Blog | 40 - A Broad Church (Intentional Camera Movement)
| bokeh photographic (Alistair Grant): Food & Drink Photographer; Commercial Photographer, Product Photographer & Packshot Photographer; Event Photographer; Portrait Photographer; Corporate Photographer & PR Photographer; Engagement Photographer & Wedding Photographer and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Bedford, St Neots, St Ives and London. Freelance Photographer & Freelance Photography Services in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and across the UK. | |||
 
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Alistair Grant Freelance Photographer Cambridge & London |
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bokeh photographic: Blog No: 40 → TIP: Click any image to view in LightBox |
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A Broad Church (Intentional Camera Movement) Working as a professional photographer means almost all my work, no matter whether I am shooting Food & Drink Photography, Commercial Photography & Product Photography, Corporate Photography & PR Photography, Portrait Photography & Active Portraiture, Event Photography or Wedding Photography, is confined to a surprisingly restricted area of practice within the broad church that is ‘photography’. This is necessarily so. By its very nature any paid photography work tends to be 'small c' conservative. Back in Blog No: 34 I mentioned ‘Why It Does Not Need To Be In Focus’ (which incidentally I have not seen again since spotting the book in several second hand bookshops) in pointing out how mainstream, narrow focus (excuse the pun!) practice dominates commercial photography. Perhaps at the other end of the spectrum are techniques such as Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) i.e. a (generally) long exposure method where the photographer consciously and volitionally moves the camera. As far as I can remember I have never used ICM on a paid shoot. Somewhat ironically however, despite being a counterculture photography technique, my personal ICM images have always sold very well NB: On a related point after a couple of years of not selling photographic wall art I may again offer large-scale prints, canvases etc. in 2018 so watch this space. ICM can be hard to define (which is part of its appeal) and can be remarkably tricky to get ‘right’ (again, part of its appeal) even though there is no right and the only ‘rule’ is that the camera is moved. This differentiates ICM from both: i) shooting a moving subject with a stationary camera and ii) panning i.e. shooting a moving subject by tracking it with the camera to produce a sharp, movement-frozen, subject with a blurred background to indicate motion. In my book ICM should also be separated from ‘zoomburst’ techniques where the barrel of a variable focal length lens is rotated whilst making an exposure although others might argue this is a type of ICM [although only so long as the camera body is also moved?]. Although difficult to define an ICM image is easy to spot. The technique produces vivid abstract images where colours and tones blend seamlessly into one another in a dramatic, blurry, fluid-like style that seems to heighten contrast. However, ICM images are not blurred as a result of using a slow-shutter speed without a tripod. The art of ICM is to make the relatively long exposure (<1/20sec) look natural as opposed to the blur caused by camera shake. My favourite type of photographs are those that are initially ambiguous; images where the detail (or even the subject of the photograph) only becomes apparent after looking at the image for some time. ICM exposures often fit this description which is apt given ICM is a type of photographic experimentation. In many respects working at the fringes of photography is where most of the excitement lies. In Blog No: 34 I highlighted how all the exciting experimental approaches learned about at photography college are quickly discarded when students graduate and secure professional assignments. Somebody buying one-to-one Photography Training as a Christmas gift for her husband last week explained how he was technically competent with the camera but had lost his enthusiasm for photography and could I do anything to revive it? Needless to say when that particular training session comes around we’ll be exploring with ICM and other experimental techniques to restore his passion for photography! |
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Call Alistair Grant on 07775 365507, Email [email protected] or click Booking Enquiries if you have any questions or would like to make a booking. |
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bokeh: "the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens" Freelance Photographer offering Food & Drink Photography Cambridge; Commercial Photography Cambridge, Product Photography Cambridge & Packshot Photography Cambridge; Event Photography Cambridge; Portrait Photography Cambridge; Corporate Photography Cambridge & PR Photography Cambridge; Engagement Photography Cambridge & Wedding Photography Cambridge and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge. Also covering: Huntingdon, St. Ives, Ramsey, St. Neots, Peterborough, Bedford, Stamford, Newmarket, Sawtry, Alconbury Weston, Brampton, Hartford, Warboys, Houghton, Wyton, Godmanchester, Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Hemingford Abbots, Fenstanton, Whittesley, Yaxley, Needingworth, Somersham, Chatteris, Ely, Bar Hill, Grafham and Buckden. |
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bokeh photographic - Alistair Grant | Freelance Photographer | Cambridge, London, UK Food & Drink Photography | Commercial Photography & Product Photography | Corporate Photography & PR Photography | Portrait Photography (inc. 'Active Portraiture', 'Naturally You' & 'Poptraits') | Event Photography | Engagement & Wedding Photography | Photography Training Courses & Camera Tuition | Videography & Film Production Tel: 07775 365507 | Email: [email protected] |
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