range, the speeds I find work best for ICM. These are two excellent variable ND filters that I use. These help me fine-tune the amount of light and shutter speed on the fly.

Tiffen Variable ND Filter 2-8 Stop

Polar Pro Variable ND Filter 6–9 Stop

Autumn scene in ICM. Single frame.

📷 – Nikon Z9 | 🔘 – Nikkor 28-400 mm | 🎞 – ISO 64 | 🔘 – f/18| 🕒 – 5 second⁠s | Variable ND filter

Carnivals are a lot of fun to shoot using ICM. Set your camera on a tripod and play with zooming in and out with a telephoto lens and watch magic develop. Learn about photographing a carnival.

Ferris Wheel

📷 – Nikon D780 | 🔘 – Nikkor 28-300 mm | 🎞 – ISO 100 | 🔘 – f/16 | 🕒 – 1.6 second⁠s | No ND filter

Things to Remember

This is one kind of photography where the dreaded “chimping” or looking at your LCD after every frame is a must. Duplicating an image is impossible, so keep every frame until you download them. The LCD may show you a dud but that dud could actually be a gem. Be prepared to shoot many frames with only a couple of successes. It is a process with lots of trial and error and also many delightful surprises. ICM can be applied to any scene.

Incorporate ICM as part of your shoot.
Look for shapes of colors to work with.
Experiment with slower shutter speeds.
Don’t stop at just one or two shots.

Rose

📷 – Nikon Z9 | 🔘 – Nikkor 28-400 mm | 🎞 – ISO 100 | 🔘 – f/7.6 | 🕒 – 1/320 sec.⁠ | 5 frame in-camera multiple exposure

Push the sliders when post-processing and see what emerges from your raw file. My favorite adjustments to use on ICM images are vibrance, dehaze, and clarity. Try changing up the white balance too.

Utilizing intentional camera movement during every shoot helps your artistic vision. The only time I don’t use ICM is for astrolandscape photography, otherwise I always incorporate ICM at every shoot.

ICM is a lot of fun and a very creative technique for creating unique art. Give it a try. It is addicting and can produce remarkable impressionistic images.

Have you tried ICM? What has been your biggest challenge in creating an impressionistic image? Let’s hear it in the comments.

© Silvana Della Camera

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