Well that was something. I made my first ever photography presentation this past weekend in front of 200 participants at the Out of Chicago Live! on-line conference and it was a nerve-wracking blast. My 7 minutes went by in a blur. And not just because I was explaining the techniques I use to create my blurry, abstract images.
I literally started talking and then my mind went blank. At least the conscious part that is. I launched into my over-rehearsed presentation and the next thing I knew I was at the end. Had I remembered to go through all the slides? Had I said everything I had planned? Had it made any sense? I had no idea, but I must have because the only way to the end was to go through the entire presentation stack, one slide at a time.
Putting the presentation together required me to dig a little deeper into my work so I could educate others about what I was doing, and why they might want to try this too. This was not a forum to showcase my best images; it was an opportunity to explain to other serious photographers how and why they were created. That’s a tall order for 7 minutes, but from the feedback I received I’m pretty sure I succeeded.
But more importantly doing the presentation helped boost my confidence and overcome my fears. I was not afraid of public speaking. I was afraid of playing the fool. I’ve argued cases in federal courts all over the country, and when it’s your turn to talk you’ve got no choice: you just go. But I walked into those courtrooms with credibility, built on years of education and experience. Holding forth on photography was something altogether different. There were hundreds of talented photographers watching, along with some of the top photographers in the country who were teaching at the conference. Artists like Richard Martin and William Neill, who have spent a lifetime creating beautiful impressionistic images. Who was I to think I had something to add to the conversation?
But you do the work and you realize yes, you do have something to say. That there is a point to the creative work that we do. This was just baby steps. I have a lot more to learn, and one day I may have a little more to say. But it is heartening to know that here, today, at this moment, there is something I have to share that might help or even inspire someone else to pursue their own creative path. And that is beautiful.
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Those of you who attended Out of Chicago Live! can watch my presentation on the video for the Attendee Takeover event. My talk starts at about the 55-minute mark (but you should really watch everyone because all nine of us had something unique to share). For everyone else, here’s what I had to say:
Brown Pelican, Tulum, 250mm, 1/20 sec. @ f/6.3
We’ve all made blurry images by mistake, and while that may be the result of camera movement, it’s not intentional camera movement. When you act with intention, you control the effects that the camera creates. Pan vertically, pan horizontally, wiggle the camera around or just gently shake it back and forth. Every movement creates a different look.
Like any other type of photography, this type of work requires you to identify shapes and lines and colors in the landscape, to look for contrast and light, and to use those elements to communicate what you are feeling to the viewer. When I do this type of work, I think of the camera as a paintbrush, and move it in a way that is designed to accentuate or reveal the forms I am seeing in – or hidden beneath – the landscape.
There’s a cave in the Santa Barbara backcountry that provides an illustrative example. The opening has a nice curve, there is a bit of texture on the walls, and some interesting colors to play with – oranges, blues, yellows and greens:
Cave abstracts, 12mm @ f/16 and f/22. Exposure times between 1.3 and 2.5 seconds.
When you first come upon a scene like this, you might gently nudge the camera back and forth during an exposure, creating a surreal image like the one in the top center that captures a bit of the mystery of what lies beyond. If you rotate the camera during the exposure and then flip the image to vertical, you might end up with a much more abstract version of the cave, like that in the image on the upper right.
Rotate it faster and the image begins to lose its connection to reality, like the one in the lower left resembling a potter’s wheel. And if you move the camera in multiple directions, as I did in the lower right when following the S-curve of the cave entrance, the image that results might be entirely abstract, just lines and colors and light. To paraphrase Forrest Gump: You never quite know what you’re going to get.
But you can push your images in the right direction. Creating these kinds of images is all about looking beyond the apparent reality in front of you, and getting in touch with the color and form of the landscape. It’s about getting into a flow state and filling your heart with joy as you experiment and play. As you explore your subject, you will find that one image leads to another, causing you to move your camera in ways you might not expect.
Be mindful as you practice, and move the camera in a way that relates to what you are seeing and feeling. But be careful not to overthink it. Let the landscape move through you. See what comes.
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I’ve been playing around with blurry images for years, long before someone minted the phrase “intentional camera movement.” While “ICM” is most often associated with trees and seascapes and sunsets, you can use it on anything that calls to you. From elephant seals resting on a beach to a sunflower in your garden to an iconic building you pass by when traveling, everything has something to show you if you slow down and look.
Sunflower, 100mm, 1.6 sec. @ f/16; Frank Gehry, Museum of Rock n’ Roll, Seattle, 40mm 1/50 @ f/20; Elephant Seals, Ano Nuevo, 300mm 1/15 @ f/14.
If you want to try this kind of work, I suggest starting with a shutter speed of between 1/15 and 3 seconds, and shooting as wide open as you can. At speeds faster than 1/15 it is difficult to move the camera with intention; slower than 3 seconds detail starts to get lost and it is difficult to preserve distinct elements in your composition. Shooting wide open saves you hours in post-processing cloning out the many sensor spots that you start seeing as you shoot at f/16 and below. A 3- or 6-stop neutral density filter can help you get to the correct range.
But in the end your equipment doesn’t matter. Use whatever camera you have, and open your heart and mind to the joy of seeing beneath the surface of reality. Try panning the camera vertically to capture trees or people. Or try panning horizontally the next time you are at the beach or watching a sunset. Vary the speed and direction of your movements and see what happens. Then just shake, rattle and roll: move the camera anyway that moves you. You may be surprised at what you learn to see.
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There are some more examples in the video, and in the Impressions gallery on my website. If I can get a copy of the video I will link to it to my website. If you want to learn more about my abstract work, you can check out the free preview of my book, Losing Focus, on Blurb. (The entire book is available to preview; one day soon I will get around to turning it into an e-book that you can download from this website.)