WHY?
ICM is another tool for purposeful expression, a tool to use in developing your personal aesthetic.
ICM takes the motion blur created with a long exposure one step further in expressive quality. It is another method of painting with light.
“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera,
they are made with the eye, heart & head.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
Long exposures blur motion, while keeping the non-moving structure of the photograph, the ground and any other environmental features, solid and focused. Images like those in Poetry of motion are an example of purposeful use of long exposures, during which the camera would need to be mounted on a tripod or on a solid surface to eliminate camera shake.
With intentional camera movement, we provide the movement, the expressive quality, by intentionally moving the camera.
In my own work, ICM helps me capture gesture and energy. ICM helps me create images about the essence of my subject.
Examples.
Note from these examples that they are not just blurry pictures. A strong image should still have some strong lines or focal points even if they are not in focus. The movement enhances the emotional quality of the subject. You may enhance the emotion/mood with color and depth in post-processing.
HOW?
1. Choose a subject. Look for contrasting colors and values, think about composition.
2. Set your camera.
Intentional shutter, usually 1/6” to 2”; ISO @100 for best quality; f-stop to complete exposure.
Consider a neutral density filter if photographing in bright daylight.
A longer shutter speed will soften details. A shorter shutter speed will leave more details.
3. Set your own mindset! Creating ICM images involves play and practice and experimentation to discover what works for your subject, the available light, and your own vision.
4. Play. Play with your camera movement. Different panning movements will create different lines in your image. Try moving your camera along the main lines of your subject. Adjust exposure as necessary. Play with moving your lens by zooming in or out during the exposure.
* I compare this process to fishing. You do a lot of casting to catch a big one.
RESOURCES
Andrew S Gray website and gallery, YouTube channel of instructional videos
Gray has multiple films of his shooting process, his culling of images, and his editing. In fact he edits live on Tuesday nights. *Andrews relies heavily on the post-production, shooting to ‘collect data’ for later editing.
Doug Chinnery website
Doug Chinnery blog post tutorials
Janet Powick interview and inspiration
What is selective focus? Selective focus is when one part of your image, preferably your subject, is in focus, while the rest of the image is out of focus to some purposeful degree. This is also referred to as a 'short depth of field'.
Why use selective focus?
Artists use selective focus to separate their subject from its environment.
Common examples of images that traditionally use selective focus are portraits: a senior portrait, a close up of a flower, or of an animal.
In these examples you can see that the subject has been separated from the environment for emphasis.
f2.8 @ 200 mm
f2.8 @ 70 mm
A by-product of selective focus is called bokeh, when anything that reflects light becomes a large light spot. In the photograph below, I purposefully backlit the loon and all that bokeh was created by the pollen floating on the water.
This is a great source of information on how to create Bokeh. Bokeh for beginners
f2.8 @200 mm
How do you achieve selective focus?
There are three ways to create selective focus.
- Aperture. Set the aperture on your camera to the largest aperture, the largest opening. On a lens with an aperture range of f2.8 – f32,you will achieve the maximum selective focus by setting your camera to 2.8.The larger the opening of your lens, the more selective focus.
- Proximity. Get physically as close as possible to your subject.
- Focal length. Zoom in as far as you can, maximizing your telephoto.
The last two, proximity and focal length, are especially important if you do not have a fast lens with a 2.8 or other wide aperture.
Here is a graphic that explains this.
Food for Thought:
Isolating a subject from its context changes meaning.
Think about the difference between a formal portrait and an environmental portrait.
In a formal portrait, a person’s face is in focus, the middle ground and background are out of focus.
In an environmental portrait, a person AND their context are in focus, so that we can learn about the person from all the symbols in their environment.
The aperture is a tool that gives you power and control over how much information you communicate about your given subject. You get to choose, purposefully.
He was busy fishing. We paused in our kayaks, enjoying that magic moment of expectation, wondering where and when he would resurface. After several blissful minutes he claimed his territory with this display, and we moved on.
Moments of light on a Maine Island
I just had the pleasure of spending another week on Monhegan, making art. It was a week of plein air painting and photographing, of hiking from dawn to dusk to my favorite places to find the most amazing light.
To see more of my images of Monhegan Island, click here.
Can you feel the energy?
Morning light, fall colors, rising fog.
Senior ProtraThis
What an honor to make portraits of this beautiful young woman.
Thank you.
Every morning this week there has been a different dramatic "reveal" of the landscape through the fog.
It was the perfect wedding weekend.
Luke and Anna chose to get married in the presence of their family and dearest friends at the place where they originally met: St. Lawrence University's Camp Canaras on Upper Saranac Lake, NY.
Russ and I were there all weekend to document this most important "moment" of their lives as well as share in their celebration. The weekend and ceremony were perfect for them: every detail was personal. While so many weddings look the same, this one was uniquely theirs.
Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk for just an hour across the road from my house. I was hoping for some glorious fall color, but the light was slim through the trees. I am happy, 'though, because it made me look. And I am happy with what I found, and what I was able to create from it.
These images and more New Hampshire landscape are available here.
I love it when friends ask me to photograph their dearest. What an honor to document these first moments.
