Lesson 9. Use Intentional Camera Movement

Almost as soon as we pick up a camera we are told to hold it still, but intentionally moving the camera can create dramatic results and is a powerful tool in creating impressionist or abstract photographs. Panning is one type of intentional camera movement, but the direction and speed of that movement is dictated by the moving subject itself. To use intentional camera movement more expressively, the movement of the camera and the speed of the shutter are determined by your imagination. Trees become more vertical if the movement is vertical, streaked by a slow shutter and a rapid up-and-down movement of the camera. Pinpoints of light become brush strokes and take the shape of the path of the moving camera. Colors blend and blur. This technique has the potential to create unpredictable, beautiful photographs.

Nikon D800, 190mm, 1/6 @ f/22, ISO 100
From my Yukon Impressions series, Yukon, Canada. Birches and fireweed become soft abstractions with an intentionally slow shutter speed and carefully chosen camera movement. I can only imagine what people thought as they drove by and saw me flailing around with my camera on the roadside.

• Consider using this technique with a moving subject. Don’t pan, but move in a similar or contrasting direction. Stationary subjects are fine too, but movement along different planes adds another visual element.

• Experiment with shutter speeds. To get them lower you’ll need a tighter aperture and a lower ISO. Want them lower still? A polarizer or a three- or four-stop neutral density filter will help.

Nikon D800, 100mm, 1/4 @ f/16, ISO 100

• Experiment with motion, moving the camera up and down, left and right, in and out, diagonally, even spinning it.

“This technique has the potential to create unpredictable, beautiful photographs.”

• Pay attention to the lines and color. Remember this is not a literal image, so the specific details of your subject are less important than the feeling evoked.

• Be conscious that although you know what your subject is, others may not. If it’s important to communicate something about this subject—a cat, for instance—then be sure the readers of your image get this sense without having been there.

• The unpredictability of this process is one of the best things about it. Be aware of your expectations.