Since I had 4 photography workshops canceled this spring and summer due to the Coronavirus, I have been doing photography at or close to home. To make it more interesting, I have been trying new techniques and subjects. One technique I have been experimenting with for the past 2 months is Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) photography. For those who don't know, ICM is a technique using camera movement to create abstract or impressionistic images. You can either stop down the lens to f/32, for example, and/or add a neutral density filter, to allow slow shutters speeds of from about 1/5" to 1" or so. You vary your movements (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, twisting, arcing, etc.) and the speed and extent of your movement. It works best when there are areas of differing colors or contrasts. You can do them handheld, or use a tripod with a somewhat loose ball head (a gimbal would probably work great for some of these).

You experiment and check your LCD after every shot to see what you get. If you get something that looks like it has potential, then you try to refine the shot, adjusting your camera movement and/or settings. With experience, you get a feel for what might work, or what adjustments to make to improve an image. I took over 900 shots one afternoon in my backyard over the course of 1.5-2 hours, so, as you might expect, most were duds or uninteresting. But the fun in making these is you really don't know what to expect. And when you get something good popping up on your LCD screen, it is just a joy!

I have done a lot of landscape photography on quite a few workshops in various locations around the world, but it is very hard for me to get something unique, not to mention expensive to get to exotic locations. ICM can be done almost anywhere, and it is easy to get something unique.

Here are some examples of my favorites. I hope you enjoy them. I sure enjoyed making them.

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