It has been quite some time since I ventured into the realm of Fstoppers, but I am excited to be at least somewhat active here again. To that end, I would like to share a few ICM photos I took during a recent trip to Iceland, keeping in mind that it was chiefly through this very group that I got my love for this medium.
Image one is the countryside outside the town of Hella, done with a quick vertical pan on a telephoto lens. Though I love the simplicity of the thin lines over the break between land and sky, I go back and forth on the color tones in this photo. It feels a bit lifeless at times.
Image two is the famous Hallgrímskirkja church seen over the capital of Reykjavík, also done with a vertical pan. In contrast to my opinions on the last one, I am quite happy with the colors in this shot, but I feel as though the shapes may have been slightly too distorted in the process of taking the shot.
As always, constructive criticism is welcomed!
Hello Matthew! Great shots using ICM. The first one has a fantastic subject/division between sky and land. I think you're right about the color. Are you into post-editing? I wonder what you could do there to fix the colors? The composition in the second one is just as wonderful, but the colors play the leading role for sure. I think the shapes look fine as they are. Glad you enjoyed your recent visit to Iceland!
Thank you, Jennifer! I typically try to enhance what's already in the photo rather than alter the contents in post-production, but in the case of something like ICM, perhaps I could be a bit looser there.
Hi Matthew - I am just getting home from a trip so am late to this particular party.
I think it's great that you continue to experiment with ICM, and asking yourself the questions that will help you progress. Your pictures show a lot of promise and I'm glad you are getting enjoyment out of using the technique.
Regarding your color concern (on the first), I see ICM as being used to enhance an existing composition. In that respect color and form will always remain important.
The layering is interesting. You may be interested in the work of Chris Friel, who often blends a 'straight' shot with what I'm assuming is a Photoshop motion blur layers to create interesting effects (see examples in my blog - https://www.alanbrownphotography.com/blog/influencers-chris-friel)
The second is interesting and it's good you are thinking about how movement is affecting the shapes. I would recommend that when taking you capture a large number of shots using varying exposure times/camera movement speed. Often even the slightest change makes a big difference.
The other thing you can try is to bring this (or straight images) into PS and experiment with the motion blur filter to get an idea of how movement speed and angle affects the result.
Experience and practice is key to all ICM, so keep on playing!