After shooting some images during a snowstorm last week I realized I had some good examples of how the speed of camera movement can have a great effect on ICM images.
The following shows the original scene, followed by a progression in camera movement during the exposure. I have put this up as a blog entry on my site if anyone is interested in learning more, but would be interested if anyone has any thoughts/favorites or even just prefer the original.
(https://www.alanbrownphotography.com/blog/2023/1/29/graded-icm-what-move...)
I tend to like the "slight" ICM of your second photograph as my eye can define what I am seeing....a more ethereal scene.
It's the way I view the world since my rose-colored glasses broke oh so many years ago.
I want to thank you for continuing to post ICM and most importantly: The How and Why's.
Thanks for your kindness Dean. I was waiting to see what others thought, but am happy as my goal in this shot was to maintain the essence of the scene and adding a balanced amount of ICM to make it a bit more impressionistic.
All the shots are really an attempt to capture what was achieved in #2, there really are fine lines for what works in ICM and what just look like mistakes.
Wow! You got to see snow? Lol. It's been too warm and rainy this winter. I like the 2nd image (first of the ICM images) for the same reasons as Dean. I also really like the last image a lot. It tells the snowstorm story beautifully - calm, soft, and silently falling. This one would make a nice wall print. The colors are pretty too. The two in between feel too much like focusing mistakes. Enjoyed reading your blog post about these too. Thanks for including it.
Thnaks Jennifer, I'm writing this as our temperature is -13F outside. Definitely no shooting for me today......
See my response to Dean. In my ICM 'old age' I now tend to apply ICM with two ideas in mind;
1) Use ICM to add an element that elevates a recognizable subject
2) Use ICM to create more of an abstract, with the eye being attracted to shape, form and composition, perhaps asking questions of the viewer as to what they are looking at. I think #5 falls into this category, but perhaps is not strong enough to pull that off.
In looking at it I think a very slight crop from the right would help the balance.
A third option I have been meaning to explore is to blend ICM and non-ICM of the same subject and see what can be achieved - something more to explore as winter keeps us indoors.