What is ICM?
This year, I have fallen in love again with ICM (Intentional Camera Movement). There are SO many different ways to use ICM to create something truly unique. Often, when I survey a scene, and it just isn’t “speaking to me,” I find that a little ICM is the solution.
How do you do it?
ICM stands for Intentional Camera Movement. All it means is that you use a longer shutter speed than normal, and you move your camera to blur the photo. You can choose which direction you want to move the camera to create different effects. Make sure you choose an aperture and ISO to compensate for your long shutter speed. You probably need to use a very low ISO, and a small aperture (f/8-f/16). If there is still too much light, you can attach a filter to your lens. I will be posting about a few different types of ICM over the next week or so. We’ll start with horizontal panning, because I think it’s easiest to control.
Horizontal panning at Hawaiian beach, 2021
SS = 1.6 sec
A few quick tips for horizontal panning:
Horizontal panning works best for images that have horizontal lines already. Horizons, beaches, and sunsets all create stunning horizontal ICM.
It often works best to keep the camera and your elbows tight to your body and turn your torso.
Start at SS = 1.0 seconds and adjust from there. If you want the photo to be more blurry, you can either move the camera faster, or increase your shutter speed. If the image you want to capture already fills most of your frame, then you definitely want to work with shutter speed, since you don’t have anywhere to move. You can also try moving the camera back and forth, but this often ends up a little messy. It is usually best to start on your left, and twist your torso to the right.
It helps a lot to start your movement and THEN press the shutter. That way you don’t get weird movement in your frame from the actual shutter press.
Horizontal ICM of water, SS = 1/6 sec (tropical in sunlight)
Horizontal panning is really “painting” with colors and light. Watch your surroundings for a familiar subject (water here) in different light situations to make the image really unique.
Horizontal panning at SS = 1/6 sec (Pacific ocean at sunset)
Drop a link in the comments if you give this a try! I’d love to see what you come up with!