Two sweet children, a great location, and soft light all contributed to this smooth and 'effortless' portrait session! These pictures just make me smile!
I have had the pleasure of photographing both these children since they were born . I must be their official family photographer!
'All' I wanted was to see a snowy owl that was NOT on a rooftop, not surrounded by the paparazzi and its police escort. I wanted a personal owl.
We'd witnessed the "celebrity" snowy owl that was in residence in Rye Harbor for well over a month, it seemed to move only from rooftop to rooftop.
Yesterday morning my wish was granted. Russ saw it first, a white rock being mobbed by crows. I barely had time to get out there with my camera before an ambivalent beachcomber walked too close. The first images I made were of it flying. Eventually, urged by the rising tide at its feet, it took to the air and thankfully flew back to 'our' shore. What more could I ask for? While I have the details of feather and wing in my photographs, I have the elegant and efficient flight of this magnificent visitor engraved in my memory.
Below are a few hockey pictures from the last several games. Some of my peeps have been asking why they haven't seen any pictures when I always have my camera at games. Well, now that it is "spring" break I have time to look at folders (and folders!) of hockey pictures...
Late afternoon light creates abstract designs on an icy beaver pond in Hamlin Park, Meredith, NH.
A snowshoe through beautiful fresh powder on a glorious blue sky Sunday afternoon resulted in some fun abstractions. Here is a glimpse.
How curious it is walk over the swamps and water that we kayak and swim through in the summer, the blue water solid beneath our feet. It is good to know a place in all its seasons.
Mid-November quickly feels so drab compared to October. Gone are the luminescent and energetic colors. Mid-November feels bare and cold, naked.
I found some warmth in the seaside landscape of Rye, NH. I created all these images at Odiorne State Park.
Emily has patiently posed for me throughout her lifetime. (Thank you, Emily!) But these portraits are very different. My goal was to illustrate her personal and physical strength, and I am really pleased with the images we were able to achieve. To see the rest of the best, click here.
Contact me if you are interested in this style of portrait!
I've been creating portraits in the studio pretty intensely for the last month. Studio light is fascinating. As much as I love natural light and a "lifestyle" or photojournalistic approach to image-making, I also appreciate being able to predict and control the light and to create images that match my vision.
Because the monthly assignment for the group of NH photographers is "dramatic lighting", I set up the studio this morning and created portraits of two of my favorite BOYS.
At the bottom of this post be sure to click on the link to Princeton House Photography's new work.
Follow the circle to Stephanie's dramatic light images at Princeton House Photography.
Everyone loves self portraits, right? Ha.
I new this portrait theme was coming up at Easter, so I decided to make these self portraits purposeful!
(I am not in very many family photos as I am always behind the camera.)
I decided that my self portraits would document me as part of my family, as well as one our family's
Easter traditions.
You have to admire my son's focus!
We are a family of goofballs. Goobers. We are silly.
While we were clearly posing for the camera, these images are still "us".
And I am glad I am in a few pictures this year. :)
To continue with the NH Photographer's Blog Circle and see the photographic work of the wonderful Kelly Varnum, of Kelly Varnum Photography, click here.
I woke up to this gorgeous light this morning.
I held this vision in my grateful heart all day.
Evening colors in Rye, NH. I often favor the intimate landscape of shallow tidal pools and grasses, and the variety of birds that feed there, to the broad expanse of the Atlantic Ocean across the road.
This month's NH Photographers' Blog Circle theme is "poetry". Rather than interpreting an existing poem, I chose to debut images that I have created that are evocative and poetic.
I have been working on four bodies of personal work for the last several years, but have yet to show most of them. I have portfolios of athletic and dancing bodies, all in full gesture of "flight". They are abstract and figurative, leaving the viewer space to connect and to interpret based on their own experience.
These images of basketball players are about the grace and power of athletes in motion.
Please head on over to Princeton House Photography to see Stephanie Lewis' beautiful imagery!
A few weeks ago I had the honor of photographing this sweet baby girl in the late afternoon, winter light. She was wide awake the entire session, not a glimmer of a sleepy moment for a posed newborn picture. However, her brothers were eager to be in the pictures, too, and what eager and loving big brothers they are! Congratulations to this beautiful family.
William Riordon Thompson
It was pure pleasure to photograph this sweet baby and his parents.
This is Love.
Welcome to the world, little one.
Plymouth Peewee Predators had two victories vs. the Biddeford Sharks today, 4-2 and 6-0! Go Plymouth!
2.17.13
To see the rest of the images from this game click here.
The Peewee Predators earned a 7-1 victory over Oyster River at the Whittemore Center Sunday, 2.2.13.
To see the rest of the pictures from this game please click here!
Intense.
Can't-hear-your-own-heartbeat.
Overtime.
Game.
(We won.)
It was sunny and warm today in Rye, NH. I made all these pictures late this afternoon walking between
Odiorne State Park and Wallis Sands State Park.
These images and other New Hampshire Landscapes can be found here.
We brought this stem of stargazer lilies to Polly. While she dozed, I explored the potential of my new phone camera. It felt good to be productive, creating images symbolic of life, while sitting on her bed, witnessing the end of hers.
