What I Learned From Intentional Camera Movement Photography

I’ve been practicing intentional camera movement occasionally for some years now. This technique, better known by its abbreviation, ICM, involves deliberately moving the camera during exposure. It turns out to be much more difficult than regular photography. You have to take movement into the equation.

Holding the Camera Still

In almost all situations, it’s mandatory to hold the camera still. If that’s not possible, a tripod is needed to achieve this goal. Everything will be full of details, making the most of the high pixel count of modern cameras. It often also involves small apertures for a large depth of field, with refraction taken into account. Techniques like hyperfocal distance and focus stacking are used to maximize sharpness in a photo.

I’ve been making perfectly in-focus photos since I started photography as a child. Or, at least, I tried to do so as much as possible. The only time camera movement was involved was during panning. Moving the camera parallel to the subject transforms the surroundings into a directional motion blur while the subject remains as sharp as possible.

Beyond the Sharp and In-Focus Photos

Deliberate camera movement during exposure is nothing new. It has been done for as long as photography has existed as a form of expression and art. I never took it seriously, partly because the photos I came across were nothing special. Often, they involved nothing more than thoughtless vertical camera movement in a forest. More often, the effect was achieved digitally with the help of Photoshop. Sometimes it involved the Adamski Effect as well, which is completely different from real ICM photography.

I didn’t like ICM photography and ignored it for a long time. I was convinced that photos had to be sharp and crisp—though when panning was involved, it was perfectly okay. However, even then, the subject had to be as sharp as possible.

This changed when I came across ICM photos that were truly amazing. That was the moment I started to get interested in this kind of photography, realizing it could be so much more. By chance, this was around the same time I discovered the beauty of in-camera multiple exposures.

The Difficulty of ICM

If you think intentional camera movement is nothing more than moving the camera during an exposure, you couldn’t be more wrong. ICM photography turns out to be much more difficult than regular photography. The latter involves a good exposure and composition, with a steady camera to prevent motion blur, of course. The former adds motion into the mix.

ICM photography involves other variables that must be taken into account. The shutter speed must be chosen carefully, not only in respect to any movement of the subject itself but also to the speed of the camera movement. Both must be fine-tuned for the best result.

Equally important is the direction of motion. You can’t move the camera during exposure in a random way. This must be done with respect to the subject and the motion of the subject, if present. The recorded movement also becomes part of the composition itself.

In other words, while exposure and composition are important for regular photography, ICM adds motion direction, speed, and a fine-tuned shutter speed to the equation. There are more factors to consider, making it much trickier to achieve a good result. However, there are also other things to take into account.

Focus, Focal Length, Filters, and Contrast

The long exposure needed for ICM photography can be achieved by using a low ISO value and a small aperture. In principle, f/22 is perfectly usable since you don’t have to worry about diffraction effects. Any softness due to diffraction will be impossible to see.

However, using such small apertures will reveal every dust spot on the sensor or even the lens. While this can be cloned out in post, it is better to avoid it altogether. Choosing a neutral density filter is the way to go. It also offers more flexibility when selecting the desired shutter speed.

Try to avoid wide angle lenses. The distortion of such lenses will result in curved lines at the edges of the frame. While this can be desirable, in many cases, it creates a strange visual flow in the photo. Being aware of this naturally occurring effect with a wide field of view is important.

Even though the subject has a lot of motion blur, ICM photography still requires reasonably good focus. It doesn’t have to be pinpoint sharp, which is often impossible due to movement, but it has to be close.

When the focus is as close as possible, lines and remaining details become much more pronounced. If combined with enough contrast in the subject, the effect of the camera movement will stand out. This contrast is important and can be enhanced in post if needed.

A Fixed Subject Versus a Moving Subject

There is a huge difference between photographing a fixed subject and a moving subject. When the ICM technique is used with the latter, the motion of the subject adds another variable to the mix, which can be challenging.

However, using the dynamics present will enhance the ICM effect. I find this offers greater freedom in the motion of both the camera and myself. For instance, walking toward the waves at the beach while moving the camera left or right.

A fixed subject often offers less freedom in camera movement. The movement must respect the subject to achieve a natural visual flow. In a way, this makes ICM techniques more difficult. However, it becomes interesting when combined with multiple exposures.

Adding Multiple Exposures to the Mix

ICM combined with multiple exposures in-camera offers a lot of flexibility. It allows a sharp image to be combined with an ICM image. This way, a subject remains more or less recognizable while the frame is filled with the desired motion blur.

The combination of ICM and multiple exposures can also be used to achieve an Orton-like effect, something I wrote about previously. You might want to look at that article as well. Combining multiple techniques makes it a great way to turn photography into something more than a normal recording of the world.

Final Thoughts

Now I know why I never liked photos with intentional camera movement. Most of the photos I came across back then involved nothing more than uninspired movement of the camera with no respect for the subject or composition. I also disliked digitally manipulated ICM effects since I see them as nothing more than photo manipulation. That feeling hasn’t changed.

There is probably a place for ICM photo manipulation, but it’s not for me. I prefer photos that achieve the result on location. I have respect for photographers who turn photography into art by incorporating movement into the equation. I hope one day I can achieve similar results myself. In the meantime, I enjoy using ICM whenever I can. It’s fun and offers great satisfaction when the result is to my liking.

If you have experience with ICM, what would you recommend for photographers who want to use this technique? Are there things to consider that haven’t been addressed in this article? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.