For these images I used the app CP Pro for IPhone.
I am a hockey mom. I spend a lot of time in ice rinks.
I can't watch a game without my camera. Every moment there is the possibility of an awesome shot (pun intended)!
Including hockey, I photograph almost 100 sports events a year.
These images are a few from last weekend's three "Peewee 1" games.
Our NH Photographer Blog Circle's theme for December is to share a holiday tradition. The only difficult decision for me was which tradition to document. I love holiday traditions. I use mine to keep the meaning involved in a very commercial and busy season. They are what the kids remember from year to year.
We make as many of our gifts as possible. Since my children have been old enough to manage the hot wax, they have had fun dipping and sculpting candles in a variety of shapes and colors, and then playing with the leftover warm wax. Over they years they have been proud to give these unique candles to their aunts & uncles, teachers and grandparents.
Follow this link to Kristen Reimold's photography blog.
Happy Holidays!
Heading home after a late afternoon tour of the lake, this is what I saw as I came around Sheep Island.
Glory.
While similar, these images all speak to me differently. Time will help me decide which one is my favorite.
I appreciate any comments!
This month's blog circle project was to photograph our favorite local "haunt". My location does not have walls or a ceiling. Mine has an abundance of natural light and fresh air. Where do I go to restore my soul? To the lake, of course. And now that summer's over and I'm working more than full time, any time on the water at all is precious.
For information on how to join us in preserving this wild gem, click here for the Lake Wicwas Association. The association works to preserve and protect the lake, islands and the surrounding lands and to sustain a strong community of neighbors.
To continue on the NH Photographer Blog Circle route, click here to view Michelle Heath's work.
Golden, late afternoon light + a spontaneous family of three = lovely images!
I am new to a group of New Hampshire photographers that work together on a blog project. This month's blog theme is "water". You can see the interpretations by other NH photographers and follow the entire project by clicking the links at the bottom of each post.
Water. I choose to live by the water. In the summers I appreciate the light change over the water throughout the day: from soft, morning yellow, to evening blue, to midnight moonlight. Water reflects the colors of the sky, and distorts reality in really interesting ways. Kayaking with my camera is my favorite way to nurture myself physically, spiritually, and creatively.
A highlight of being out on the water is the prospect of a loon surfacing near me. Being in the presence of a loon always feels like a gift. Because I do not have a long lens, if I am able to create an image of a loon it is because it has chosen to reveal itself to me "wicked" close!
One night early this month I was out on the lake and I was able to spend some quality time with our resident pair with chick, as well as with a rogue loon. The latter was much more more concerned with its bath than with me, and I am pleased with the quirkiness of these images!
Too much water. While getting out of my boat, psyched about my encounter and my images, I didn't notice the motor boat that was surprisingly close to shore. I got "waked". My camera got "waked", too.
I did not take a deep breath the entire time my camera was in the oven for more than three days.
I did not want to go out on the lake, or actually see, anything. I felt cut-off, anxious. The world was still there, but I didn't have my way to connect to it. Creating images is more than clicking a shutter. It is a process of perceiving and then expressing vision. For me, creating is the process of connecting.
My story has a happy ending, at least to date. Here is how I de-humidified my camera.
When your camera gets drenched |How to dry out a Canon DSLR
Remove lens, both batteries, and memory card
Open all orifices
Place camera in brown paper bag, fold over the top
Place in warm oven on "low" (not over 120 degrees)
Have faith
Fend off real cooks
Leave in oven for several days... all the hours you are at home and awake... until camera is fully functional.
I've been back out on the water as usual, camera in my lap, ready at an impulse.
Emily and I spotted the loons nesting while out in our kayaks one June evening. This was the loon pair's second nest site; the first nest they built during a flood and they abandoned their nest when the waters receded. After 28 days of anticipation, invasive bass fisherman and raucous tourists, we are so excited to welcome this one baby loon to the world! Happy birthday, Fuzz Nugget!
The Winnipesaukee Rowing Club raced at the Cromwell Cup on the Charles River, Boston on a hot, HOT Sunday.
Represented below are the boys and girls junior 2x.
Mommy and I had to scheme a few minutes without Daddy to make these Fathers' Day portraits.
I hope he was happy!
The edge between seasons & states of mind ...
In Hamlin Park, along the south shore of Lake Wicwas.
On the north shore of the lake, blue sky waving goodbye to retreating ice.
This image is in my "New Hampshire Landscape" and "Images from Art Nouveau Exhibit" Zenfolio galleries. I created this image on the Falling Waters trail a few years ago. That year there were several feet of fresh powder, no tracks on the trail, and a deep blue sky. I love this moment of falling powder framed by the dark green and blue... another form of "falling water"!
Falling Waters is one of my favorite spring hikes. Some years we use snowshoes to hike through feet of fresh powder, but this year our micro-spikes sufficed for traction on ice. We didn't get very far up the trail this time due to the water surging over the path as it crosses over the stream in several places. In fact, had we gone a day later we wouldn't have made it as far as these beautiful falls. Hiking in the early spring means no bugs, no people, and enjoyable layers of contrasting icy and balmy air!